Judges 14

CHAPTER 14

Samson’s Marriage (14:1–20)

1–4 While Samson was growing up, the Philistines were ruling over Israel (verse 4); they occupied the western part of the tribal allotment of Dan and Judah. Samson and his family were themselves Danites (Judges 13:2). God had allowed the Philistines to be His instruments in punishing the Israelites for their disobedience to His law (Judges 3:3–4; 13:1). However, the time had come for God to confront the Philistines. God for a time will use ungodly people to accomplish His purposes, but eventually they too will be punished for their ungodliness. And so the time for punishing the Philistines had come, and God planned to use Samson to carry out the punishment.

The first step of the plan was to have Samson marry a Philistine woman. Here again we see God using an imperfect and sinful instrument—Samson—to carry out His plan (see Genesis 50:20; Acts 2:2324). God had forbidden the Israelites to intermarry with the other nations living in Canaan (Deuteronomy 7:3), but Samson was willfully setting out to disobey God. Did God “force” Samson to be disobedient? No; God only “used” Samson’s disobedience for His purposes. God is never the author of evil (James 1:13–14).

Samson’s godly parents protested his choice of a Philistine girl. They knew that Israelites should not marry non Israelites—just as today Christians should not marry non-Christians (see 2 Corinthians 6:14–18). Furthermore, the Philistines were uncircumcised (verse 3). CIRCUMCISION was the covenant sign of being an Israelite (see Genesis 17:9–14 and comment). However, most non-Israelite nations in Canaan also practiced circumcision—but not the Philistines. Thus the term “uncircumcised” is used here as a term of scorn and derision.

The willful Samson would not listen to his parents. He repeated his demand: “Get her for me” (verse 3). In biblical times it was the responsibility of parents (especially fathers) to arrange marriages for their children.

5–7 So Samson and his reluctant parents journeyed to the town where the Philistine girl lived. On the way, Samson was momentarily separated from his parents, and during that short interval he was attacked by a lion (verse 5). The Spirit of the LORD⁶⁵ came on him at that instant and gave him the power to kill the lion with his bare hands (verse 6).

8–11 In these verses, the final arrangements for Samson’s marriage are described. Mention is made of Samson’s finding honey in the carcass of the lion he had killed earlier (verses 8–9). This gave him the idea for a riddle he could tell at his wedding feast (verse 12); telling riddles was a popular form of entertainment in Old Testament times.

The wedding feast was a grand affair lasting seven days. Samson was given thirty companions,⁶⁶ presumably by the bride’s family. The purpose of giving the bridegroom so many companions is unclear; but at least they added to the general entertainment by attempting to solve Samson’s riddle!

12–13 Samson made a bargain with his thirty companions: if they solved the riddle within seven days he’d give them thirty sets of clothes; if they didn’t, they’d have to give him thirty sets of clothes.

14 The solution to the riddle, of course, was “lion” and “honey.” Without knowing that Samson had gotten honey from the carcass of a lion, the riddle was virtually impossible to solve!

15–17 By the fourth day, Samson’s thirty “companions” had become angry; not only was Samson making sport of them but he was also “robbing” them of thirty sets of clothes. They threatened to kill Samson’s wife and her family if she didn’t find out the answer to the riddle and tell them.

Samson’s wife used one of womanhood’s greatest weapons: tears. She cried the whole seven days, and Samson finally gave in (verse 17). He told her the riddle’s answer, and she in turn told his thirty companions.

18–20 When the companions gave the correct answer, Samson was justifiably angry; he knew at once how they had found out-through his wife. He said they had plowed with [his] heifer (verse 18)that is, they had teamed up with his wife unfairly.

To keep his side of the bargain, Samson went out and, empowered by the Spirit, stripped thirty Philistines of their clothes, which he then gave to the thirty men who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger he then left his wife and went to his own home. The girl’s father, not wanting to leave his daughter abandoned and disgraced, gave her to Samson’s friend—presumably his “best man” at the wedding (verse 20).