Judges 14:6

6 And the spirit of the Lord felled into Samson, and he rent the lion into gobbets, as if he had rent a kid, and utterly he had nothing in his hand; and he would not show this to his father and mother. (And the spirit of the Lord fell upon Samson, and he tore the lion into pieces, like tearing up a goat kid, and he had utterly nothing in his hands; but he did not tell what he had done to either his father or his mother.)

Judges 14:6 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 14:6

And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him
The Spirit of might from the Lord, as the Targum, inspiring him with courage and intrepidity of mind, and increasing his bodily strength:

and he rent him as he would rend a kid;
as he came up to him to seize him, he laid hold on him and strangled him, as Josephus ^F2 says, caught him by the throat, and tore it out; for it does not seem that the carcass was torn to pieces, or limb from limb, by what follows; and this he did with as much ease as if he had had only a kid to deal with:

and he had nothing in his hand;
not a staff to keep it off, nor a spear, sword, or knife to stab it with: in this Samson was a type of Christ, who has destroyed our adversary the devil, compared to a roaring lion, ( 1 Peter 5:8 ) to a lion for his strength, cruelty, and voraciousness; to a roaring lion, making a hideous noise and stir when the Gospel was carried unto the Gentiles, and they were about to be called and espoused to Christ; from among whom he was cast out, and by no other weapon than the ministration of the Gospel, accompanied with the power of Christ, and his Spirit:

but he told not his father or his mother what he had done;
when he overtook them, as he quickly did, he said not a word to them of his meeting with a lion and slaying it; which, as it showed his modesty in not blazing abroad his wonderful and heroic actions, in which also he was a type of Christ, but his great prudence in concealing this, lest his great strength should be known too soon, and the Philistines be upon their guard against him, or seek to dispatch him privately; though no doubt he had pondered this in his own mind, and considered it as an omen and presage of the advantage he should have over the Philistines his enemies, whom he should as easily overcome as he had that lion, and that without any instrument of war.

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FOOTNOTES:

F2 Antiqu l. 5. c. 8. sect. 5.

Judges 14:6 In-Context

4 But his father and mother knew not, that this thing was done of the Lord (that this thing was done by the Lord); and that he sought occasions against [the] Philistines; for in that time (the) Philistines were lords of Israel.

5 Therefore Samson went down with his father and mother into Timnath; and when they had come to the vineries of the city, a fierce and roaring whelp of a lion appeared, and ran to Samson (and ran at Samson).

6 And the spirit of the Lord felled into Samson, and he rent the lion into gobbets, as if he had rent a kid, and utterly he had nothing in his hand; and he would not show this to his father and mother. (And the spirit of the Lord fell upon Samson, and he tore the lion into pieces, like tearing up a goat kid, and he had utterly nothing in his hands; but he did not tell what he had done to either his father or his mother.)

7 And (so) he went down, and spake to the woman, that pleased his eyes.

8 And after some days he turned [again] to take her; and he went aside to see the lion's carrion (and he went aside to see the lion's carcass); and lo! a swarm of bees was in the lion's mouth, and (also) an honeycomb.