Judges 15:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then the Philistines said, “Who has done this?” And they said, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion.” And the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire.

NIV: When the Philistines asked, 'Who did this?' they were told, 'Samson, the Timnite's son-in-law, because his wife was given to his companion.' So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death.

NASB: Then the Philistines said, 'Who did this?' And some said, 'Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he took his wife and gave her to his companion.' So the Philistines came up and burned her and her father to death with fire.

CSB: Then the Philistines asked, "Who did this? "They were told, "It was Samson, the Timnite's son-in-law, because he took Samson's wife and gave her to his companion." So the Philistines went to her and her father and burned them to death.

NLT: Who did this?' the Philistines demanded. 'Samson,' was the reply, 'because his father-in-law from Timnah gave Samson’s wife to be married to his best man.' So the Philistines went and got the woman and her father and burned them to death.

KJV: Then 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.

NKJV: Then the Philistines said, “Who has done this?” And they answered, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion.” So the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire.

Scripture often warns against seeking revenge (Romans 12:19–21; Deuteronomy 32:35; Hebrews 10:30), leaving it instead to God. Among the practical reasons for this is escalation: retaliation inspires retaliation, each side claiming to "get even" while only continuing to add to the mayhem. Samson's former wife was given to someone else when he seemingly abandoned her after the wedding feast (Judges 14:20; 15:1–2). In a rage, Samson set fire to the crops and harvests of Timnah (Judges 15:3–5).

Instead of attacking Samson, the Philistines seem to hold Samson's father-in-law responsible. Whether he was right or wrong for giving Samson's wife to someone else, the Philistine father wasn't the one who destroyed crops. That makes no difference to the enraged men of the region: they burn Samson's former wife and her father to death, probably along with everyone else in their household. It's exactly what they threatened to do if she failed to uncover the secret Samson used in a wager (Judges 14:15–17). She complied then, betraying her new husband in the process. Now the fate she tried to avoid has happened, anyway, bringing a tragic end to her short life.

This verse identifies Samson's father-in-law as "the Timnite," suggesting that Samson's conflict with the Philistines has moved beyond just Timnah to include the wider region, likely because several nearby communities felt the loss of so many crops.

Further proving the danger of feuds and revenge, Samson will respond in kind. He intends to seek further retribution on the Philistines (Judges 15:7). Whether he realizes it, or not, his actions will work exactly as God intends, shattering the Philistines' relaxed control over Israel (Judges 13:5; 14:4).

Judges 15:1–8 follows some unspecified time after the scandalous events of the previous chapter. After Samson stormed out of his wedding feast, the bride's father gave her to someone else. Samson responds to this news by torching Philistine crops. They respond by burning his former bride and her father alive. Samson viciously retaliates, then hides. This leads to another confrontation between Israel and the Philistines.

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).