Judges 15:14

12 But they said to him, “We have come down to arrest you and hand you over to the Philistines.” Samson replied, “Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves.”

13 “No,” they answered, “we will not kill you, but we will tie you up securely and hand you over to them.” So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock.

When Samson arrived in Lehi, the Philistines came out shouting against him. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him. The ropes on his arms became like burnt flax, and the bonds broke loose from his hands.

15 He found the fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and struck down a thousand men.

16 Then Samson said: “With the jawbone of a donkey I have piled them into heaps. With the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men.”

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
When Samson arrived in Lehi, the Philistines came out shouting against him. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him. The ropes on his arms became like burnt flax, and the bonds broke loose from his hands.
KJV
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 upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.
WEB
When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him. Then the LORD’s Spirit came mightily on him, and the ropes that were on his arms became as flax that was burned with fire; and his bands dropped from off his hands.
ASV
When he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him: and the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon him, and the ropes that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands dropped from off his hands.
DARBY
When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him. And the Spirit of Jehovah came upon him, and the cords that were on his arms became as threads of flax that are burned with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.
BLB
He came to Lehi, and the Philistines came out shouting against him, and the Spirit of YHWH rushed mightily upon him, and the ropes that [were] on his arms became like flax that is burned with the fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands.
ÅB
Da han kom til Leki, sprang filistrene imot ham med gledesrop; men Herrens Ånd kom over ham, og repene om hans armer ble som brant tråder, og båndene falt smuldrede av hans hender.
OTB
Da han nærmet seg Lehi, kom filisterne ropende for å møte ham. Herrens Ånd kom mektig over ham, og tauene på armene hans ble som svidd lin, og bindingene falt fra hendene hans.
B1930
Da han kom til Leki, sprang filistrene imot ham med gledesrop; men Herrens Ånd kom over ham, og repene om hans armer blev som brente tråder, og båndene falt smuldrede av hans hender.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

  • Psalms 118:11

    They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

    Read in context
  • Judges 14:19

    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,

    Read in context
  • Judges 14:6

    and the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as one would tear a young goat. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done.

    Read in context
  • Judges 3:10

    The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge and went out to war. And the LORD delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into the hand of Othniel, who prevailed against him.

    Read in context
  • 1 Samuel 17:35

    I went after it, struck it down, and delivered the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it.

    Read in context
  • 1 Samuel 11:6

    When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he burned with great anger.

    Read in context
  • 1 Samuel 4:5

    When the ark of the covenant of the LORD entered the camp, all the Israelites raised such a great shout that it shook the ground.

    Read in context
  • Zechariah 4:6

    So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.

    Read in context