Judges Chapter 15

Samson Denied his Wife

1But 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 go in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in. 2And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.

Samson Defeats the Philistines

3And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure. 4And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails. 5And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives. 6Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they answered, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire. 7And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease. 8And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam.

9Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi. 10And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us. 11Then 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? 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. 12And 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. 13And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and 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.

14And 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. 15And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith.

16And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.

17And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place Ramathlehi. 18And he was sore athirst, and 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? 19But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof Enhakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day. 20And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

King James Bible

Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.

Samson’s Revenge

1 But it happened after a while, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a young goat; and he said, “I will go in to my wife into the room.” But her father wouldn’t allow him to go in. 2 Her father said, “I most certainly thought that you had utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to your companion. Isn’t her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her, instead.”

3 Samson said to them, “This time I will be blameless in regard of the Philistines, when I harm them.” 4 Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turned tail to tail, and put a torch in the midst between every two tails. 5 When he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks and the standing grain, and also the olive groves. 6 Then the Philistines said, “Who has done this?” They said, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife, and given her to his companion.” The Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire. 7 Samson said to them, “If you behave like this, surely I will be avenged of you, and after that I will cease.” 8 He struck them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and lived in the cleft of the rock of Etam.

9 Then the Philistines went up, and encamped in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi. 10 The men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” They said, “We have come up to bind 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, “Don’t you know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?” He said to them, “As they did to me, so have I done to them.” 12 They said to him, “We have come down to bind you, that we may deliver you into the hand of the Philistines.” Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not fall on me yourselves.” 13 They spoke to him, saying, “No; but we will bind you fast, and deliver you into their hand; but surely we will not kill you.” They bound him with two new ropes, and brought him up from the rock.

14 When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him: and the Spirit of Yahweh came mightily on him, and the ropes that were on his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands dropped from off his hands. 15 He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and put forth his hand, and took it, and struck a thousand men therewith.

16 Samson said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps on heaps; with the jawbone of a donkey I have struck a thousand men.”

17 It happened, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand; and that place was called Ramath Lehi. 18 He was very thirsty, and called on Yahweh, and said, “You have given this great deliverance by the hand of your servant; and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?” 19 But God split the hollow place that is in Lehi, and water came out of it. When he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: therefore its name was called En Hakkore, which is in Lehi, to this day. 20 He judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

Samson’s Revenge

1 Later on, at the time of the wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat and went to visit his wife. “I want to go to my wife in her room,” he said. But her father would not let him enter.

2 “I was sure that you thoroughly hated her,” said her father, “so I gave her to one of the men who accompanied you. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her instead.”

3 Samson said to them, “This time I will be blameless in doing harm to the Philistines.”

4 Then Samson went out and caught three hundred foxes. And he took torches, turned the foxes tail-to-tail, and fastened a torch between each pair of tails. 5 Then he lit the torches and released the foxes into the standing grain of the Philistines, burning up the piles of grain and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves.

6 “Who did this?” the Philistines demanded.

“It was Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite,” they were told. “For his wife was given to his companion.”

So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death.

7 And Samson told them, “Because you have done this, I will not rest until I have taken vengeance upon you.” 8 And he struck them ruthlessly a with a great slaughter, and then went down and stayed in the cave at the rock of Etam.

9 Then the Philistines went up, camped in Judah, and deployed themselves near the town of Lehi. b

10 “Why have you attacked us?” said the men of Judah.

The Philistines replied, “We have come to arrest Samson and pay him back for what he has done to us.”

11 In response, three thousand men of Judah went to the cave at the rock of Etam, and they asked Samson, “Do you not realize that the Philistines rule over us? What have you done to us?”

“I have done to them what they did to me,” he replied.

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.

14 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. c

With the jawbone of a donkey

I have slain a thousand men.”

17 And when Samson had finished speaking, he cast the jawbone from his hand; and he named that place Ramath-lehi. d

18 And being very thirsty, Samson cried out to the LORD, “You have accomplished this great deliverance through Your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”

19 So God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned, and he was revived. That is why he named it En-hakkore, e and it remains in Lehi to this day.

20 And Samson judged Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

Footnotes:

8 a Literally he struck them hip and thigh
9 b Literally and spread out in Lehi
16 c Or I have made them into donkeys
17 d Ramath-lehi  means the hill of the jawbone .
19 e En-hakkore  means the spring of him who calls .

Samson Denied his Wife

1And it cometh to pass, after some days, in the days of wheat-harvest, that Samson looketh after his wife, with a kid of the goats, and saith, 'I go in unto my wife, to the inner chamber;' and her father hath not permitted him to go in, 2and her father saith, I certainly said, that thou didst certainly hate her, and I give her to thy companion; is not her sister -- the young one -- better than she? Let her be, I pray thee, to thee, instead of her.'

Samson Defeats the Philistines

3And Samson saith of them, 'I am more innocent this time than the Philistines, though I am doing with them evil.' 4And Samson goeth and catcheth three hundred foxes, and taketh torches, and turneth tail unto tail, and putteth a torch between the two tails, in the midst, 5and kindleth fire in the torches, and sendeth them out into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burneth it from heap even unto standing corn, even unto vineyard -- olive-yard. 6And the Philistines say, 'Who hath done this?' And they say, 'Samson, son-in-law of the Timnite, because he hath taken away his wife, and giveth her to his companion;' and the Philistines go up, and burn her and her father with fire. 7And Samson saith to them, 'Though ye do thus, nevertheless I am avenged on you, and afterwards I cease!' 8And he smiteth them hip and thigh -- a great smiting, and goeth down and dwelleth in the cleft of the rock Etam.

9And the Philistines go up, and encamp in Judah, and are spread out in Lehi, 10and the men of Judah say, 'Why have ye come up against us?' and they say, 'To bind Samson we have come up, to do to him as he hath done to us.' 11And three thousand men of Judah go down unto the cleft of the rock Etam, and say to Samson, 'Hast thou now known that the Philistines are rulers over us? and what is this thou hast done to us?' And he saith to them, 'As they did to me, so I did to them.' 12And they say to him, 'To bind thee we have come down -- to give thee into the hand of the Philistines.' And Samson saith to them, 'Swear to me, lest ye fall upon me yourselves.' 13And they speak to him, saying, No, but we certainly bind thee, and have given thee into their hand, and we certainly do not put thee to death;' and they bind him with two thick bands, new ones, and bring him up from the rock.

14He hath come unto Lehi -- and the Philistines have shouted at meeting him -- and the Spirit of Jehovah prospereth over him, and the thick bands which are on his arms are as flax which they burn with fire, and his bands are wasted from off his hands, 15and he findeth a fresh jaw-bone of an ass, and putteth forth his hand and taketh it, and smiteth with it -- a thousand men.

16And Samson saith, 'With a jaw-bone of the ass -- an ass upon asses -- with a jaw-bone of the ass I have smitten a thousand men.'

17And it cometh to pass when he finisheth speaking, that he casteth away the jaw-bone out of his hand, and calleth that place Ramath-Lehi; 18and he thirsteth exceedingly, and calleth unto Jehovah, and saith, 'Thou -- Thou hast given by the hand of Thy servant this great salvation; and now, I die with thirst, and have fallen into the hand of the uncircumcised.' 19And God cleaveth the hollow place which is in Lehi, and waters come out of it, and he drinketh, and his spirit cometh back, and he reviveth; therefore hath one called its name 'The fountain of him who is calling,' which is in Lehi unto this day. 20And he judgeth Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

The F.O.G Commentary:

1What is the meaning of Judges 15?

2Introduction to Judges 15

3Context of Judges 15

4Ancient Key Word Study

5Compare & Contrast

6Judges 15 Unique Insights

7Judges 15 Connections to Yeshua

8Judges 15 Scriptural Echoes

9Judges 15 Devotional

10Did You Know

What is the meaning of Judges 15?

Introduction to Judges 15

Judges 15 presents one of the most dramatic episodes in Samson’s saga, showcasing both the raw power of God’s Spirit and the complex nature of divine justice working through imperfect human vessels. This chapter serves as a pivotal moment in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Philistines, demonstrating how God can use even personal vendettas to accomplish His sovereign purposes. The narrative seamlessly weaves together elements of personal revenge, supernatural strength, and divine deliverance, creating a tapestry that reveals profound truths about God’s ways of working in human history.

Context of Judges 15

Within the book of Judges, chapter 15 continues the Samson narrative that began in chapter 13 with his miraculous birth announcement. This episode follows directly after Samson’s ill-fated marriage to a Philistine woman in chapter 14, which ended in betrayal and bloodshed. The events here represent an escalation of the personal conflict between Samson and the Philistines, which God sovereignly uses to begin delivering Israel from Philistine oppression.

In the broader biblical narrative, this chapter exemplifies a recurring theme throughout Scripture: God’s ability to work through deeply flawed individuals to accomplish His purposes. Like the stories of Jacob’s deception or David’s failures, Samson’s tale reminds us that God’s plans often unfold through unexpected and imperfect means. This chapter particularly resonates with later biblical accounts of divine deliverance, foreshadowing how God would ultimately use the seemingly defeated Messiah to bring about the greatest victory.

The chapter also fits within the larger cyclical pattern of the book of Judges, where Israel repeatedly falls into sin, faces oppression, cries out to God, and experiences deliverance through a chosen judge. However, Samson’s story uniquely shows how God can work even when His people haven’t explicitly cried out for deliverance.

Ancient Key Word Study

“Burned” (שָׂרַף, saraf): This term appears multiple times in the chapter and carries significant weight in Hebrew thought. Beyond mere physical burning, it often connects to divine judgment and complete destruction. Its usage here creates a tragic irony as the same fate that befalls Samson’s wife and father-in-law later drives his actions of vengeance.
“Spirit of the LORD” (רוּחַ יְהוָה, ruach YHWH): This phrase describes divine empowerment, showing how God’s Spirit came upon Samson with explosive power. The term רוּחַ (ruach) carries meanings of both “spirit” and “wind,” suggesting an overwhelming force that moves through Samson.
“Jawbone” (לְחִי, lechi): The Hebrew word creates a wordplay with the place name Lehi, demonstrating the literary sophistication of the narrative. The term symbolizes how God can use seemingly worthless objects as instruments of victory.
“Bound” (אָסַר, asar): The word choice emphasizes the futility of human attempts to constrain what God has empowered. The same root appears in descriptions of covenant relationships, suggesting deeper theological implications about bonds and freedom.
“Thirst” (צָמֵא, tzame): Samson’s physical thirst parallels spiritual thirst throughout Scripture. The word often appears in contexts of both physical and spiritual desperation, pointing to human dependency on divine provision.
“New ropes” (עֲבֹתִים חֲדָשִׁים, avotim chadashim): The emphasis on the ropes being new highlights the futility of human strength against divine power. The term for “new” (חָדָשׁ, chadash) often appears in contexts of divine renewal and transformation.
“Judged” (שָׁפַט, shafat): The concluding statement about Samson judging Israel uses this rich term that encompasses aspects of leadership, governance, and vindication. It’s the root word from which the book’s title derives.
“Heap upon heap” (חֲמוֹר חֲמֹרָתָיִם, chamor chamoratayim): This poetic wordplay in Hebrew uses the word for “donkey” (חֲמוֹר) to create a powerful image of piled corpses, demonstrating the sophisticated literary nature of the account.

Compare & Contrast

Verse 1: The phrase “after some time” (מִיָּמִים, miyamim) was chosen instead of a specific time reference, suggesting the narrator’s focus on the event’s significance rather than its chronology. This temporal ambiguity serves to connect this episode thematically with other acts of divine timing in Scripture.
Verse 4: The description of Samson catching 300 foxes uses the term שׁוּעָל (shual), which could also refer to jackals. The ambiguity may be intentional, emphasizing the supernatural nature of the feat rather than its zoological specifics.
Verse 8: The phrase “hip and thigh” (שׁוֹק עַל-יָרֵךְ) represents a unique Hebrew idiom that might relate to wrestling terminology, chosen to emphasize the totality of Samson’s victory rather than describing specific combat techniques.
Verse 11: The men of Judah’s statement “Don’t you know that the Philistines are rulers over us?” uses specific terminology (מָשַׁל, mashal) that emphasizes illegitimate dominion, contrasting with God’s rightful rule.
Verse 14: The Spirit of the LORD “rushed” (צָלַח, tzalach) upon Samson, a term specifically chosen to convey sudden, explosive power rather than gradual strengthening.
Verse 15: The “fresh” jawbone description uses רְטִיָּה (retiyah), emphasizing its recent death and therefore impurity, highlighting how God can use even the unclean for His purposes.
Verse 18: Samson’s prayer uses the intimate term עַבְדְּךָ (avdecha, “Your servant”), rather than his name or title, showing a moment of genuine humility and dependence.
Verse 19: God’s provision of water uses the verb בָּקַע (baqa), the same term used for splitting the Red Sea, creating a deliberate echo of that earlier deliverance.

Judges 15 Unique Insights

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The chapter contains several layers of meaning that would have resonated deeply with its original audience. The location name “Ramath-lehi” (literally “hill of the jawbone”) creates a geographical memorial to God’s deliverance, similar to other biblical sites where God intervened dramatically. This practice of naming locations after divine encounters reflects the Hebrew understanding of sacred space and divine presence in history.

Rabbinical sources have long noted the parallel between Samson’s victory with a donkey’s jawbone and the promise in Numbers 22:28-30, where God speaks through a donkey. Both instances show God using unexpected means to accomplish His purposes. The early church father Origen saw in Samson’s thirst after victory a type of the Messiah’s cry “I thirst” on the cross, suggesting how divine strength often operates through apparent weakness.

The supernatural aspect of Samson’s strength is emphasized through careful narrative details. The text notes that the ropes binding him became like burned flax, using imagery that recalls the supernatural fire that consumed Gideon’s offering. This connection suggests that Samson’s strength wasn’t merely physical but represented divine power manifesting through human weakness.

The chapter also contains fascinating numerical symbolism. The 300 foxes parallel other biblical uses of the number 300, such as Gideon’s 300 men, suggesting complete divine victory. The subsequent mention of 1,000 men slain creates a mathematical progression that ancient Jewish interpreters saw as representing the increasing manifestation of God’s power through His chosen vessel.

Judges 15 Connections to Yeshua

The events of this chapter powerfully foreshadow aspects of the Messiah’s ministry and victory. Just as Samson was bound and delivered to his enemies by his own people, so too would Yeshua be handed over to the Romans by the Jewish leadership. The supernatural breaking of bonds prefigures the Messiah’s victory over death, where no grave could hold Him.

Samson’s desperate thirst after his great victory, and God’s miraculous provision of water, points forward to Yeshua’s words about living water in John 7:37-38. Both instances demonstrate how God provides refreshment and renewal following moments of great spiritual warfare. Furthermore, Samson’s willingness to be bound and delivered to the enemy, knowing God would give him victory, parallels Yeshua’s voluntary submission to arrest and crucifixion, trusting in the Father’s power to bring ultimate victory.

Judges 15 Scriptural Echoes

This chapter resonates with numerous biblical passages and themes. The motif of divine strength manifesting through apparent weakness echoes throughout Scripture, from Moses’ staff to David’s sling, culminating in Paul’s declaration in 2 Corinthians 12:9 about strength being perfected in weakness.

The pattern of one man standing against overwhelming odds while empowered by God’s Spirit finds parallels in David’s victories and ultimately in Christ’s singular victory over sin and death. Samson’s cry for water echoes Israel’s wilderness experiences and points forward to Jesus’ promise of living water in John 4:14.

The theme of God using the foolish things of the world to shame the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27) is powerfully illustrated in the use of a donkey’s jawbone as a weapon of mass victory. This parallels other instances where God uses unlikely instruments, from Moses’ staff to David’s sling, demonstrating His sovereignty over all creation.

Judges 15 Devotional

This chapter challenges us to recognize God’s power working through unexpected means in our lives. Just as He used a donkey’s jawbone in Samson’s hand, He can use our seemingly insignificant resources or abilities for His glory. The key lies not in the instrument but in the Spirit’s empowerment.

We’re also reminded that God’s purposes often advance through circumstances that appear chaotic or driven by human passion. While we shouldn’t emulate Samson’s vendetta, we can trust that God sovereignly works through all situations, even our failures and struggles, to accomplish His will.

Finally, Samson’s moment of desperate thirst teaches us about humility and dependence on God. Even after great spiritual victories, we must remember our complete dependence on His provision. This chapter encourages us to combine bold faith with humble recognition of our need for God’s sustaining grace.

Did You Know

The number of foxes (300) matches exactly the number of men in Gideon’s army, suggesting a deliberate literary connection between these two judges and their unconventional military tactics.
The Hebrew word for “heap” in Samson’s victory song creates a sophisticated pun that’s lost in translation, playing on the word for “donkey” (chamor) and “heap” (chomer).
Archaeological evidence from this period shows that grain storage was crucial to Philistine economic power, making Samson’s destruction of their crops a strategic attack on their economic foundation.
The location name “En-hakkore” (“spring of the caller”) became a permanent memorial site, and similar springs in the region were still associated with Samson’s story in early Christian pilgrim accounts.
The binding of Samson with new ropes parallels ancient Near Eastern magical practices, showing how the Philistines mixed superstition with practical restraint methods.
The exact species mentioned as “foxes” (שׁוּעָלִים) likely refers to golden jackals, which were common in ancient Israel and more easily caught in groups than true foxes.
The phrase “hip and thigh” appears nowhere else in Scripture, suggesting it may have been a technical combat term from the period that later fell out of use.
The twenty-year period of Samson’s judgeship mentioned at the chapter’s end exactly matches the prophecied duration of Philistine oppression, showing God’s precise fulfillment of His words.
The cave where Samson took refuge was likely one of many limestone caves in the Etam region, which archaeological surveys have shown were frequently used as hideouts throughout Israel’s history.

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After a dramatic early morning encounter with King Jesus, I just couldn’t put my Bible down. The F.O.G took a hold of me and this website was born. What is the F.O.G?

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