Judges 15:17

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

Judges 15:17 in Other Translations

KJV
17 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place Ramathlehi.
ESV
17 As soon as he had finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone out of his hand. And that place was called Ramath-lehi.
NLT
17 When he finished his boasting, he threw away the jawbone; and the place was named Jawbone Hill.
MSG
17 When he finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone. He named that place Ramath Lehi (Jawbone Hill).
CSB
17 When he finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone and named that place Ramath-lehi.

Judges 15:17 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 15:17

And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking
Of delivering out the above song, which very probably consisted of much more than what is here expressed:

that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand;
which he held in his hand had wrought by him through the means of it, and so served to animate him to praise and thankfulness; but having no further use for it, he threw it away:

and called the place Ramathlehi;
that is, the casting away the jawbone, so Kimchi; but Ben Gersom thinks it was an high place where it was thrown, and so signifies the elevation or lifting up of the "jawbone", as the Septuagint version renders it.

Judges 15:17 In-Context

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.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.
18 Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the LORD, “You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”
19 Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived. So the spring was called En Hakkore, and it is still there in Lehi.

Cross References 1

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. "Ramath Lehi" means "jawbone hill."
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