Judges 14:18
16 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.
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!”
19 Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave their clothes to those who had solved the riddle. And burning with anger, Samson returned to his father’s house,
20 and his wife was given to one of the men who had accompanied him.
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
- 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!”
- KJV
- And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.
- WEB
- The 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?” He said to them, “If you hadn’t plowed with my heifer, you wouldn’t have found out my riddle.”
- ASV
- And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, Ye had not found out my riddle.
- DARBY
- And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey, And what stronger than a lion? And he said to them, If ye had not ploughed with my heifer, Ye had not found out my riddle.
- BLB
- And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, “What [is] sweeter than honey? And what [is] stronger than a lion?” And he said to them, “If you⁺ had not plowed with my heifer, You⁺ would not have solved my riddle.”
- ÅB
- Og på den syvende dag, før solen gikk ned, sa mennene i byen til ham: Hva er søtere enn honning, og hva er sterkere enn en løve? Men han svarte dem: Hadde dere ikke pløyd med min kalv, så hadde dere ikke gjettet min gåte.
- OTB
- Før solnedgang på den syvende dagen sa mennene i byen til ham,
"Hva er søtere enn honning?
Hva er sterkere enn en løve?"
Samson svarte,
"Hadde dere ikke pløyd med min kvige,
ville dere ikke ha løst min gåte." - B1930
- Og på den syvende dag, før solen gikk ned, sa mennene i byen til ham: Hvad er søtere enn honning, og hvad er sterkere enn en løve? Men han svarte dem: Hadde I ikke pløid med min kalv, så hadde I ikke gjettet min gåte.