Judges 15:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Samson said, "With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone of a donkey have I struck down a thousand men."

NIV: Then Samson said, "With a donkey’s jawbone I have made donkeys of them. With a donkey’s jawbone I have killed a thousand men."

NASB: And Samson said, 'With the jawbone of a donkey, Heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of a donkey I have killed a thousand men.'

CSB: Then Samson said: With the jawbone of a donkey I have piled them in heaps. With the jawbone of a donkey I have killed a thousand men.

NLT: Then Samson said, 'With the jawbone of a donkey, I’ve piled them in heaps! With the jawbone of a donkey, I’ve killed a thousand men!'

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

NKJV: Then Samson said: “With the jawbone of a donkey, Heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men!”

Despite being anointed before birth as a judge of Israel (Judges 13:5), Samson has thus far been motivated by lust (Judges 14:1–3) and revenge (Judges 15:11). His triumphant shout—like the last gasp of an athlete finishing a tremendous feat—makes no mention of the Lord. Later, Samson will suggest that he does, in fact, realize his purpose. For now, he expresses ferocity and pride.

In his latest skirmish, Samson experienced another surge of power through God's Spirit (Judges 15:13–15). Easily breaking his bonds, Samson slaughtered multiple hundreds of Philistine soldiers who'd been sent to kill him. That was accomplished with the jawbone of a donkey—a crude, small club. He's still holding that weapon as he declares these words. One can only imagine the level of carnage this event must have entailed; the words Samson uses here are not only poetic and clever, but they also imply a truly gruesome scene.

Earlier, Samson invented a cryptic phrase about his encounter with a lion (Judges 14:6, 14). That was used as a trick question, until his new Philistine bride betrayed his trust. To that betrayal, as well, Samson responded with a clever turn of phrase (Judges 14:18). His taunting, boasting words lose their poetry when translated from the original Hebrew. The letters which spell out the root word hamor can be interpreted to mean "donkey," or "heap." In some cases, the term refers to armies.

At the very least, Samson is making a pun about using a donkey's jaw to pile up defeated enemies. His words would have sounded like saying "I made donkeys/heaps out of them!" This may also literally describe the aftermath of his attack: enemies who fell so fast they landed on top of each other in piles. Or, that the slain enemies would have to be piled up to be disposed of. A more obscure translation would be a boast that he "slew two armies."

Judges 15:9–20 describes the result of a Philistine incursion meant to capture Samson. The Israelites in Judah hand Samson over when he volunteers to have his hands tied with new rope. However, when he sees the Philistine forces, Samson is empowered by God's Spirit. He snaps his restraints and attacks. Using only jawbone of a donkey, he slaughters the enemy troops and shouts out a clever poem about his victory. God then answers Samson's plea for water.

Samson returns to Timnah to visit his bride, after leaving in a rage when she spoiled his unfair riddle. Her father thought Samson had abandoned her, so she was given to another man. Samson responds by tying animals to torches and setting them loose in Philistine wheat fields. He also burns the harvested crops and olive orchards. The Philistines kill Samson's former bride and father-in-law in retaliation. Samson's vengeance ensues. When the men of Judah turn Samson over to a Philistine army the Lord's Spirit empowers him. Samson slaughters the enemy soldiers with the jawbone of a donkey, and God rescues him from thirst with a miraculous spring of water.

Judges 15 describes a cycle of retribution which continues to spiral from the events of the previous chapter. This results in a Philistine army attempting to capture and kill Samson. Instead, God empowers him to kill masses of the enemy with only a donkey's jawbone. This furthers the Lord's intent to disrupt Philistine control over Israel (Judges 13:5). It does not seem to alter Samson's carnal nature, as his weakness for women continues in the following chapter.

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).