Bible/Judges/14

Judges 14:19

14:18 And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.
And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house. spoil: or, apparel

KJV

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Yahweh’s Spirit came mightily on him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and struck thirty men of them, and took their plunder, then gave the changes of clothing to those who declared the riddle. His anger burned, and he went up to his father’s house.

And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father’s house.

And the Spirit of the LORD came on him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments to them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father’s house.

14:20 But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

What does Judges 14:19 mean?

Judges 14:19 is a verse in the book of Judges, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include רוּחַ (rûwach), יְהֹוָה (Yᵉhôvâh), צָלַח (tsâlach). It connects to 5 cross-referenced passages elsewhere in Scripture.

Hebrew interlinear

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And
the
Spiritרוּחַrûwach/roo'-akh/H7307wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions)
of
the
LORDיְהֹוָהYᵉhôvâh/yeh-ho-vaw'/H3068Jehovah, Jewish national name of God
cameצָלַחtsâlach/tsaw-lakh'/H6743to push forward, in various senses (literal or figurative, transitive or intransitive)
upon
him,
and
he
went
downיָרַדyârad/yaw-rad'/H3381to descend (literally, to go downwards; or conventionally to a lower region, as the shore, a boundary, the enemy, etc.; or figuratively, to fall); causatively, to bring down (in all the above applications)
to
Ashkelon,אַשְׁקְלוֹןʼAshqᵉlôwn/ash-kel-one'/H831Ashkelon, a place in Palestine
and
slewנָכָהnâkâh/naw-kaw'/H5221to strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively)
thirtyשְׁלוֹשִׁיםshᵉlôwshîym/shel-o-sheem'/H7970thirty; or (ordinal) thirtieth
menאִישׁʼîysh/eesh/H376a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)
of
them,
and
tookלָקַחlâqach/law-kakh'/H3947to take (in the widest variety of applications)
their
spoil,חֲלִיצָהchălîytsâh/khal-ee-tsaw'/H2488spoil
and
gaveנָתַןnâthan/naw-than'/H5414to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
changeחֲלִיפָהchălîyphâh/khal-ee-faw'/H2487alternation
of
garments
unto
them
which
expoundedנָגַדnâgad/naw-gad'/H5046properly, to front, i.e. stand boldly out opposite; by implication (causatively), to manifest; figuratively, to announce (always by word of mouth to one present); specifically, to expose, predict, explain, praise
the
riddle.חִידָהchîydâh/khee-daw'/H2420a puzzle, hence, a trick, conundrum, sententious maxim
And
his
angerאַףʼaph/af/H639properly, the nose or nostril; hence, the face, and occasionally a person; also (from the rapid breathing in passion) ire
was
kindled,חָרָהchârâh/khaw-raw'/H2734to glow or grow warm; figuratively (usually) to blaze up, of anger, zeal, jealousy
and
he
went
upעָלָהʻâlâh/aw-law'/H5927to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative
to
his
father'sאָבʼâb/awb/H1father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application
house.בַּיִתbayith/bah'-yith/H1004a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.)
spoil:
or,
apparel

Commentary on Judges 14:19

HENRY_FULL · Judges 14:19
.9" The apostasy of Israel after the death of Gideon is punished, not as the former apostasies by a foreign invasion, or the oppressions of any neighbouring power, but by intestine broils among themselves, which in this chapter we have the story of; and it is hard to say whether their sin or their misery appears most in it. It is an account of the usurpation and tyranny of Abimelech, who was base son to Gideon; so we must call him, and not more modishly his natural son: he was so unlike him. We are here told, I. How he thrust himself into the government at Shechem, his own city, by subtlety and cruelty, particularly by the murder of all his brethren, ver. 1-6 . II. How his doom was read in a parable by Jotham, Gideon's youngest son, ver. 7-21 . III. What strifes there were between Abimelech and his friends the Shechemites, ver. 22-41 . IV. How this ended in the ruin of the Shechemites ( ver. 42-49 ), and of Abimelech himself, ver. 50-57 . Of this meteor, this ignis fatuus of a prince, that was not a protector but a plague to his country, we may say, as once was said of a great tyrant, that he came in like a fox, ruled like a lion, and died like a dog. "For the transgression of a land, such are the princes thereof."

Cross-references

Related passages from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

Topics

BettingMiracles Wrought Through Servants of GodPhilistinesProphetsSamson

People & places in this verse

Places

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Judges 14:19.

Genesis 11:7

Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.

Genesis 24:16

And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. very: Heb. good of countenance

Genesis 24:21

And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.

Genesis 3:8

And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. cool: Heb. wind

Genesis 4:1

And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. Cain: that is, Gotten, or, Acquired

Genesis 4:15

And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

Genesis 6:3

And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

Genesis 8:21

And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. a sweet: Heb. a savour of rest or, satisfaction for the imagination: or, through the imagination

Frequently asked questions

What does Judges 14:19 say?

Judges 14:19 (King James Version) reads: "And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house. spoil: or, apparel"

Is Judges 14:19 in the Old or New Testament?

Judges 14:19 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Judges.

Reflect

As you read Judges 14:19, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

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