Judges Chapter 14 — Samson’s Marriage and Riddle
Samson seeks a Philistine wife in Timnah, kills a lion with his bare hands, and poses a riddle that leads to a violent confrontation.
1Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines.
2He came up, and told his father and his mother, saying, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. Now therefore get her for me as my wife.”
3Then his father and his mother said to him, “Isn’t there a woman among your brothers’ daughters, or among all my people, that you go to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines?”
4But his father and his mother didn’t know that it was of the LORD; for he sought an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.
5Then Samson went down to Timnah with his father and his mother, and came to the vineyards of Timnah; and behold, a young lion roared at him.
6The LORD’s Spirit came mightily on him, and he tore him as he would have torn a young goat with his bare hands, but he didn’t tell his father or his mother what he had done.
7He went down and talked with the woman, and she pleased Samson well.
8After a while he returned to take her, and he went over to see the carcass of the lion; and behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey.
9He took it into his hands, and went on, eating as he went. He came to his father and mother and gave to them, and they ate, but he didn’t tell them that he had taken the honey out of the lion’s body.
10His father went down to the woman; and Samson made a feast there, for the young men used to do so.
11When they saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him.
12Samson said to them, “Let me tell you a riddle now. If you can tell me the answer within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing;
13but if you can’t tell me the answer, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.”
14He said to them,
15On the seventh day, 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 called us to impoverish us? Isn’t that so?”
16Samson’s wife wept before him, and said, “You just hate me, and don’t love me. You’ve told a riddle to the children of my people, and haven’t told it to me.”
17She wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted; and on the seventh day, he told her, because she pressed him severely; and she told the riddle to the children of her people.
18The men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, “What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?”
19The LORD’s Spirit came mightily on him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck thirty men of them. He took their plunder, then gave the changes of clothing to those who declared the riddle. His anger burned, and he went up to his father’s house.
20But Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his friend.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Judges 14:6
“The LORD’s Spirit came mightily on him, and he tore him as he would have torn a young goat with his bare hands, but he didn’t tell his father or his mother what he had done.”
This verse establishes that Samson's supernatural strength is a direct result of the Spirit of the Lord.
Judges 14:14
“He said to them, 'Out of the eater came forth meat. Out of the strong came forth sweetness.' They couldn’t in three days declare the riddle.”
This is the central riddle that serves as the catalyst for the chapter's conflict.
Chapter Summary
In Judges 14, Samson travels to Timnah and decides to marry a Philistine woman, despite his parents' initial concerns about him marrying outside of his people. The narrative reveals that this event was part of a larger divine plan to create an occasion for conflict against the Philistines who then ruled Israel. On his journey, Samson is attacked by a young lion, which he kills with his bare hands through the empowerment of the Lord's Spirit. He later discovers honey within the lion's carcass. During his seven-day wedding feast, Samson poses a riddle based on this event to thirty Philistine companions. Under threat of death, Samson's wife eventually persuades him to reveal the answer, which she then shares with her countrymen. Angered by the betrayal and the loss of the wager, Samson travels to Ashkelon, kills thirty men to pay his debt with their garments, and returns to his father's house while his wife is given to his companion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Samson saw a woman in Timnah who pleased him. While his parents were concerned, the text explains that the Lord was seeking an occasion against the Philistines, who were ruling over Israel at the time.
The answer was 'What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?' It referred to the honey Samson found inside the body of the lion he had killed earlier.
The thirty Philistine companions threatened to burn Samson's wife and her father's house. To save herself, she wept before Samson and pressured him for seven days until he revealed the secret.
After Samson left in anger to his father's house, his wife was given to one of his companions who had been his friend at the wedding feast.
Study Note
The seven-day duration of the feast and the involvement of thirty companions were standard cultural practices for weddings in the Ancient Near East.
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