Judges 15:2

2 and her father saith, I certainly said, that thou didst certainly hate her, and I give her to thy companion; is not her sister -- the young one -- better than she? Let her be, I pray thee, to thee, instead of her.'

Judges 15:2 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 15:2

And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly
hated her
Not only thought so, but said so, and had said it over and over again; for the words are, "saying I said" ^F20, affirmed it confidently and constantly, that "in hating thou hast hated her" ^F21, with an implacable hatred, that there was no hope of any reconciliation:

therefore I gave her to thy companion;
this he said to excuse his daughter, and soften his resentment, that it was not his daughter's doing, but his, and that he had disposed of her not to anybody, but to a companion of Samson's; and what follows seems to be said with the same view, for he might be in some fear of Samson, knowing him to be a man of spirit and strength:

is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee,
instead of her;
that is, to wife; and two things he observes to recommend her, her youth and beauty, in which she was preferable to her sister. Such incestuous marriages were common with the old Canaanites, and it seems still continued; but were condemned by the law of God, and not allowed an Israelite, which Samson knew full well, and therefore listened not to the proposal; see ( Leviticus 18:3 Leviticus 18:18 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F20 (ytrma rma) "dicendo dixi", Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator.
F21 (htanv anv) "odiendo odires eam", Pagninus, Montanus; so Piscator.

Judges 15:2 In-Context

1 And it cometh to pass, after [some] days, in the days of wheat-harvest, that Samson looketh after his wife, with a kid of the goats, and saith, `I go in unto my wife, to the inner chamber;' and her father hath not permitted him to go in,

2 and her father saith, I certainly said, that thou didst certainly hate her, and I give her to thy companion; is not her sister -- the young one -- better than she? Let her be, I pray thee, to thee, instead of her.'

3 And Samson saith of them, `I am more innocent this time than the Philistines, though I am doing with them evil.'

4 And Samson goeth and catcheth three hundred foxes, and taketh torches, and turneth tail unto tail, and putteth a torch between the two tails, in the midst,

5 and kindleth fire in the torches, and sendeth [them] out into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burneth [it] from heap even unto standing corn, even unto vineyard -- olive-yard.