2: And Jephthah said to them, “I and my people were at great strife with the sons of Ammon; and when I called you, you all delivered me not out of their hands.
3: And when I saw that you all delivered me not, I put my soul in my hands, and passed over against the sons of Ammon, and Yehovah delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are you all come up to me this day, to fight against me?”
4: Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, “ All you Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites.”
5: And the Gileadites took the fords of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, “Let me go over;” that the men of Gilead said to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No;”
6: Then said they to him, “Say now ‘Shibboleth:’ ” and he said “Sibboleth:” for he could not take heed (or give attention) to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand (= 40 + 2,000 = 2,040. The whole tribe numbered only 32,500 at previous census [Num.26:37; see note on 7:3], and that was less than the first numbering [Num.1:33]. Only 1,000 from each tribe formed the army. Num.31:4,5).
1151-1145 B.C.
7: And Jephthah ruled Israel six years (first, deliverance; then rule). Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead (City unnamed. Memory not honoured, though mentioned in Heb.11:32; yet the last name in that list).
A i¹ j¹ 8,9-. Ibzan. k¹ -9. Government (7 years). l¹ 10. Death. i² j² 11-. Elon. k² -11. Government (10 years). l² 12. Death. i³ j³ 13,14-. Abdon. k³ -14. Government (8 years). l² 15. Death.
8: And after him Ibzan (= illustrious) of Bethlehem ruled Israel.
9: And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons.
1145 to 1138 B.C.
And he ruled Israel seven years.
10: Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Bethlehem.
11: And after him Elon (= an oak), a Zebulonite, ruled Israel;
1138 to 1128 B.C.
and he judged Israel ten years.
12: And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the country of Zebulun.
13: And after him Abdon (= servile) the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, ruleded Israel.
14: And he had forty sons and thirty grandsons, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts:
1128 to 1120 B.C.
and he ruled Israel eight years.
15: And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.
B J 13:1-. Delivered to oppressors. K 13:-1.Time of sevitude (40 years). J 13:2–16:31-. Delivered by Samson. K 16:-31. Time of government (20 years).
13)
1: And the sons of Israel did evil again (Heb. added to commit) in the sight of the Lord (Yehovah);
and the Lord (Yehovah) delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
1120 to 1100 B.C.
J L 13:2-21. Promise. A deliverer. M 13:22,23. Parents. Fear, and Cheer. M 13:24,25. Child. Growth, and Power. L 14:1–16:31-. Promise fulfilled. Deliverer.
L m¹ 2-7. First appearance of Angel. m² 8-14. Second appearance of Angel. m³ 15-21. Detention of Angel.
m¹ n 2-. Manoah, alone. o -2. His wife, alone. o 3-5. His wife, and Angel. n 6,7. Manoah, and wife.
2: And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah (= rest);
and his wife was barren, and bare not.
3: And the Angel of the Lord (Yehovah) appeared to the woman, and said to her, “Behold now, you are barren, and bear not: but you shall conceive, and bear a son.
4: Now therefore beware, I pray you, and drink not wine nor strong drink (cp. Num.6:2,3), and eat not any unclean thing:
5: For, lo, you shall conceive, and bear a son; and no rasor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God (Elohim) (= one seperate to Elohim) from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”
6: Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, “A Man of Elohim (this was according to her apprehension) came to me, and His appearance was like the appearance of an Angel of God (Elohim), very awe-inspiring: but I asked Him not from which place He was, neither told He me his name:
7: But he said to me, “Behold, you shall conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God (Elohim) from the womb to the day of his death.”
m² p 8-. Peappearance intreated. q -8. Direction sought. p 9-11. Reappearance vouchsafed (bestow). q 12-14. Direction given.
8: Then Manoah intreated the Lord (Yehovah), and said,
“O Lord (Yehovah), let the Man of God (Elohim) Which You did send come again to us, and teach us what we shall do to the child that shall be born.”
9: AndGod (Elohim) listened to the voice of Manoah; and the Angel of God (Elohim) appeared again to the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her.
10: And the woman made haste, and ran, and showed her husband, and said to him, “Behold, the Man has appeared to me, that came to me the other day.”
11: And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the Man, and said to him, “Are You the Man that spoke to the woman?” And He said, “I am.” (Heb. ’eyah. See Ex.3:14)
12: And Manoah said, “Now let Your words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do to him?” (Heb. "What shall be the rule of concerning the boy, and what shall be his work?")
13: And the Angel of the Lord (Yehovah) said to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her beware.
14: She may not eat of any thing that comes of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I forbade her let her observe.”
m³ r 15,16-. Invitation of Manoah. s t -16. Manoah's ignorance. u 17,18. Angel's name. "Wonderful". r 19-. Offering of Manoah. s u -19-21-. Angel's action. "Wonderful". t -21. Manoah's knowledge.
15: And Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord (Yehovah), “I pray You, let us detain you, until we shall have made ready a kid of the goats for You.”
16: And the angel of the Lord (Yehovah) said to Manoah, “Though you detain Me, I will not eat of your bread (put for food of all kinds): and if you will prepare a burnt offering, you must offer it to Yehovah.”
For Manoah knew not that He was an Angel of the Lord (Yehovah).
17: And Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord (Yehovah), “What is Your name, that when Your sayings come to pass we may do You honour?”
18: And the Angel of the Lord (Yehovah) said to him, “Why ask you thus after My name, seeing it is secret?” (Heb. wonderful. Same as Isa.9:6)
19: So Manoah took a kid of the goats with a meal offering, and caused it to ascend upon a rock to the the Lord (Yehovah):
and the Angel did a wonderful thing; and Manoah and his wife looked on.
20: For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven (see Gen.4:4)
from off the altar (the rock is deemed the altar), that the Angel of the Lord (Yehovah) ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.
21: But the Angel of the Lord (Yehovah) did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife.
Then Manoah knew that He was an Angel of the Lord (Yehovah).
22: And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God (Elohim).”
23: But his wife said to him, “If the Lord (Yehovah) were pleased to kill us, He would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands (it is the acceptance of our Substitute by Which God saves, not or acceptance of Him. This is sound reasoning), neither would He have showed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these.”
24: And the woman bare a son, and called him Samson (like the sun): and the child grew (Israel waited 20 years for deliveance), and the Lord (Yehovah) blessed him.
25: And the Spirit of the Lord (Yehovah) began (they had yet to wait. Cp. 15:20) to stir him with trouble (see Gen.41:8) to and fro in the camp of Dan (where Isreal lay in a fortified place. Cp. 18:12) between Zorah and Eshtaol (on the border of Judah).
L N A 14:1-20. Marriage. B 15:1-19. Slaughter, in life. O 15:20. Government (20 years). N A 16:1-20. Harlots. B 16:21-31-. Slaughter, in death.
N P¹ 1-9. Proposals. P² 10-20. Feast.
P¹ v 1-4. Wife. w 5,6-. Lon. Torn. x -6. Concealment. v 7. Wife. w 8,9-. Lion. Honey in it. x -9. Concealment.
14)
1: And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.
2: And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, “I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.”
3: Then his father and his mother said to him, “Is there never a woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you go to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? (an unlawful connection. Cp. Ex.34:16. Deut.7:3, with Josh.23:12) And Samson said to his father, “Get her for me; for she pleases me well.” (Heb. is right in my eyes)
4: But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the Lord (Yehovah), that he sought an opportunity against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.
5: Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared at meeting him (lions once abounded in Palestine. Hence names Lebaoth [Josh.15:32; 19:6]. Arieh [2 kings 15:25]. Laish [Judg.18:7].See also 1 Sam.17:36. 1 Kings 13:24, &c.).
6: And the Spirit of the Lord (Yehovah) came mightily upon him, and he tore him (i.e. the lion) as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand:
but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.
7: And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.
8: And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion.
9: And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat:
but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion.
P² y 10,11. Wife and companions. z 12,13. Conditions proposed. a b 14. Riddle put forth. c 15-17. Wife's deceit. a b 18-. Riddle solved. c -18. Wife's deceit. z 19. Conditions fulfilled. y 20. Wife and companions.
10: So his father went down to the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do.
11: And it came to pass, when they saw him (i.e. saw what sort of man he was. Note emphasis on "him"), that they brought thirty companions to be with him.
12: And Samson said to them, “Let me now put forth a riddle to you: if you all can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen wraps (or shirts) and thirty change of garments:
13: But if you all cannot declare it me, then shall you all give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments.” And they said to him, “Put forth your riddle, that we may hear it.”
14: And he said to them, “Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness.” And they could not in three days expound the riddle.
15: And it came to pass on the seventh day (the Sept. read, "fourth"), that they said to Samson's wife, “Entice your husband, that he may declare to us the riddle, lest we burn you and your father's house with fire: have you all called us to take that we have? is it not so? (the italics reveal the uncertainty of A.V. Many codices read, "to this place", which yields better sense. Heb. text simply reads, "not")
16: And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, “You do but hate me, and love me not: you have put forth a riddle to the sons of my people, and have not told it me.” And he said to her, “Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it you?”
17: And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to the sons of her people.
18: And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, “What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them, “If you all had not plowed with my heifer, you all had not found out my riddle.”
19: And the Spirit of the Lord (Yehovah) came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments to them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house.
20: But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend (this was strictly in accordance with the laws of Khammurabi §§ 159,163,164).
B Q¹ 1-8-. First slaughter. Q² -8-19. Second slaughter.
Q¹ d 1,2. Wife refused. e 3-5. Retribution. Burning. d 6. Wife burnt. e 7,8-. Retribution. Slaughter.
15)
1: But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid of the goats; and he said, “Let me come in to my wife into the chamber.” But her father would not suffer him to go in.
2: And her father said, “I verily thought that you had utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to your companion: is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray you, instead of her.”
3: And Samson said to them, “This once shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure.”
4: And Samson went and caught three hundred jackals (these go in packs, foxes go alone), and took torches, and turned tail to tail, and put a torch in the midst between two tails.
5: And when he had set the torches on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives.
6: Then the Philistines said, “Who has done this?” And they answered, “Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion.” And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire (some codices read, "burned the house of her father").
7: And Samson said to them, “Though you all have done like this (i.e. on this wise), yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease.”
8: And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter:
Q² f -8-16. Expected retaliation. g 17. Meaning of place. Ramath-lehi. f 18,19-. Expected reataliation. g -19. Meaning of place. En-hakkore.
f h -8. Etam. Samson there. i 9. Philistines. Camp at Lehi. h 10-13. Etam. Mission to Samson. i 14-16. Philistines. Slaughter at Lehi.
and he went and dwelt in the cleft of the rock Etam (= lair of wild beasts).
9: Then the Philistines went up, and camped in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi (= jaw bone).
10: And the men of Judah said, “Why are you all come up against us?” And they answered, “To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him according as he has done to us.”
11: Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, “Know you not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that you have done unto us?” And he said to them, “As they did to me, so have I done to them.”
12: And they said to him, “We are come down to bind you, that we may deliver you into the hand of the Philistines.” And Samson said to them, “Swear to me, that you all will not fall upon me yourselves.”
13: And they spoke to him, saying, “No; but we will bind you fast, and deliver you into their hand: but surely we will not kill you.” And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock.
14: And when he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted at meeting him: and the Spirit of the Lord (Yehovah) came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.
15: And he found a new jawbone of an ass (one of the 7 "week things" in Judges. see 3:21), and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith.
16: And Samson said, “With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.” (Note the alternation of four lines. Another pointing of the second line given in Sept. is, "chãmor chãmartin = "destroying I destroyed them", which by Fig. Polyptõtom = I utterly destroyed them. There is also the Fig. Antanaclasis in the words chãmor, "ass", and "destroyed")
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 Ramath-lehi (= the uplifting of a jawbone).
18: And he was sore athirst, and called on the Lord (Yehovah), and said, “You have given this great deliverance into the hand of Your servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?”
19: But Elohim (not Yehovah. a sign of distant or withdrawn relationship. In 13:24,25, and 14:4,6, we have Yehovah, but not again in Samson's history till he is humbled, 16:20; then He prays to Yehovah) clave open the hollow that is in Lehi, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his courage came again, and he revived:
wherefore he called the name thereof En-hakkore (= the Caller's Fount), which is in Lehi to this day.
20: And he ruled Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years (see 13:24).
1120 to 1100 B.C.
A j¹ 1-3. In Gaza. j² 4-20. In Sorek.
j¹ k 1. Samson. Harlot of Gaza. l 2-. Informaton given. l -2. Expectation roused. k 3. Samson. Gates of Gaza.
16)
1: And went Samson to Gaza (= the fortified; the strong. About 35 miles south of his native place), and saw there a harlot (He could tear apart a lion, but no his lusts. He could break his bonds, but not his habits. He could conquer the Philistines, but not his passions.), and went in unto her.
2: And it was told the Gazites, saying, “Samson is come to this place.” And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city,
and were quiet all the night, saying, “In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.”
3: And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors (i.e. unhinged both leaves. Cp. Isa.45:1) of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the hill that is over against Hebron.
j² m 4. Samson. Gaza to Sorek. n 5. Delilah's bribe. n 6-20. Delilah's snares. m 21-31-. Samson. Sorek to Gaza.
4: And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek (= red), whose name was Delilah (= lanquishing).
5: And the lords of the Philistines (see Josh.13:3) came up to her, and said to her, “Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lies, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to humble him: and we will give you every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.” (One of the two occurances of this number 11 = the number of defective administration [12-1. #12 = governmental perfection]. Cp. 17:2, where similar want of rule is seen. This 1,100 ruined them politically; the other [17:2] ruined them religiously)
n o¹ 6-14. Delilah's attempts. Failure. o² 15-20. Delilah's attempts. Success.
o¹ p¹ q¹ 6. Binding. r¹ 7. Means. Green withs. s¹ 8. Used. t¹ 9. Broken. p² q² 10. Binding. r² 11. Means. New ropes. s² 12-. Used. t¹ -12. Broken. p³ q³ 13-. Binding. r³ -13. Means. Web and pi. s³ 14-. Used. t³ -14. Carried away.
6: And Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me, I pray you, wherein your great strength lies, and wherewith you might be bound to afflict you.”
7: And Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried (= green twigs. Anglo-Saxon, a willow, because of its twining and flexibility), then shall I be weak, and be as any other man.
8: Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green twigs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
9: Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said to him, “The Philistines be upon thee, Samson.” And he snapped the twigs, according as a thread of tow (Old English. Coarse flax or hemp for spinning or twining. Occurs only here and Isa.1:31. Very inflammable) is broken when it smells (before it touches) the fire. So his strength was not known.
10: And Delilah said to Samson, Behold, you have mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray you, wherewith you might be bound.”
11: And he said to her, “If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as any other man.”
12: Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said to him, “The Philistines be upon you, Samson.” And there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber.
And he brake them from off his arms like a thread.
13: And Delilah said to Samson, “Hitherto you have mocked me, and told me lies: tell me, I pray you, wherewith you might be bound.”
And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head with the web.” (Notive the Fig. Homœoteleuton. In th primitive text these words were probably followed by "and fasten them with a pin". For the Sept. adds "I shall be as any other man. And it came to pass that when he was asleep that Delilah took the seven looks of his had and wove them with the web, and she fastened them with a pin". Ginsburg suggests that some ancient scribe, in copying the first words, "fasten them with a pin", carried hiseye back to these last words, and omitted the whole of this clause, which has been preserved in the Sept.)
14: And she fastened it with the pin, and said to him, “The Philistines be upon you, Samson.”
And he awoke out of his sleep (i.e. the sleep mentioned in the Fig. mentioned above), and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.
o² u 15-18. Strength. Secret given. v 19. Sleeping. v 20-. Waking. u -20. Strength. Secret gone.
15: And she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you’, when your heart is not with me? you have mocked me these three times, and have not told me wherein your great strength lies.”
16: And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed (became impatient, or grieved) to make him die;
17: That he told her all his heart, and said to her. “There has not come a rasor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite to God (Elohim) (= seperate to Elohim) from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”
18: And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up this once, for he has showed me all his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and brought money in their hand.
19: And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
20: And she said, “The Philistines be upon you, Samson.” And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, “I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself.”
And he knew not that the Lord (Yehovah) was departed from him.
B w 21-. Servitude. x -21. Prison-house.Labour. y 22. Hair growing. z 23,24. Festival. z 25-27. Sport. y 28. Strength restored. x 29,30. Prison-house. Destruction. w 31-. Burial.
21: But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass (Heb. "two brasses". Put by Fig., for the two fetters made of brass);
and he did grind in the prison house (the work of women and slaves. Denotes the condition to which he was reduced. Cp. Ex.11:5. Isa.47:2).
22: However the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.
23: Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer (Heb. "slay") a great sacrifice to Dagon (= a fish) their god, and for rejoicing: for they said, “Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.”
24: And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, “Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.”
25: And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may make sport before us.” And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made sport before them: and they set him between the pillars.
26: And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, “Let me alone, that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house stands, that I may lean upon them.”
27: Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.
28: And Samson called to the Lord (Yehovah), and said, “O Lord God (Adonai Yehovah), remember me, I pray You, and strengthen me, I pray You, only this once, O God (Elohim), that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.”
29: And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up (recent excavasions at Gaza have laid bare two smooth stone bases close together in the center, on [not in] which these two pillars stood. On these the main beams rested, and by which the whole house was sustained. Samson had only to pull these pillars out of perpedicular, to effect his object), of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.
30: And Samson said, “Let my soul die with the Philistines.” And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.
31: Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down (probably his parents were now dead), and took him, and brought him up (i.e. from Gaza, v.21), and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol (where the Spirit had first come to him, 13:25) in the burying place of Manoah his father.
And he ruled Israel twenty years (but he only began to deliver Israel. See 13:5).