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Judges 15:7
ESV And Samson said to them, "If this is what you do, I swear I will be avenged on you, and after that I will quit."
NIV Samson said to them, "Since you’ve acted like this, I swear that I won’t stop until I get my revenge on you."
NASB Then Samson said to them, 'If this is how you act, I will certainly take revenge on you, and only after that will I stop.'
CSB Then Samson told them, "Because you did this, I swear that I won’t rest until I have taken vengeance on you."
NLT Because you did this,' Samson vowed, 'I won’t rest until I take my revenge on you!'
KJV And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease.
NKJV Samson said to them, “Since you would do a thing like this, I will surely take revenge on you, and after that I will cease.”

What does Judges 15:7 mean?

The Philistines have burned Samson's former bride and father-in-law to death in retaliation for his burning the crops around Timnah. It's unclear why they thought this would hurt Samson or make him stop attacking the Philistines. An alternative possibility is that they believed that killing those who insulted him would appease Samson. Either way, their plan backfired completely. Samsons sees this as his enemy striking back, so he wants vengeance…again.

Now Samson apparently wants to avenge the deaths of his former family. He swears he will accomplish just that. He promises himself he will quit after one more counterstrike. Samson's words resonate with anyone who has ever been caught up in a revenge cycle. One person attempts to "settle the score" by hurting another. That person strikes back to "make things even." Of course, the first party now feels like one more strike is needed to balance the scales. Since neither side ever agrees that justice has been reached, the cycle never concludes easily. This is how petty offenses turn into feuds and insults lead to open war.

Despite Samson's promise, the Lord does not want the cycle to end until the Philistines have been thoroughly defeated. Israel has been complacent under oppression, so God sends an agent of chaos (Judges 13:5; 14:4) to disrupt the grip of Philistia over Israel. Samson's latest retaliation isn't described in detail, other than to note its brutality (Judges 15:8).
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