Keraia
Judges 15

Judges 15:12

Samson’s Revenge · Judges 15:1–20
Read Judges 15

Translations

Modern
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.”
Traditional
And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.
Literal
And they said to him, “We have come down to bind you, that we may deliver you into the hand of the Philistines.” And Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves.”
Latin
Ligare, inquiunt, te venimus, et tradere in manus Philisthinorum. Quibus Samson: Jurate, ait, et spondete mihi quod non occidatis me.

Original

Hebrew
English
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.”

Notes

Judges 15:12

Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves: Samson's superhuman abilities might have only worked against Israel's enemies. He broke these ropes only after the spirit of the Lord came upon him (Judges 15:14).

Judges 14:1–15:20

Samson's decision to marry a Philistine woman was the Lord's way (Judges 14:4) of starting to address the Philistine threat (see 13:5). One event led to another, marked by three times when the Spirit came strongly upon him (Judges 14:6, 19; 15:14). During these events, Samson was a strong but imperfect hero.

Judges 13:1–16:31

Samson, who gets more attention in the book of Judges than any other judge, is more mysterious than Jephthah. Samson shows great inspiration as a leader. He also represents the unstoppable move toward chaos, which shows the need for a more organized society under a godly ruler.

Theme notes and profiles

Samson The Philistines

People

Samson: Israelite judge with great strength from God

Places

Philistia: An ancient people and region in Canaan

Glossary

Judges, Book of Philistia, Philistines Samson Tribe of Dan

Topics

Lehi: A District of Judah, where Samson Killed a Thousand Philistines with the Jawbone of a Donkey Samson: His Great Strength