Judges 14:1

THE MESSAGE

Samson went down to Timnah. There in Timnah a woman caught his eye, a Philistine girl. He came back and told his father and mother, "I saw a woman in Timnah, a Philistine girl; get her for me as my wife."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Samson went down to Timnah and saw a young Philistine woman there.

Hebrew Names Version
Shimshon went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Pelishtim.

King James Version
And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.

Lexham English Bible
And Samson went down to Timnah, and he saw a woman in Timnah from the daughters of the Philistines.

English Standard Version
Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines.

New Century Version
Samson went down to the city of Timnah where he saw a Philistine woman.

New English Translation
Samson went down to Timnah, where a Philistine girl caught his eye.

Amplified Bible
Samson went down to Timnah and at Timnah he saw a woman, one of the daughters of the Philistines.

New American Standard Bible
Then Samson went down to Timnah, and he saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Nowe Samson went downe to Timnath, and saw a woma in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistims,

Legacy Standard Bible
Toe Simson afgegaan het na Timna, sien hy in Timna 'n vrou uit die dogters van die Filistyne;

Contemporary English Version
One day, Samson went to Timnah, where he saw a Philistine woman.

Complete Jewish Bible
Shimshon went down to Timnah, and in Timnah he saw a woman who was one of the P'lishtim.

Darby Translation
And Samson went down to Timnathah, and saw a woman in Timnathah of the daughters of the Philistines.

Easy-to-Read Version
Samson went down to the city of Timnah. He saw a young Philistine woman there.

George Lamsa Translation
AND Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.

Good News Translation
One day Samson went down to Timnah, where he noticed a certain young Philistine woman.

Literal Translation
And Samson went down to Timnath and saw a woman in Timnath, of the daughters of the Philistines.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Samson wente downe vnto Thimnath, & there he sawe a woman amoge the doughters of ye Philistynes.

American Standard Version
And Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines.

Bible in Basic English
Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah, of the daughters of the Philistines;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Samson went downe to Thamnath, and sawe a woma in Thamnath of the daughters of the Philistines:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines.

King James Version (1611)
And Samson went down to Timnath, and sawe a woman in Timnath, of the daughters of the Philistines.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Sampson went down to Thamnatha, and saw a woman in Thamnatha of the daughters of the Philistines.

English Revised Version
And Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines.

Berean Standard Bible
One day Samson went down to Timnah, where he saw a young Philistine woman.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor Sampson yede doun in to Thannatha, and he siy there a womman of `the douytris of Filisteis;

Young's Literal Translation
And Samson goeth down to Timnath, and seeth a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines,

Update Bible Version
And Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.

World English Bible
Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines.

New King James Version
Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines.

New Living Translation
One day when Samson was in Timnah, one of the Philistine women caught his eye.

New Life Bible
Samson went down to Timnah. There he saw a woman, one of the daughters of the Philistines.

New Revised Standard
Once Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw a Philistine woman.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Samson went down to Timnath, - and saw a woman in Timnath, of the daughters of the Philistines.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Then Samson went down to Thamnatha, and seeing there a woman of the daughters of the Philistines,

Revised Standard Version
Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Samson went down to Timnah and saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines.

Contextual Overview

¹Samson went down to Timnah. There in Timnah a woman caught his eye, a Philistine girl. He came back and told his father and mother, "I saw a woman in Timnah, a Philistine girl; get her for me as my wife." ³ His parents said to him, "Isn't there a woman among the girls in the neighborhood of our people? Do you have to go get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me. She's the one I want—she's the right one." ⁴ (His father and mother had no idea that God was behind this, that he was arranging an opportunity against the Philistines. At the time the Philistines lorded it over Israel.) ⁵Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother. When he got to the vineyards of Timnah, a young lion came at him, roaring. The Spirit of God came on him powerfully and he ripped it open barehanded, like tearing a young goat. But he didn't tell his parents what he had done. ⁷ Then he went on down and spoke to the woman. In Samson's eyes, she was the one. ⁸Some days later when he came back to get her, he made a little detour to look at what was left of the lion. And there a wonder: a swarm of bees in the lion's carcass—and honey! He scooped it up in his hands and kept going, eating as he went. He rejoined his father and mother and gave some to them and they ate. But he didn't tell them that he had scooped out the honey from the lion's carcass.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Timnath: Genesis 38:12, Genesis 38:13, Joshua 15:10, Joshua 19:43, aw, Genesis 6:2, Genesis 34:1, Genesis 34:2, 2 Samuel 11:2, Job 31:1, Psalms 119:37, 1 John 2:16

Reciprocal: Genesis 49:17 - shall be 2 Chronicles 28:18 - Timnah Ezekiel 25:15 - to destroy

Cross-References

Genesis 10:22
The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.

Isaiah 11:11
Also on that day, the Master for the second time will reach out to bring back what's left of his scattered people. He'll bring them back from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Ethiopia, Elam, Sinar, Hamath, and the ocean islands.

Ezekiel 32:24
"Elam is there in all her pride, a cemetery—all killed in battle, dumped in her heathen grave with the dead and buried, these people who terrorized the land of the living. They carry their shame with them, along with the others in the grave. They turned Elam into a resort for the pompous dead, landscaped with heathen graves, slaughtered in battle. They once terrorized the land of the living. Now they carry their shame down with the others in deep earth. They're in the section set aside for the slain in battle.

Zechariah 5:11
He said, "East to the land of Shinar. They will build a garage to house it. When it's finished, the basket will be stored there."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Samson went down to Timnath,.... A city which by lot fell to the tribe of Judah, but was afterwards given to the tribe of Dan, and now in the hands of the Philistines,

Joshua 15:57. Judah is said to go up to it, because the place where he lived lay below it, Genesis 38:13, but Samson is said to go down to it, because he lived above it. The Jews t differ about the reconciliation of these two places; some say there were two of this name, the one is a descent, and the other is an ascent; others say there was but one, so situated, that they that came to it on one side ascended, and they that came to it on the other side descended. Bochart u approves of the former. According to Bunting w, this was twelve miles from Eshtaol, where Samson lived:

and saw a woman in Timnath, of the daughters of the Philistines; who at this time dwelt there; he saw no doubt many other women besides her, but he took special notice of her, and entertained a particular affection for her; or, in other words, on sight of her fell in love with her.

t T. Bab. Sotah, fol. 10. 1. u IIierozoic. par. 1. l. 3. c. 4. col. 763, 764. w Travels, &c. p. 115.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Timnath - See Joshua 15:10 and note. It was below Zorah Judges 13:2, about three miles S. W. of it.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER XIV

Samson marries a wife of the Philistines, 1-4.

Slays a young lion at Timnath, in the carcass of which he

afterwards finds a swarm of bees, 5-9.

He makes a feast; they appoint him thirty companions, to whom

he puts forth a riddle, which they cannot expound, 10-14.

They entice his wife to get the interpretation from him; she

succeeds, informs them, and they tell the explanation, 15-18.

He is incensed, and slays thirty of the Philistines, 19, 20.

NOTES ON CHAP. XIV

Verse Judges 14:1. Went down to Timnath — A frontier town of the Philistines, at the beginning of the lands belonging to the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:57; but afterwards given up to Dan, Joshua 19:43. David took this place from the Philistines, but they again got possession of it in the reign of Ahaz, 2 Chronicles 28:18.