
Judges 15
This chapter focuses on Samson's response to the betrayal by the Philistines and his wife's family. Samson, filled with a sense of personal vengeance, escalates his conflict with the Philistines, showcasing both his strength and his impulsive nature. The chapter shows his actions leading to further conflict with the Philistines, highlighting how Samson was used by God to deliver Israel despite his flaws.
Judges 15:1
1 After a while, in the time of wheat harvest, it happened that Samson visited his wife with a young goat. And he said, “Let me go in to my wife, into her room.” But her father would not permit him to go in.
Samson’s return to visit his wife shows his desire to reconcile with her, bringing a gift, a common practice of peace or goodwill. However, her father’s refusal indicates a deeper tension between Samson and the family. This sets the stage for the personal betrayal Samson will feel, triggering his next round of actions against the Philistines.
Judges 15:2
2 Her father said, “I really thought that you thoroughly hated her; therefore I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister better than she? Please, take her instead.”
The father assumes Samson no longer cares for his wife due to his previous actions, leading him to give her to another man. His attempt to remedy the situation by offering the younger daughter shows the low value placed on women’s autonomy and how little their consent mattered in such arrangements. This adds insult to Samson’s injury, fueling his wrath.
Judges 15:3-5
3 And Samson said to them, “This time I shall be blameless regarding the Philistines if I harm them!”
4 Then Samson went and caught three hundred foxes; and he took torches, turned the foxes tail to tail, and put a torch between each pair of tails.
5 When he had set the torches on fire, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burned up both the shocks and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves.
Samson declares his intent for revenge as justified, blaming the Philistines for his treatment. His act of catching 300 foxes and using them to burn the Philistines’ crops is both ingenious and devastating. By destroying their grain, vineyards, and olive groves, Samson inflicts economic damage, striking at the heart of their sustenance. This act demonstrates not only his strength but also his capacity for creative, large-scale destruction.
Judges 15:6
6 Then the Philistines said, “Who has done this?” And they answered, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion.” So the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire.
The Philistines, seeking the source of their loss, discover Samson’s role and the reason behind it. Instead of targeting Samson directly, they retaliate by burning his wife and her father alive. This brutal act reflects the Philistines’ harsh methods of revenge and further intensifies the cycle of violence between them and Samson.
Judges 15:7-8
7 Samson said to them, “Since you would do a thing like this, I will surely take revenge on you, and after that I will cease.”
8 So he attacked them hip and thigh with a great slaughter; then he went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock of Etam.
Samson, outraged by the death of his wife and her father, vows revenge and carries it out with a brutal and thorough attack. The phrase “hip and thigh” suggests an overwhelming victory, emphasizing the extent of his anger-fueled strength. After this slaughter, he retreats to the rock of Etam, seeking temporary refuge.
Judges 15:9-11
9 Now the Philistines went up, encamped in Judah, and deployed themselves against Lehi.
10 And the men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” So they answered, “We have come up to arrest Samson, to do to him as he has done to us.”
11 Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? What is this you have done to us?” And he said to them, “As they did to me, so I have done to them.”
The Philistines, determined to capture Samson, threaten Judah to hand him over. The men of Judah, out of fear of the Philistines’ dominance, confront Samson, urging him to stop his actions. Samson justifies his actions as simple retaliation for what was done to him, emphasizing his personal vendetta rather than a broader nationalistic cause.
Judges 15:12-13
12 But they said to him, “We have come down to arrest you, that we may deliver you into the hand of the Philistines.” Then Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves.”
13 So they spoke to him, saying, “No, but we will tie you securely and deliver you into their hand; but we will surely not kill you.” And they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.
Samson, understanding the situation, agrees to be captured as long as his own people do not kill him. The men of Judah, eager to avoid conflict with the Philistines, bind Samson with new ropes and prepare to hand him over. Samson’s request wasn't out of fear but was a strategic move to prevent conflict with his fellow Israelites. He trusted his own strength and God’s power, knowing that he could break free when the time was right. This shows Samson’s wisdom in handling the situation, ensuring his battle remained focused on the Philistines, not his own people.
Judges 15:14-15
14 When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him. Then the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him; and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands.
15 He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and killed a thousand men with it.
As Samson is handed over, the Philistines triumphantly approach, but the Spirit of the Lord empowers him once again. His supernatural strength allows him to break free easily and use the unconventional weapon of a donkey’s jawbone to defeat a thousand Philistines. This remarkable victory underscores both Samson’s God-given strength and his unconventional methods of battle.
Judges 15:16
16 Then Samson said: “With the jawbone of a donkey, Heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men!”
Samson’s exclamation is one of triumph and amazement at the sheer number of enemies he has killed using such a simple weapon. His statement highlights both his victory and the extraordinary nature of the event, emphasizing the power given to him by God to deliver Israel.
Judges 15:17-18
17 And so it was, when he had finished speaking, that he threw the jawbone from his hand, and called that place Ramath Lehi.
18 Then he became very thirsty; so he cried out to the Lord and said, “You have given this great deliverance by the hand of Your servant; and now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?”
After his victory, Samson names the place Ramath Lehi, meaning “Jawbone Hill,” to commemorate the event. However, he quickly becomes vulnerable due to thirst and cries out to God for help. This moment shows Samson’s dependence on God, acknowledging that despite his strength, he is still reliant on divine provision for survival.
Judges 15:19
19 So God split the hollow place that is in Lehi, and water came out, and he drank; and his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore he called its name En Hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day.
God answers Samson’s prayer by providing water miraculously, restoring his strength. Samson’s gratitude is reflected in the naming of the place, En Hakkore, meaning “Spring of the Caller.” This event reminds readers that even in his might, Samson’s victories and survival depend on God’s intervention.
Judges 15:20
20 And he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines.
This final verse serves as a summary of Samson’s role as a judge of Israel. For twenty years, Samson served as a leader and deliverer, primarily through his confrontations with the Philistines, although his actions were often driven by personal motives rather than national leadership.