_A.M. 2863. B.C. 1141._ Samson's marriage with a Philistine, and killing a lion, Judges 14:1. He finds honey in the carcass, Judges 14:8; Judges 14:9. His riddle, Judges 14:10. Unriddled by means of his wife, Judges 14:15. He kills thirty Philistines, and leaves her, Judges 14:19; Judges 14:20.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Samson went_ After he was come to mature age; _to Timnath _ A place not far from the sea. _Get her for me to wife_ Herein he is an example to all children, conformable to the fifth commandment. Children ought not to marry, nor to move toward it, without the advice and consent of their parents. They... [ Continue Reading ]
_To take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines_ With whom the Israelites were forbidden to marry. For although the Philistines were not Canaanites in their original, yet they were so in their concurrence with them in wickedness, and therefore were liable to the same judgments with them. _Get her f... [ Continue Reading ]
_And his father and mother_ Who accompanied him, either because they were now acquainted with his design, or to order the circumstances of that action which they saw he was set upon. _The Spirit of the Lord came mightily_ Increased his courage and bodily strength. _As he would have rent a kid_ As so... [ Continue Reading ]
_After a time_ Hebrew, _after days;_ that is, either after some days, or rather, after a year, as that word often signifies; when the flesh of the lion (which, by its strong smell, is offensive to bees) was wholly consumed, and nothing was left but the bones. _Bees_ Settling themselves there, as the... [ Continue Reading ]
_When they saw him_ Or, _observed him_, his stature, and strength, and countenance, and carriage, which were extraordinary. _They brought thirty companions_ Partly in compliance with the custom of having bride-men; though they were not so numerous, but principally by way of caution, and as a guard p... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will now put forth a riddle unto you_ The custom of those times, and which was transmitted to succeeding ages, was to propose some enigmatical questions to the guests, in order to render the feast more agreeable. _Within the seven days of the feast_ For so long marriage-feasts lasted. _Sheets_ Ve... [ Continue Reading ]
_On the seventh day, they said, Entice thy husband_ They had doubtless spoken to her before this time, but with some remissness, supposing that they should find it out; but now their time being nigh spent, they put her under a necessity of searching it out. _To take that we have_ That is, to strip u... [ Continue Reading ]
_She wept before him, the seven days_ Or rather, the rest of the seven days; that is, either after the third day, (Judges 14:14,) or all the seventh day, from the time her countrymen came and threatened her till she persuaded Samson to tell her the riddle.... [ Continue Reading ]
_If ye had not_, &c. If you had not employed my wife to find it out, as men plough up the ground with a heifer, thereby discovering its hidden parts; he calls her _heifer_, because she was joined with him in the same yoke. _The Spirit of the Lord came upon him_ Though he had constant strength and co... [ Continue Reading ]
_Samson's wife was given_, by her father, _to his companion_, &c. That is, to the chief of the bride-men, to whom he had shown most respect and kindness. This aggravated the insult that was offered to Samson, in proportion as this person had been more familiar with him, and had been treated by him i... [ Continue Reading ]