Judges 14:15

15 And when the seventh day came, they said to the wife of Samson, Gloss thine husband, and counsel him, that he show to thee what the problem signifieth. That if thou wilt not do it, we shall burn thee and the house of thy father. Whether therefore ye called us to [the] weddings, that ye should rob us? (And when the fourth day came, they said to Samson's wife, Flatter thy husband, and counsel him, so that he show thee what the answer is. And if thou wilt not do this, we shall burn down thee and thy father's house as well. Or have ye only called us to the wedding, so that ye could rob us?)

Judges 14:15 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 14:15

And it came to pass on the seventh day
Not on the seventh day of the feast, for some time before that they applied to his wife, and she pressed him hard to disclose it; but on the sabbath day, as Kimchi, and so Jarchi says, on the seventh day of the week, not on the seventh day of the feast, for it was the seventh day of the feast; this is so clear, that the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, instead of the seventh, read the fourth day:

that they said unto Samson's wife, entice thy husband, that he may
declare unto us the riddle;
that is, persuade him to tell the meaning of it to her, that she might declare it to them:

lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire;
in which she now was, not as yet being taken home to her husband, and her in it; this they said to terrify her, and make her importunate with Samson to explain the riddle to her, if he had any value for her, and her life:

have ye called us to take that we have?
invited them to the wedding feast, to strip them of their clothes, and even take their very shirts off of their backs, which they must have been obliged to part with, if they could not explain the riddle, or send for other suits and shirts from their own houses: "is it not so?" verily this is the case, nor can it be understood otherwise than a contrived business between thee and thy husband, to get our raiment, woollen and linen, from us.

Judges 14:15 In-Context

13 soothly if ye may not solve (it), ye shall give to me thirty linen clothes, and coats of the same number (and the same number of coats). Which answered to him, Set forth the problem, (so) that we hear it.
14 And he said to them, Meat went out of the eater, and sweetness went out of the strong. And by three days they might not solve the proposition, that is, the reason(ing) set forth (And for three days, they could not solve the riddle).
15 And when the seventh day came, they said to the wife of Samson, Gloss thine husband, and counsel him, that he show to thee what the problem signifieth. That if thou wilt not do it, we shall burn thee and the house of thy father. Whether therefore ye called us to [the] weddings, that ye should rob us? (And when the fourth day came, they said to Samson's wife, Flatter thy husband, and counsel him, so that he show thee what the answer is. And if thou wilt not do this, we shall burn down thee and thy father's house as well. Or have ye only called us to the wedding, so that ye could rob us?)
16 And she shedded tears at Samson, and complained, and said, Thou hatest me, and lovest me not, therefore thou wilt not expound to me the problem, which thou hast put forth to the sons of my people. And he answered, I would not say this thing to my father and mother, and shall I be able to show it to thee? (And so she shed tears before Samson, and complained, and said, Thou hatest me, and lovest me not, and so thou wilt not expound the riddle to me, which thou hast put forth to the sons of my people. And he answered, If I would not even tell it to my father or my mother, then why would I tell it to thee?)
17 Therefore by seven days of the feast she wept upon him; and at the last in the seventh day, he told it to her clearly, when she was dis-easeful to him. And anon she told it to her citizens. (And so for the remainder of the seven days of the feast, she wept before him; and at last on the seventh day, he told her the answer, after that she had made his life miserable. And at once she told it to her fellow citizens.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.