Verse 1

But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will a go in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in.

(a) That is, I will use her as my wife.

Verse 3

And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more b blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure.

(b) For through his father-in-law's actions, he was moved again to take vengeance on the Philistines.

Verse 5

And when he had set the brands on fire, he let [them] go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the c shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards [and] olives.

(c) Or, that which was reaped and gathered.

Verse 6

Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they answered, Samson, the son in law of the d Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and e burnt her and her father with fire.

(d) Or, the citizen of Timnath.

(e) So the wicked do not punish vice for love of justice, but for fear of danger, which also might come to them.

Verse 10

And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they answered, To f bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us.

(f) And so being our prisoner to punish him.

Verse 11

Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines [are] rulers over us? g what [is] this [that] thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.

(g) Such was their gross ignorance, that they judged God's great benefits to be a plague to them.

Verse 13

And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and h deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock.

(h) Thus they would rather betray their brother than use the means that God had given for their deliverance.

Verse 15

And he found a i new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith.

(i) That is, of an ass recently slain.

Verse 18

And he was sore athirst, and k called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?

(k) By which it appears that he did these things in faith, and so with a true zeal to glorify God, and deliver his country.