Judges 14:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet." And in three days they could not solve the riddle.

NIV: He replied, "Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet." For three days they could not give the answer.

NASB: So he said to them, 'Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet.' But they could not tell the answer to the riddle in three days.

CSB: So he said to them: Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet. After three days, they were unable to explain the riddle.

NLT: So he said: 'Out of the one who eats came something to eat; out of the strong came something sweet.' Three days later they were still trying to figure it out.

KJV: And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.

NKJV: So he said to them: “Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet.” Now for three days they could not explain the riddle.

Samson has proposed a bet to the thirty Philistine men assigned to be his wedding feast companions. If they solve his riddle before the end of the festivities, he will give each a full change of clothes. If they cannot solve it before the feast ends, each man will owe him a change of clothes. It begins as a seemingly friendly wager, though it will not end that way.

Riddles show up occasionally in Scripture; they were common in the literature of Samson's era. The queen of Sheba travelled a long way to bring "hard questions," likely riddles, as tests for wise Solomon (1 Kings 10:1), and Daniel was said to have the ability to explain riddles, among other talents (Daniel 5:12). Samson's challenge may be the most classic "so-called riddle" in the Bible.

However, this is not a true "riddle." It's just a "secret." Samson's challenge is for these men to interpret his poetic description of an obscure, bizarre occurrence. This is not a minor difference. In the classic novel The Hobbit, two characters engage in a battle of riddles, which can be solved by clever thinking or wisdom. One character absentmindedly asks himself out loud, "what have I got in my pocket?" The opponent thinks this meant as part of the challenge—he's enraged by the obviously unfair question. Samson's deception is worse: it's deliberate and his rivals don't realize it's an impossible situation.

The answer to Samson's mystery is only apparent for those who have read Samson's story to this point. Samson had recently seen a hive of bees inside the carcass of a lion—one which he'd killed with his bare hands (Judges 14:5–7). From that "strong eater" came sweet honey. Of course, without having read that passage, there is no possible way to interpret this correctly. Samson had not even told his parents about the lion or the source of the honey he shared with them (Judges 11:8–9). Later, Samson will seem to acknowledge that this was an immoral trick (Judges 15:3).

Scholars speculate that riddles given in drunken wedding feasts often had crude or sexual answers. At first, the men likely thought the answer was something along those lines. After three days of guessing, they had no clue what the solution was. Their irritation comes across in the following verse: the men are so frustrated that they threaten Samson's betrothed to find out the answer (Judges 14:15).

Judges 14:10–20 explains the disastrous outcome of Samson's attempted marriage to a Philistine woman. As was the custom, a weeklong wedding feast is held. Thirty Philistines companions are assigned to Samson. He makes an exorbitant bet with them, making a riddle about his killing of the young lion (Judges 14:5–6). The men threaten the future bride, who pesters Samson until he tells her the secret, which she gives to the groomsmen. Enraged at her betrayal, and empowered by the Lord's Spirit, Samson assaults thirty Philistine men in another town (Judges 14:4). He takes their clothes as the payment for the wager. Because Samson angrily abandons the wedding feast, his bride is given to another man.

Samson (Judges 13:24–25) is now old enough to marry. He demands his parents arrange marriage to a Philistine woman with whom he is infatuated. When attacked by a lion, Samson rips the animal apart with his bare hands, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Later, he finds a beehive and honey in the lion's carcass. At the wedding feast, Samson proposes a wager based on this secret. His thirty Philistine companions become frustrated when they can't solve it. They threaten Samson's bride, and she manipulates him to get the secret. Samson attacks thirty Philistines in another town to pay the wager.

This chapter leaps forward from Samson's birth (Judges 13:5, 24–25) to somewhere in his adulthood. He demands a Philistine woman for a wife. At the wedding feast, he proposes a bet with thirty Philistine men. They learn the answer to his trick question by threatening to kill the bride. Samson attacks thirty Philistines in another town to secure the payment for the wager. His bride is given to one of the men who threatened her. Samson will return, expecting marital rights, only to be told she has been given to someone else (Judges 15:1–2).

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).