Judg 14:1-4 | Clarke | STEP | Samson marries a wife of the Philistines, . Slays a young lion at Timnath, in the carcass of which he afterwards finds a swarm of bees, . He makes a feast; they appoint him thirty companions, to whom he puts forth a riddle, which they cannot expound, . They entice his wife to get the interpretation from him; she succeeds, informs them, and they tell the explanation, . He is incensed, and slays thirty of the Philistines, , . Verse 1 Went down to Timnath - A frontier town of the Philistines, at the beginning of the lands belonging to the tribe of Judah, ; but afterwards given up to Dan, . David took this place from the Philistines, but they again got possession of it in the reign of Ahaz, .

Judges 14:1-4

Introduction

Samson marries a wife of the Philistines, Jdg 14:1-4. Slays a young lion at Timnath, in the carcass of which he afterwards finds a swarm of bees, Jdg 14:5-9. He makes a feast; they appoint him thirty companions, to whom he puts forth a riddle, which they cannot expound, Jdg 14:10-14. They entice his wife to get the interpretation from him; she succeeds, informs them, and they tell the explanation, Jdg 14:15-18. He is incensed, and slays thirty of the Philistines, Jdg 14:19, Jdg 14:20.

Verse 1

Went down to Timnath - A frontier town of the Philistines, at the beginning of the lands belonging to the tribe of Judah, Jos 15:57; but afterwards given up to Dan, Jos 19:43. David took this place from the Philistines, but they again got possession of it in the reign of Ahaz, 2Chr 28:18. Verse 3

Is there never a woman - To marry with any that did not belong to the Israelitish stock, was contrary to the law, Exo 34:16; Deu 7:3. But this marriage of Samson was said to be of the Lord, Jdg 14:4; that is, God permitted it, (for in no other sense can we understand the phrase), that it might be a means of bringing about the deliverance of Israel.

For she pleaseth me well - כי היאישרה בעיני ki hi yisherah beeynai, for she is right in my eyes. This is what is supposed to be a sufficient reason to justify either man or woman in their random choice of wife or husband; the maxim is the same with that of the poet: - "Thou hast no fault, or I no fault can spy;

Thou art all beauty or all blindness I."

When the will has sufficient power, its determinations are its own rule of right. That will should be pure and well directed that says, It shall be so, because I Will it should be so. A reason of this kind is similar to that which I have seen in a motto on the brass ordnance of Lewis XIV., Ultima Ratio Regum, the sum of regal logic; i.e., "My will, backed by these instruments of destruction, shall be the rule of right and wrong." The rules and principles of this logic are now suspected; and it is not likely to be generally received again without violent demonstration.