Judges 14:11

11 and it cometh to pass when they see him, that they take thirty companions, and they are with him.

Judges 14:11 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 14:11

And it came to pass; when they saw him
That is, the Philistines, the citizens of Timnath, when they saw that he was come to consummate his marriage:

that they brought thirty companions to be with him;
to be the bridegroom's men, or children of the bridechamber, as they are called, ( Matthew 9:15 ) or friends of the bridegroom, ( John 3:29 ) to keep him company during the nuptial feast: this they did according to custom, and in honour and respect unto him; though some think, and so Josephus {l}, that they were brought to be guards upon him, observing that he was a man of great might, strength, and courage, so that they were afraid of him, lest he should have some design upon them; but it is not certain that there was anything very visible or terrible in him, more than in another man, that showed him to be of extraordinary courage and strength, since it was but at times the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and as yet he had done nothing to their knowledge which showed him to be such; had they indeed known of his encounter with the lion, they might have had such thoughts of him, but this they knew nothing of.

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FOOTNOTES:

F12 Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 8. sect. 6.)

Judges 14:11 In-Context

9 And he taketh it down on to his hands, and goeth on, going and eating; and he goeth unto his father, and unto his mother, and giveth to them, and they eat, and he hath not declared to them that from the body of the lion he took down the honey.

10 And his father goeth down unto the woman, and Samson maketh there a banquet, for so the young men do;

11 and it cometh to pass when they see him, that they take thirty companions, and they are with him.

12 And Samson saith to them, `Let me, I pray you, put forth to you a riddle; if ye certainly declare it to me [in] the seven days of the banquet, and have found [it] out, then I have given to you thirty linen shirts, and thirty changes of garments;

13 and if ye are not able to declare [it] to me, then ye have given to me thirty linen shirts, and thirty changes of garments.' And they say to him, `Put forth thy riddle, and we hear it!'