Judges 14:9

9 And when Samson had taken the comb in his hands, he ate it in the way; and he came to his father and mother, and gave them part thereof, and they ate; nevertheless he would not show to them, that he had taken that honey of the lion's mouth. (And when Samson had taken the comb in his hands, he ate some honey on the way; and he came to his father and mother, and gave them part of it, and they ate it; but he did not tell them, that he had taken the honey out of the lion's mouth.)

Judges 14:9 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 14:9

And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating
Josephus ^F11 says he took three honeycombs, he means three pieces of the honeycomb, and ate the honey as he went along to Timnath; which he might do without touching the carcass of the lion, and defiling himself thereby, which, as a Nazarite, he was more especially to be careful of:

and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat;
who went down with him to the consummation of the marriage, and from whom he had turned a little aside; and now overtook them, and to whom he gave some of his honey to eat, which, having travelled some way, might be grateful to them. The above writer takes no notice of this, but says he gave of it to the young woman whom he betrothed, when he came to her; but of that the text makes no mention:

but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of
the lion;
either lest they should scruple eating it, being taken out of such a carcass; or that the riddle, which perhaps he meditated as he came along eating the honey, might not be found out, which might more easily have been done, had this fact been known by any.

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FOOTNOTES:

F11 Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 8. sect. 6.)

Judges 14:9 In-Context

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.

9 And when Samson had taken the comb in his hands, he ate it in the way; and he came to his father and mother, and gave them part thereof, and they ate; nevertheless he would not show to them, that he had taken that honey of the lion's mouth. (And when Samson had taken the comb in his hands, he ate some honey on the way; and he came to his father and mother, and gave them part of it, and they ate it; but he did not tell them, that he had taken the honey out of the lion's mouth.)

10 And so his father went down to the woman, and made a feast to his son Samson; for so young men were wont to do. (And so his father went down to see the woman, and Samson gave a feast there, as young men were wont to do.)

11 Therefore when the citizens of that place had seen him, they gave to him thirty fellows, which should be with him.