Judges 14:16
14 So he said to them: “Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet.” For three days they were unable to explain the riddle.
15 So on the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?”
Then Samson’s wife came to him, weeping, and said, “You hate me! You do not really love me! You have posed to my people a riddle, but have not explained it to me.” “Look,” he said, “I have not even explained it to my father or mother, so why should I explain it to you?”
17 She wept the whole seven days of the feast, and finally on the seventh day, because she had pressed him so much, he told her the answer. And in turn she explained the riddle to her people.
18 Before sunset on the seventh day, the men of the city said to Samson: “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” So he said to them: “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle!”
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- Then Samson’s wife came to him, weeping, and said, “You hate me! You do not really love me! You have posed to my people a riddle, but have not explained it to me.” “Look,” he said, “I have not even explained it to my father or mother, so why should I explain it to you?”
- KJV
- And Samson’s wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee?
- WEB
- Samson’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.” He said to her, “Behold, I haven’t told my father or my mother, so why should I tell you?”
- ASV
- And Samson`s wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell thee?
- DARBY
- And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not. Thou hast propounded the riddle to the children of my people, and hast not explained it to me. And he said to her, Behold, I have not explained it to my father nor my mother, and shall I explain it to thee?
- BLB
- And the wife of Samson wept on him and said, “You have only hated me, and you have not loved me. You have posed a riddle to the sons of my people, and to me you have not explained [it].” And he said to her, “Behold, to my father and to my mother I have not explained [it], and to you should I explain [it]?”
- ÅB
- Da hang Samsons hustru over ham med gråt og sa: Du hater meg bare og elsker meg ikke; du har fremsatt en gåte for mine landsmenn, men meg har du ikke sagt løsningen på den. Han svarte: Jeg har ikke sagt det til min far eller mor; skulle jeg da si det til deg?
- OTB
- Samsons kone gråt foran ham og sa: "Du hater meg! Du elsker meg ikke. Du har gitt mitt folk en gåte, men du har ikke fortalt meg svaret." Han svarte: "Jeg har ikke engang fortalt min far eller mor, så hvorfor skulle jeg fortelle deg?"
- B1930
- Da hang Samsons hustru over ham med gråt og sa: Du hater mig bare og elsker mig ikke; du har fremsatt en gåte for mine landsmenn, men mig har du ikke sagt løsningen på den. Han svarte: Jeg har ikke sagt det til min far eller mor; skulde jeg da si det til dig?
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Judges 16:15
“How can you say, ‘I love you,’” she asked, “when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and failed to reveal to me the source of your great strength!”
Read in contextGenesis 2:24
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
Read in context