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Judges 15:13
ESV They said to him, "No; we will only bind you and give you into their hands. We will surely not kill you." So they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.
NIV "Agreed," they answered. "We will only tie you up and hand you over to them. We will not kill you." So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock.
NASB So they said to him, 'No, but we will bind you tightly and give you into their hands; but we certainly will not kill you.' Then they bound him with two new ropes, and brought him up from the rock.
CSB "No," they said, "we won’t kill you, but we will tie you up securely and hand you over to them." So they tied him up with two new ropes and led him away from the rock.
NLT We will only tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines,' they replied. 'We won’t kill you.' So they tied him up with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.
KJV And 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.
NKJV 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.

What does Judges 15:13 mean?

Samson is in hiding from the Philistines (Judges 15:8). He knows they will be coming for him after what he has done to their people. Not only has he destroyed crops and killed men (Judges 14:19; 15:5), but Samson is also an Israelite. A rebellious member of a conquered nation cannot go unpunished. They have come to even the score with him once and for all (Judges 15:9–12).

To accomplish this, Philistine soldiers have threatened to attack the people of Judah if they don't give Samson to them (Judges 15:9–10). A huge group of Israelite men have come to tie Samson up and present him as a captive for the Philistines. They have no interest in going to battle to save Samson, or to free their nation. Samson has agreed to be tied up only if the men of Judah swear not to harm him (Judges 15:11–12).

The men of Judah agree. They promise not to kill Samson. They will hand him over to the Philistines alive and unhurt. Samson allows them to tie him tightly with new ropes. The writer of Judges wants it understood that this was no trick. Samson wasn't tied with old, frayed, brittle ropes. They didn't use ropes Samson provided. The men of Judah weren't helping him by tying him loosely. He was securely bound, using the strongest available method.
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