Judges 15:9-20
The Jawbone of a Donkey
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9Then the Philistines went up, camped in Judah, and deployed themselves near the town of Lehi.
10“Why have you attacked us?” said the men of Judah. The Philistines replied, “We have come to arrest Samson and pay him back for what he has done to us.”
11In response, three thousand men of Judah went to the cave at the rock of Etam, and they asked Samson, “Do you not realize that the Philistines rule over us? What have you done to us?” “I have done to them what they did to me,” he replied.
12But they said to him, “We have come down to arrest you and hand you over to the Philistines.” Samson replied, “Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves.”
13“No,” they answered, “we will not kill you, but we will tie you up securely and hand you over to them.” So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock.
14When Samson arrived in Lehi, the Philistines came out shouting against him. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him. The ropes on his arms became like burnt flax, and the bonds broke loose from his hands.
15He found the fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and struck down a thousand men.
16Then Samson said: “With the jawbone of a donkey I have piled them into heaps. With the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men.”
17And when Samson had finished speaking, he cast the jawbone from his hand; and he named that place Ramath-lehi.
18And being very thirsty, Samson cried out to the LORD, “You have accomplished this great deliverance through Your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”
19So God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned, and he was revived. That is why he named it En-hakkore, and it remains in Lehi to this day.
20And Samson judged Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
The Philistines come into Judah to arrest Samson and repay him for what he has done. Three thousand men of Judah confront him: does he not know the Philistines rule them? Samson answers that he has done to the Philistines what they did to him. Both sides speak in the language of repayment.
Judah's men agree not to kill Samson themselves, bind him with new ropes, and hand him over. When the Philistines approach, the Spirit of the LORD comes upon him. The ropes break, and he takes a fresh donkey's jawbone and kills a thousand men. He celebrates the victory and casts the jawbone aside.
Then thirst brings him to prayer. The man who has just defeated so many cannot supply what he needs to live. He credits God with the deliverance and asks whether he must now die of thirst. God opens a hollow place in Lehi, water comes out, and Samson drinks and revives.
The account records both the extraordinary strength and the ordinary need. The LORD provides for both. Samson judges Israel for twenty years during the time of the Philistines.
Questions
1 Why do Judah’s men come to bind Samson?
AnswerThe Philistines have come to arrest him, and Judah’s men fear the consequences of his conflict with their rulers. They agree to hand him over without killing him themselves.
2 What happens when the Spirit of the LORD comes upon him?
AnswerHis ropes break, and he takes a donkey’s jawbone and strikes down a thousand men.
3 How does God answer Samson’s plea for water?
AnswerHe opens a hollow place in Lehi, and water comes out. Samson drinks, his strength returns, and he revives.
4 What needs might remain after we accomplish something difficult?
AnswerWe may still need food, rest, care, or someone’s help. Finishing an important task does not make us independent of God’s daily provision.
What This Means for Us
After a demanding task, receive ordinary care without embarrassment. Eat, rest, and accept help. Samson's thirst reminds us that an impressive accomplishment does not put us above daily dependence. Gratitude can include both the strength to finish the work and the small provisions that sustain us afterward.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for providing water for the exhausted. Keep us humble after success and attentive to the needs that victory does not remove. Amen.
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