Judges 15:14-17

14 As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands.

15 Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.

16 Then Samson said, “With a donkey’s jawbone I have made donkeys of them.^[a]With a donkey’s jawbone I have killed a thousand men.”

17 When he finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone; and the place was called Ramath Lehi.^[b]

Judges 15:14-17 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 15

This chapter relates, that Samson being denied his wife, did by a strange stratagem burn the corn fields, vineyards, and olives of the Philistines, Jud 15:1-5, and that because of their burning her and her father, he made a great slaughter of them, Jud 15:6-8, which brought the Philistines against the men of Judah, who took Samson and bound him, to deliver him to the Philistines, when he, loosing himself, slew a thousand of them with the jaw bone of an ass, Jud 15:9-17 and being athirst, God in a wonderful manner supplied him with water, Jud 15:18-20.

Cross References

• 1. S ver 9
• 2. S Judges 3:10; Judges 14:19; 1 Samuel 11:6
• 3. S Joshua 2:6
• 4. S Leviticus 26:8; Joshua 23:10; Judges 3:31
• 5. Jeremiah 22:19
• 6. S ver 9

Footnotes

• [a] Or "made a heap or two" ; the Hebrew for "donkey" sounds like the Hebrew for "heap."
• [b] "Ramath Lehi" means "jawbone hill."