Judges 15 KJV: Retaliation and the Slaughter at Lehi
Judges 15 documents a series of escalations between Samson and the Philistines, beginning with the burning of their fields using 300 foxes. It culminates in Samson’s surrender to his own countrymen, followed by a supernatural burst of strength where he kills 1,000 Philistines with the fresh jawbone of a donkey.
v1-8: The Foxes and the Burnt Fields
v9-13: The Men of Judah Betray Samson
v14-17: The Victory at Ramath-lehi
v18-20: The Miracle of the Spring and Samson's Rule
But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in.
And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.
And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives.
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.
Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.
And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.
And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock.
And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.
And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?
But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof Enhakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day.
And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.
Watch as Samson turns a fresh donkey bone into a weapon of mass destruction to rescue himself from an army of oppressors. Begin your study with judges 15 summary.
Samson's prayer at the end is the first time he acknowledges his dependence on God, prompted by the basic human need of thirst. The Word Secret is Lehi, meaning 'Jawbone,' the name given to the site to commemorate a victory won with the most unlikely of weapons. Discover the riches with judges 15 commentary, containing expert led word study (original greek/hebrew) and passage level analysis.
Unlock the hidden judges 15 1 meaning and summary by exploring context, analyzing original greek and hebrew words, and studying cross references of each verse.
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