the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Myles Coverdale Bible
Judges 14:14
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So he said to them:
He said to them, Out of the eater came forth food, Out of the strong came forth sweetness. They couldn't in three days declare the riddle.
And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.
He said to them, "From the eater came out food, From the strong came out sweet." But they were unable to explain the riddle for three days.
And he said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet." And in three days they could not solve the riddle.
Samson said, "Out of the eater comes something to eat. Out of the strong comes something sweet." After three days, they had not found the answer.
He said to them, "Out of the one who eats came something to eat; out of the strong one came something sweet." They could not solve the riddle for three days.
So he said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet." And they could not solve the riddle in three days.
So he said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet." But they could not tell the answer to the riddle in three days.
And he sayd vnto them, Out of the eater came meate, and out of the strong came sweetenesse: and they could not in three dayes expound the riddle.
But Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, also prophesied about these men, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones,
Samson said: Once so strong and mighty— now so sweet and tasty! Three days went by, and the Philistine young men had not come up with the right answer.
So he said to them, "Out of the eater came food; out of the strong came sweetness." Three days passed, and they couldn't solve the riddle.
And he said to them, Out of the eater came forth food, And out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days explain the riddle.
Samson told them this riddle: "Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet." The 30 men tried for three days to find the answer, but they couldn't.
And he said to them, Out of the eater came forth something to eat, and out of the bitter came forth something sweet. And for three days they could not interpret the riddle.
He said, "Out of the eater came something to eat; Out of the strong came something sweet." Three days later they had still not figured out what the riddle meant.
And he said to them, Out of the eater came forth food, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they were not able to declare the riddle in three days.
And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth food, And out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days declare the riddle.
And he said, Out of the taker of food came food, and out of the strong came the sweet. And at the end of three days they were still not able to give the answer.
And he sayd vnto them: Out of the eater came meate, and out of the strong came sweetnesse. And they coulde not in three dayes expounde the riddle.
And he said unto them: Out of the eater came forth food, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days declare the riddle.
And hee said vnto them, Out of the eater came foorth meate, aud out of the strong came foorth sweetnesse. And they could not in three dayes expound the riddle.
And he said to them, Meat came forth of the eater, and sweetness out of the strong: and they could not tell the riddle for three days.
And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days declare the riddle.
So 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.
And he seide to hem, Mete yede out of the etere, and swetnesse yede out of the stronge. And bi thre daies thei myyten not assoile the `proposicioun, that is, the resoun set forth.
And he saith to them: `Out of the eater came forth meat, And out of the strong came forth sweetness;' and they were not able to declare the riddle [in] three days.
And he said to them, Out of the eater came forth food, And out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days declare the riddle.
And he said to them, Out of the eater came forth food, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.
He said to them, Out of the eater came forth food, Out of the strong came forth sweetness. They couldn't in three days declare the riddle.
So he said to them: "Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet." Now for three days they could not explain the riddle.
So he said: "Out of the one who eats came something to eat; out of the strong came something sweet." Three days later they were still trying to figure it out.
So Samson said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet. Now what does this mean?" But they could not answer the question in three days.
He said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet." But for three days they could not explain the riddle.
And he said to them - Out of the eater, came forth food, And, out of the strong, came forth sweetness. But they could not tell the riddle, in three days.
And he said to them: Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not for three days expound the riddle.
And he said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet." And they could not in three days tell what the riddle was.
They couldn't figure it out. After three days they were still stumped. On the fourth day they said to Samson's bride, "Worm the answer out of your husband or we'll burn you and your father's household. Have you invited us here to bankrupt us?"
So he said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet." But they could not tell the riddle in three days.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Out of the eater: Genesis 3:15, Deuteronomy 8:15, Deuteronomy 8:16, 1 Kings 17:6, 2 Chronicles 20:2, 2 Chronicles 20:25, Isaiah 53:10-12, Romans 5:3-5, Romans 8:37, 2 Corinthians 4:17, 2 Corinthians 12:9, 2 Corinthians 12:10, Philippians 1:12-20, Hebrews 2:14, Hebrews 2:15, Hebrews 12:10, Hebrews 12:11, James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 2:24
they could: Proverbs 24:7, Matthew 13:11, Acts 8:31
Cross-References
So Abram toke Sarai his wife, and Lot his brothers sonne, wt all their goodes which they had gotten, and soules which they begat in Hara, and departed to go in to ye londe of Canaan.
and Abram was well intreated for hir sake: and he had shepe, oxe, and he Asses, seruauntes, maydes, she Asses and Camels.
Then sayde Abram vnto Lot: O let there be no strife betwene me and the, and betwene my hyrdmen and thine, for we are brethre.
And it chaunsed in the tyme of Amraphel the kynge of Synear, Arioch the kynge of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer the kinge of Elam, & Thy deal the kynge of ye Heithen,
That they made warre wt Bera ye kynge of Sodome, and wt Birsa the kynge of Gomorra, & with Sineab the kynge of Adama, & with Semeaber the kynge of Zeboim, and with the kynge of Bela, which is called Zoar.
These came all together in to the brode valley, where now the salt see is:
Therfore in the fourtenth yeare came Kedorlaomer, and the kynges yt were with him, & smote the Giauntes in Astaroth Karnaim, & Susim at Ham, & Emim in the felde of Kiriathaim,
Then toke they all the goodes at Sodoma and Gomorra, & all their vytales, & wente their waye.
They toke Lot also Abrams brothers sonne, & his good (for he dwelt at Sodome) and departed.
And Abram sayde morouer: Beholde, vnto me hast thou geuen no sede: and lo, the sonne of my housholde shal be myne heyre.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And he said unto them, out of the eater came forth meat,.... Out of a devouring eater, such as the lion is, came forth honey, or that was taken out of it, which Samson, and his father and mother, ate of, and which was the common food of some persons, as of John the Baptist:
and out of the strong came forth sweetness: not only out of that which was strong in body while alive, but of a strong and ill scent, as the carcass of a dead lion is, and out of that came forth honey, than which nothing is sweeter. Josephus m expresses it,
"that which devours all things furnishes out pleasant food, when that itself is altogether unpleasant:''
and they could not in three days expound the riddle; so long they laboured to find it out, but then began to despair of it.
m Antiqu. l. 5. c. 8. sect. 6.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Three days ... on the seventh day - Proposed alterations, such as “six days ... on the fourth day,” are unnecessary if it be remembered that the narrator passes on first to the seventh day (at Judges 14:15), and then goes back at Judges 14:16 and beginning of Judges 14:17 to what happened on the 4th, 5th, and 6th days.
To take that we have - See the margin. They affirm that they were only invited to the wedding for the sake of plundering them by means of this riddle, and if Samson’s wife was a party to plundering her own countrymen, she should suffer for it.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Judges 14:14. And he said unto there — Thus he states or proposes his riddle: -
Out of the eater came forth meat,
And out of the strong came forth sweetness.
Instead of strong, the Syriac and Arabic have bitter. I have no doubt that the riddle was in poetry; and perhaps the two hemistichs above preserve its order. This was scarcely a fair riddle; for unless the fact to which it refers were known, there is no rule of interpretation by which it could be found out. We learn from the Scholiast, on Aristophanes, Vesp. v. Judges 14:20, that It was a custom among the ancient Greeks to propose at their festivals, what were called γριφοι, griphoi, riddles, enigmas, or very obscure sayings, both curious and difficult, and to give a recompense to those who found them out, which generally consisted in either a festive crown, or a goblet full of wine. Those who failed to solve them were condemned to drink a large portion of fresh water, or of wine mingled with a sea-water, which they were compelled to take down at one draught, without drawing their breath, their hands being tied behind their backs. Sometimes they gave the crown to the deity in honour of whom the festival was made: and if none could solve the riddle, the reward was given to him who proposed it.
Of these enigmas proposed at entertainments c., we have numerous examples in ATHENAEUS, Deipnosoph, lib. x., c. 15, p. 142, edit. Argentorat., and some of them very like this of Samson for example: -
Διδους τις ουκ εδωκεν, ουδ' εχων εχει;
"Who gives, and does not give?
Who has not, and yet has?"
This may be spoken of an enigma and its proposer: he gives it, but he does not give the sense the other has it, but has not the meaning.
Εστι φυσις θηλεια βρεφη σοζους' ὑπο κολποις
Αυτης· ταυτα δ' αφωνα βοην ἱστησι γεγωνον.
Και δια ποντιον οιδμα, και ηπειρου δια πασης,
Οἱς εθελει θνητων· τοις δ' ου παρεουσις ακουειν
Εξεστι· κωφην δ' ακοης αισθησιν εχουσιν.
"There is a feminine Nature, fostering her children in her bosom; who, although they are dumb, send forth a distinct voice over every nation of the earth, and every sea, to whom soever they please. It is possible for those who are absent to hear, and for those who are deaf to hear also."
The relator brings in Sappho interpreting it thus: -
Θηλεια μεν ουν εστι φυσις, επιστολη.
Βρεφη δ' εν αυτῃ περιφερει τα γραμματα
Αφωνα δ' οντα ταυτα τοις πορῥω λαλει,
Οἱς βουλεθuu903? ἑτερος δ' αν τυχῃ τις πλησιον
Ἑστως αναγινωσκοντος, ουκ ακουσεται.
"The Nature, which is feminine, signifies an epistle; and her children whom she bears are alphabetical characters: and these, being dumb, speak and give counsel to any, even at a distance; though he who stands nigh to him who is silently reading, hears no voice."
Here is another, attributed by the same author to Theodectes: -
Της φυσεως ὁσα γαια φερει τροφος, ουδ' ὁσα ποντος,
Ουτε βροτοισιν εχει γυιων αυξησιν ὁμοιαν.
Αλλ' εν μεν γενεσει πρωτοσπορῳ εστι μεγιστη,
Εν δε μεσαις ακμαις μικρα, γηρᾳ δε προς αυτῳ
Μορφῃ και μεγεθει μειζων παλιν εστιν ἁπαντων.
"Neither does the nourishing earth so bear by nature, nor the sea, nor is there among mortals a like increase of parts; for at the period of its birth it is greatest, but in its middle age it is small, and in its old age it is again greater in form and size than all."
This is spoken of a shadow. At the rising of the sun in the east, the shadow of an object is projected illimitably across the earth towards the west; at noon, if the sun be vertical to that place, the shadow of the object is entirely lost; at sunsetting, the shadow is projected towards the east, as it was in the morning towards the west.
Here is another, from the same author: -
Εισι κασιγνηται διτται, ὡν ἡ μια τικτει
Την ἑπεραν, αυτη δε τεκους' ὑπο τησδε τεκνουται.
"There are two sisters, the one of whom begets the other, and she who is begotten produces her who begat her."
Day and night solve this enigma.
The following I have taken from Theognis: -
Ηδη γαρ με κεκληκε θαλαττιος οικαδε νεκρος,
Τεθνηκως, ζωῳ φθεγγομενος στοματι.
THEOGN. Gnom., in fine.
"A dead seaman calls me to his house;
And, although he be dead, he speaks with a living mouth."
This dead seaman is a conch or large shellfish, of which the poet was about to eat. The mouth by which it spoke signifies its being used as a horn; as it is well known to produce, when opened at the spiral end and blown, a very powerful sound.
