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Wednesday, July 16th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

Judges 14:14

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?"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Betting;   Honey;   Lion;   Riddle;   Samson;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Marriage;   Miracle;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Riddle;   Timnath;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Bee;   Riddle;   Solomon;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Insects;   Judges, Book of;   Poetry;   Riddle;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Games;   Levi;   Marriage;   Philistines;   Samson;   Wisdom;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Riddle;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Riddle,;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Meat;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Reign of the Judges;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Games;   Hard;   Lion;   Proverb;   Samson;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Allegory in the Old Testament;   Games and Sports;   Poetry;   Riddle;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So he said to them:
Hebrew Names Version
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.
King James Version
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.
Lexham English Bible
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.
English Standard Version
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.
New Century Version
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.
New English Translation
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.
Amplified Bible
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.
New American Standard Bible
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.
Geneva Bible (1587)
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.
Legacy Standard Bible
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,
Contemporary English Version
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.
Complete Jewish Bible
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.
Darby Translation
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.
Easy-to-Read Version
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.
George Lamsa Translation
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.
Good News Translation
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.
Literal Translation
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.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
He sayde vnto them: Meate wente out from the deuourer, and swetenesse from the mightie. And in thre dayes they coulde not expounde the ryddle.
American Standard Version
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.
Bible in Basic English
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.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
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.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
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.
King James Version (1611)
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.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
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.
English Revised Version
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.
Berean Standard Bible
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.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
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.
Young's Literal Translation
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.
Update Bible Version
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.
Webster's Bible Translation
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.
World English Bible
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.
New King James Version
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.
New Living Translation
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.
New Life Bible
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.
New Revised Standard
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.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
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.
Douay-Rheims Bible
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.
Revised Standard Version
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.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
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

10His father went on down to make arrangements with the woman, while Samson prepared a feast there. That's what the young men did in those days. Because the people were wary of him, they arranged for thirty friends to mingle with him. 12Samson said to them: "Let me put a riddle to you. If you can figure it out during the seven days of the feast, I'll give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of fine clothing. But if you can't figure it out then you'll give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of fine clothing." They said, "Put your riddle. Let's hear it." So he said, From the eater came something to eat, From the strong came something sweet. 14They 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?" 16 So Samson's bride turned on the tears, saying to him, "You hate me. You don't love me. You've told a riddle to my people but you won't even tell me the answer." He said, "I haven't told my own parents—why would I tell you?" 17 But she turned on the tears all the seven days of the feast. On the seventh day, worn out by her nagging, he told her. Then she went and told it to her people. 18 The men of the town came to him on the seventh day, just before sunset and said, What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion? And Samson said, If you hadn't plowed with my heifer, You wouldn't have found out my riddle. 19Then the Spirit of God came powerfully on him. He went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, stripped them, and gave their clothing to those who had solved the riddle. Stalking out, smoking with anger, he went home to his father's house. Samson's bride became the wife of the best man at his wedding.

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

Genesis 12:16
Because of her, Abram got along very well: he accumulated sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, men and women servants, and camels. But God hit Pharaoh hard because of Abram's wife Sarai; everybody in the palace got seriously sick.
Genesis 13:8
Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have fighting between us, between your shepherds and my shepherds. After all, we're family. Look around. Isn't there plenty of land out there? Let's separate. If you go left, I'll go right; if you go right, I'll go left."
Genesis 14:1
Then this: Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim went off to war to fight Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, that is, Zoar.
Genesis 14:3
This second group of kings, the attacked, came together at the Valley of Siddim, that is, the Salt Sea. They had been under the thumb of Kedorlaomer for twelve years. In the thirteenth year, they revolted.
Genesis 14:5
In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him set out and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, and the Horites in their hill country of Seir as far as El Paran on the far edge of the desert. On their way back they stopped at En Mishpat, that is, Kadesh, and conquered the whole region of the Amalekites as well as that of the Amorites who lived in Hazazon Tamar.
Deuteronomy 34:1
Moses climbed from the Plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, the peak of Pisgah facing Jericho. God showed him all the land from Gilead to Dan, all Naphtali, Ephraim, and Manasseh; all Judah reaching to the Mediterranean Sea; the Negev and the plains which encircle Jericho, City of Palms, as far south as Zoar.
Judges 20:1
Then all the People of Israel came out. The congregation met in the presence of God at Mizpah. They were all there, from Dan to Beersheba, as one person! The leaders of all the people, representing all the tribes of Israel, took their places in the gathering of God's people. There were four hundred divisions of sword-wielding infantry.
Proverbs 17:17
Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.
1 John 2:18
Children, time is just about up. You heard that Antichrist is coming. Well, they're all over the place, antichrists everywhere you look. That's how we know that we're close to the end.

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.


 
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