Judges 14:4

‘ And his father and mother did not know that it was of Yahweh. For he sought an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines had rule over Israel.'

What his father and mother did not know was that his plan was in the purposes of God. Yahweh was at work through the one whom He had chosen. This could hardly have been said if there had been Israelite doubts about what he was doing, confirming our suggestions above.

“He sought an occasion.” Many translations suggest that the ‘he' mentioned here is Yahweh. But in view of Judges 13:25 this may well rather mean that it was Samson who sought the occasion. It suggests that it was the beginning of his plan to put himself in a position where he could attack the Philistines without blame coming on his people. However many see it as referring to Yahweh. It is difficult to see how Yahweh would arrange to marry him off to a heathen Philistine, or indeed why He should want to find an occasion against the Philistines. Yahweh already had an occasion against the Philistines. That was why He had raised up Samson. It was Samson who needed such an occasion, not Yahweh.

Furthermore the subject of a verb in Hebrew would normally refer back to a previous subject, and thus to ‘Samson said'. We should only apply it to a genitival noun when there is no alternative. So while we might certainly see Yahweh involved in Samson's aims, it is Samson who is mainly described as seeking the occasion against the Philistines. That would indicate that consciously or unconsciously what he was doing was within God's purpose against those who lorded it over God's people. For while it is difficult to see why God should need to ‘seek an occasion' for something like this (He was sovereign and could act how and when he liked) we can clearly see why Samson would.

The tight control of the Philistines over the Danites (compare 1 Samuel 13:19, conditions which no doubt held in Samson's day), and the Danites fear of them, would necessitate that he acted on his own. And as a ruling elite who would hit hard at any sign of rebellion against them, he would know that any dealings that he had with them must be carefully arranged so that no blame could fall on his fellow-Danites. We may see this as the probable reason why he appeared to be almost on his way to becoming an adopted Philistine. As such he would be able to take them on man to man without it harming his fellowcountrymen.