Judges 14:12-20
The Riddle's Answer
12“Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson said to them. “If you can solve it for me within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.
13But if you cannot solve it, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.” “Tell us your riddle,” they replied. “Let us hear it.”
14So he said to them: “Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet.” For three days they were unable to explain the riddle.
15So on the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?”
16Then Samson’s wife came to him, weeping, and said, “You hate me! You do not really love me! You have posed to my people a riddle, but have not explained it to me.” “Look,” he said, “I have not even explained it to my father or mother, so why should I explain it to you?”
17She wept the whole seven days of the feast, and finally on the seventh day, because she had pressed him so much, he told her the answer. And in turn she explained the riddle to her people.
18Before sunset on the seventh day, the men of the city said to Samson: “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” So he said to them: “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle!”
19Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave their clothes to those who had solved the riddle. And burning with anger, Samson returned to his father’s house,
20and his wife was given to one of the men who had accompanied him.
Berean Standard Bible
Samson gives the Philistine guests seven days to solve his riddle, and they pressure his wife until she draws the answer from him.
Samson's anger rises when the answer is revealed, and the Spirit of the LORD comes upon him as he strikes down thirty men in Ashkelon to pay the wager. His wife is given to another man, and the conflict deepens.
“Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson said to them. “If you can solve it for me within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.
The riddle becomes a contest of pressure rather than a celebration of cleverness. Samson's wife weeps, the guests threaten her household, and Samson gives up the answer. His response in Ashkelon is a violent payment for a wager, while his wife's father gives her to another man. The chapter shows a chain of manipulation and retaliation gathering speed.
The story is not a simple romance or a model for handling betrayal. It displays manipulation, retaliation, and a deliverance that comes through a deeply compromised man.
and his wife was given to one of the men who had accompanied him.
Name the difference between being hurt and being entitled to hurt someone back. Ask how your family can seek truth and justice without feeding the cycle it wants to escape.
Questions
1 What is happening in this reading?
AnswerSamson gives the Philistine guests seven days to solve his riddle, and they pressure his wife until she draws the answer from him. Samson's anger rises when the answer is revealed, and the Spirit of the LORD comes upon him as he strikes down thirty men in Ashkelon to pay the wager.
2 Where do we see responsibility or failure?
AnswerThe story is not a simple romance or a model for handling betrayal. It displays manipulation, retaliation, and a deliverance that comes through a deeply compromised man.
3 What does this passage make clear?
AnswerThe riddle becomes a contest of pressure rather than a celebration of cleverness. Samson's wife weeps, the guests threaten her household, and Samson gives up the answer. His response in Ashkelon is a violent payment for a wager, while his wife's father gives her to another man. The chapter shows a chain of manipulation and retaliation gathering speed.
4 What should our household remember?
AnswerName the difference between being hurt and being entitled to hurt someone back. Ask how your family can seek truth and justice without feeding the cycle it wants to escape.
What This Means for Us
Samson's hurt becomes another act of retaliation, and the conflict gathers more victims. Help the family name the difference between being injured and having permission to injure someone else.
Being wronged explains anger but does not give it unlimited authority. Before answering an injury, separate protection from retaliation and seek counsel from people who are not invested in making the conflict larger.
Prayer
Lord, give us courage to name the difference between being hurt and being entitled to hurt someone back. Help us remember Your faithfulness when the next step is costly. Amen.