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Joseph Benson’s Bible Commentary

Judges 15:20

He judged Israel That is, he pleaded their cause, and avenged them against the Philistines. In the days of the Philistines That is, while the Philistines had the power and dominion, from which he was not able fully to deliver, but only to begin to deliver them. From this place it is manifest that, in the computation of the times of the judges, the years of servitude or oppression are not to be separated from the years of the judges, but are comprehended within them; which proposition is of great importance for clearing this difficult part of Scripture chronology.

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See also Judges 15:20 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Judges 15:20. _HE JUDGED ISRAEL-TWENTY YEARS._] In the margin it is said, _He seems to have judged southwest Israel during twenty years_ _of their servitude of the Philistines_, Judges 13:1. In...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 15 THE CONFLICT WITH THE PHILISTINES: BOUND YET FREE _ 1. The damage done to the Philistines (Judges 15:1)_ 2. Bound by his own brethren (Judges 15:9) 3. The deed with the jawbone (Judges 1...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    JUDGES 15. SAMSON AGAINST THE PHILISTINES. His anger having cooled, Samson went down to appease his betrothed and complete the marriage. When he learned how things stood, he was angrier than ever, and...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    TWENTY. See note on Judges 13:24....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _Local traditions_ Provoked by Samson's violence, the Philistines made a raid upon Lehi in Judah for the purpose of capturing their enemy. The name of the place was suggestive, and tradition attached...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    The Dtc. editor's formula, usually at the close of a judge's history, comes curiously here before the end; perhaps because the editor felt that the end was not a suitable place for a statement of this...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    _Samson Slays a Thousand Philistines Judges 15:14-20_ 14 And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upo...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    HE JUDGED] cp. prefatory note to Judges 13....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    SAMSON SLAUGHTERS THE PHILISTINES Samson, being denied his wife, burns the corn of the Philistines. He is delivered up to them by the men of Judah, but bursts his bonds, and slaughters many of the Ph...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    LIFE WITHOUT LAW JUDGES _PHILIP SMITH_ CHAPTER 15 V1 Later, at the time when people were harvesting corn, Samson went to visit his wife. He took a young goat as a present. He said, ‘I am going to...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    AND HE JUDGED ISRAEL. — Probably, as Jephthah had done, with the sort of vague prerogatives of a military hero. Why the verse is found here, as though to close the narrative (comp. Judges 12:7, &c.),...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וַ יִּשְׁפֹּ֧ט אֶת ־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל בִּ ימֵ֥י פְל

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    DAUNTLESS IN BATTLE, IGNORANTLY BRAVE Judges 15:1 GIVEN a man of strong passions and uninstructed conscience, wild courage and giant energy, with the sense of a mission which he has to accomplish aga...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    MIGHTY AGAINST THE FOE Judges 15:9 To how low a depth had the men of Judah descended, that they should hand over their champion to their hereditary foes? The northern tribes that arose at the call of...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    Here we have the record of further exploits by Samson and once more the circumstances of them were not to his credit. His revenge on the Philistines in the destruction of their property and their slau...

  • Gary Hampton Commentaries

    The Philistine army then encamped in Judah against Lehi, which means "jaw." Three thousand men of Judah went down and bound Samson with two new ropes and delivered him to the enemy to avoid a war. The...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    CHAPTER XV. _ Years. Salien gathers from this remark being made here, that the Philistines still asserted their dominion over Israel, but with greater moderation than they had done before: and both n...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    Though we have no more recorded of Samson, yet his reign as a Judge in Israel, formed this period of twenty years. REFLECTIONS DEAREST Jesus! may I, in these views of Samson, which represent him as d...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    My object being no more than a sketch, as most of you know, I desire to say but a few words on such of the Chapter s as bear a similar character to that which has been already pointed out in the early...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 14 AND 15. God makes use of Samson's marriage with a Philistine woman to punish that people. Still, in the freshness of his strength, his heart with Jehovah,...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    AND HE JUDGED ISRAEL IN THE DAYS OF THE PHILISTINES TWENTY YEARS. While they had the power over the Israelites, who were not entirely delivered out of their hands by Samson, he only began to deliver t...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    _And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years._ Ver. 20. _And he judged Israel._] Haply after this victory he was publicly accepted and acknowledged as judge of Israel by this peo...

  • KJV Original Language Details

    1 Samson is denied his wife. 3 He burneth the Philistines corne with foxes and firebrands. 6 His wife and her father are burnt by the Philistines. 7 Samson smiteth them hip and thigh. 9 He is boun...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    And he, Samson, JUDGED ISRAEL IN THE DAYS OF THE PHILISTINES TWENTY YEARS. His activity as judge is purposely referred to, for it was due to his efforts that the true God was once more worshiped in Is...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    Samson's Lone Victory...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    DESTROYING CROPS AND PHILISTINES (vv. 1-8) Samson eventually decided to visit his wife and took a young goat as a gift. She was evidently still in her father's house and her father refused him perm...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    18-20 So little notice did the men of Judah take of their deliverer, that he was ready to perish for want of a draught of water. Thus are the greatest slights often put upon those who do the greatest...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    i.e. He pleaded their cause, and avenged them against the Philistines. IN THE DAYS OF THE PHILISTINES, i.e. whilst the Philistines had the power and dominion, from which he was not fully to deliver, b...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Judges 15:20 judged H8199 (H8799) Israel H3478 twenty H6242 years H8141 days H3117 Philistines H6430...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    ‘ And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.' This may indicate that he was seen as a deliverer of his people rather than that he actually exercised authority, for his final imp...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    Judges 15:20 Samson can only be spoken of as an unsuccessful great man; his name stands high on the scrolls of the faithful, but his life was after all a splendid failure, and few indeed are the live...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Samson takes vengeance on the Philistines. CHARACTERS: God, Holy Spirit, Samson, his family and friends. CONCLUSION: There is nothing too hard or too much for him to do on whom the Holy Sp...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Judges 15:4. _Caught three hundred foxes._ The task of collecting these animals was not at all impossible; the country very much abounded with foxes, as appears from many passages of scripture. Nehemi...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her._ WRONG-DOERS NATURALLY SEEK TO JUSTIFY THEMSELVES This spirit of self-justification, which is generally associated with wrong-doing, appeared very...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    REVENGE TAKEN AND RETURNED (Judges 15:1.) CRITICAL NOTES.— JUDGES 15:1. WITHIN A WHILE AFTER.] _After some time_, indefinitely; probably a few months. IN THE TIME OF WHEAT HARVEST.] About the month o...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION JUDGES 15:9 WENT UP, _i.e._ from their own country in the Shephelah to the hill country of Judah. As Samson had avenged his wrongs on the whole Philistine people, so they now came up to Ju...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Tonight shall we turn to Judges, the fifteenth chapter? And we pick up on the story of Samson here in chapter fifteen. The story of Samson begins in the thirteenth chapter of the book of Judges with t...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Judges 13:1; Judges 13:5; Judges 16:31...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    He judged — That is, he pleaded their cause, and avenged them against the Philistines. Of the Philistines — That is, whilst the Philistines had the power and dominion, from which he was not fully to d...

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