Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition)
Samnon's Marriage and Riddle. JUDGES XV. Se Bums ihe rJtilidine Corn,
CHAPTER XV.
raei; In these circumstances, the provocation to hostilities could only spring out of a private quarrel, and this marriage sclieme was doubtless suggested by the secret Influence of the Spirit as the best way of accomplishing the intended result.
Ver. 1. 2. Sajison is Denied His "Wife. 1. in the time of wheat Uai"i-e8t—i. c, about the end of our April, or the beginning of our May. The sliocks of grain were then gathered into heaps, and l.ving on the field or on the threshing-floors. . It was the dry season, dry far beyond our experience, and the grain in amost combustible state. Samson -vlsitel Ills wife with a kill—It is usual for a visitor in the East to carry some present; in tl»is case. It might be not only as a token of civility, but of reconciliation, he said— /. c, to himself. It was liis secret purpose. Into the cUaml>er—The female apartments or harem. 2. her fat Jier said, I verily tliouiUt tliat thou hadst utterly Iiated her—This allegation was a mere sham—
6-9. He Kills a Lion. 5-9. a yoiuig llon—Heb., a lion in the pride of his youthful prime. The wild mountain passes of Judah were the lairs of savage beasts, and most or all the "lions" of Scripture occur in that wild country. His rending and killing the shaggy monster, without any weapon In his hand, were accomplished by that superhuman courage and strength which the oecaaional influences of the Spirit enabled him to put forth, and by the exertion of which, in such private incidental circumstances, he was gradually trained to contide in them for the moi'e public work to which he was destined. 7. lie went down and talked with the woman—the intercourse between the youth of dil Tereht sexes is extremely flimsy pretext to excuse his refusal of admittance. The proposal he made of a marriage with her younger sister was but an insult to Samson, and one which it was unlawful for an Israelite to accept (Leviticus 18. IS).
rare and limited in the East, and generally after they are betrothed. 8. after a time lie returne<l to take l»er probablj' after the lapse of a year— the usual interval between tlie ceremonies of betrothal and marriage. It was spent by the bride elect with her parents in preparation for the nuptials—and at the proper time the bride-
S-8. He Burns the Philistines' Coi:n. 3. Samson said, Now shall I be more blameless tiknn the Philistines—This nefarious conduct provoked llie hero's just indignation, and he resolved to take signal vengeance. 4. went ajitl caught three huinU-ed foxes— Rather jackals; an animal Ijetween a wolf and a fox, v>'hich, nnlike our fox, a solitary creature, prowls in large packs or herds, and abounds in the mountains of Palestine. The collection of so great a number would require both time and assistance, took tii-e-brands—Tordics or matches, which would burn slowly, retaining the fire, and blaze fiercely when blown by the wind. He put two jackals together, tail by tail, and fastened tightlja fire-match between them. At nightfall he lighted the fire-brand, and .sent eacli pair successively down from the hills, into the "Slufala," or plain of Philistia, lying on the borders of Dan and Judah, a rich and extensive corn district. The pain caused by the fire would make the animals toss about to a wide extCTit, kindling one great conflagration; but no one could render assistmce to his neighbour: the devastation was so general, the panic would be so great. 6. who hatli done this—The author of this outrage, and the cause that juovoked such an extraordinary retaliation, soon became known; and the suflerers, enraged by the destruction of tlii ir crops, rushing with tumultuous fury to the house of Samson's wife, "burnt her and her fatlierwith fire." This wa.s a remarkable retribution. To avoid this menace, she had betrayed her husband ; and by. that unprincipled conduct, eventually exposed herself to the horrid doom which, at the sacrifice of conjugal fidelity, she had sought to escape.
groom returned to take her home, lie turned aside to »ee tSie carcass of the lion ; and, behold, there was a swarm of hees and lioney in the carcass of the lion In such a climate, the myriads of insects, and the ravages of birds of prey, together with the influences of the solar rays, would, in a few months, put the carcass in a state Inviting to such cleanly animals as Ijees.
10, U. His Makkiaoe Feast. 10. his father went down—the father is mentioned as the head and representative of Samson's relatives. Samson made there a feast—the wedding festivity lasted a week. The men and women were probably entertained in separate apartments—the bride, with her female relatives, at her parents' house; Samson, in some place o))tained for the occasion, as he was a stranger. A large number of paranymphs, or "friends of the bridegroom," furnislied, no doubt, by the bride's family, attended his party, ostensibly to honour the nuptials, but really as spies on his proceedings.
12-ls. His Riddle. 12-18. I will put forth a rldiUe— riddles are a favourite Oriental amas(;ment at festive entertainments of this nature, and rewards are ol Tered to those who give the solution. Samson's riddle related to honey got in the lion's carcass. The prize he offered was thirty sindinim, or shirts, and tliirty changes of gai-- xnents, probably woollen. Three days were passed in vain iit tern jjts to unravel the enigma. The festive week was fast drawing to a close, when they secretly enlisted the services of the new-married wife, wlio having got the Becret, revealed it to her friends. If ye hntl not |ilouhed witli my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle—
7. Samson said, Thou{;h ye liave done tliis, yet will
I be avenjced of you—By that act the husbandmen had been the instruments in avenging his private and personal wrongs. But as a judge, divinely aiipointed to deliver Israel, his work of reti ibiil ion was not yet accomplished. H. smote them hip and thigh—A proverbial expression for a merciless slaugliler.
metaphor borrowed from agricultural pursuits, in which not only o.xen but cows and lieifcrs were, and continue to be, employed in dragging the plough. Divested of metaphor, tlie meaning is taken by some in a criminal sense, but proljably bears no more than that they had resorted to the aid of his wife—an unworthy expedient, wliicli might have Ijcen deemed by a man of less nolile sjiirit and generosity as releasing him from the oljligatloii to fullll liis bargain.
9-13. He is lioiiNi) nv thk Men of Judah, and Delivered TO THR PUTHSTINKS. 8. he Went doivn and dwelt in tlie top of the rock Klnni — Rjvther went down and dwelt in the cleft— 1. 1\. the cave or cuvern of Ihe "cliir" Eta!ii. 0. titen the Philiatiiies went up—to the high land of .ludah. and spread tliemselves in Lehl Now El-IiCkieh, abounding with limestone cllfl's; the Rides of which are perforated with caves. The object of the Philistines in this expedition v,as to apprehend Samson, In reveu'ic lor the great slaughter he had committed on their people. With a view of fn elng his own countrymen from all dang<!r from the infurlateil Philistines, he allowed liimscOf to be V)ound and surrendered n fettered prisoner Into tlu>ir power. ICxultlng with joy at the near prosj)ect of ridd.uice from so fonnidable an enemy, they went to mi'ct him. But by a sudden illapse of the Spirit he exerted his superhuman strength, an<l lliidinga lU'W li), '20. IlE Slays Thirty riii LisTiNES. 10, rJO. went to Askelon, and slew thirty men—Tliis town M as Ml)OUt twenty-four miles west by soutli-west from Tiniimtli ; and his selection of this place, wliich was dictated by tlie Divine Spirit, was prol)ably owing to its l)itter liostility to Israel, look their spoil—the custom of slrlpi>ing a Rlatn eiK Tuy was unknown In Hebrew wailan>. ao. KaiiiKon'8 wife was f;iven to his companion, wliom lie used ait hi* friend i.e., "tlie friend of tlie brlileproom," who was the medium of cominunicaliiig iluring tlie festivities lielween him and his bride; and whose acceptance of her hand, therefore, wiks an act of base treaclieiy, tlial could not fall to provoke the Just roscntinciut of Samson.
(or moist) Jawbone of an ass, he laid hold of it, and with no other weapon, slew a thousand men at a place which he cnlled lianiath-lehi—). c„ the hill of the Jawbone. 10, witli the Jtiivboiic of ail aiM, henpii upon heaps, wUb