Judges 14:20

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
and his wife was given to one of the men who had accompanied him.

Hebrew Names Version
But Shimshon's wife was [given] to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

King James Version
But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

Lexham English Bible
And Samson's wife was given to his companion who was his best man.

English Standard Version
And Samson's wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.

New Century Version
And Samson's wife was given to his best man.

New English Translation
Samson's bride was then given to his best man.

Amplified Bible
But Samson's wife was given to his companion who had been his friend.

New American Standard Bible
But Samson's wife was given to his companion who had been his friend.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Samsons wife was giuen to his companion, whom he had vsed as his friend.

Legacy Standard Bible
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,

Contemporary English Version
The father of the bride had Samson's wife marry one of the thirty young men that had been at Samson's party.

Complete Jewish Bible
and his wife was given to the companion who had been best man at the wedding.

Darby Translation
And Samson's wife was [given] to his companion, whom he had made his friend.

Easy-to-Read Version
So Samson's wife was given to his best man.

George Lamsa Translation
And Samsons wife, whom he loved, was given to one of his groomsmen.

Good News Translation
and his wife was given to the man that had been his best man at the wedding.

Literal Translation
And Samson's wife became his companion's, who had been his friend.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
As for Samsons wife, she was geuen vnto one of his companyons, which belonged vnto him.

American Standard Version
But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

Bible in Basic English
But Samson's wife was given to the friend who had been his best man.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But Samsons wyfe was geuen to one of his companions that he had taken vnto him.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had had for his friend.

King James Version (1611)
But Samsons wife was giuen to his companion, whom hee had vsed as his friend.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the wife of Sampson was given to one of his friends, with whom he was on terms of friendship.

English Revised Version
But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

Berean Standard Bible
and his wife was given to one of the men who had accompanied him.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe his wijf took an hosebonde, oon of the frendis and keperis `of hir.

Young's Literal Translation
and Samson's wife becometh his companion's, who [is] his friend.

Update Bible Version
But Samson's wife was [given] to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

Webster's Bible Translation
But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

World English Bible
But Samson's wife was [given] to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

New King James Version
And Samson's wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.

New Living Translation
So his wife was given in marriage to the man who had been Samson's best man at the wedding.

New Life Bible
Samson's wife was given to his friend who had been his best man at his wedding.

New Revised Standard
And Samson's wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the wife of Samson was given unto his companion who had served him as his friend.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But his wife took one of his friends and bridal companions for her husband.

Revised Standard Version
And Samson's wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But Samson's wife was given to his companion who had been his friend.

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

given to: Judges 15:2

his friend: Psalms 55:12, Psalms 55:13, Jeremiah 9:5, Micah 7:5, Matthew 26:49, Matthew 26:50, John 3:29, John 13:18

Reciprocal: Genesis 38:20 - his friend 1 Samuel 18:19 - Adriel 2 Samuel 13:3 - a friend

Cross-References

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.

Genesis 14:17
After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and his allied kings, the king of Sodom came out to greet him in the Valley of Shaveh, the King's Valley. Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine—he was priest of The High God—and blessed him: Blessed be Abram by The High God, Creator of Heaven and Earth. And blessed be The High God, who handed your enemies over to you. Abram gave him a tenth of all the recovered plunder.

Numbers 28:26
"On the Day of Firstfruits when you bring an offering of new grain to God on your Feast-of-Weeks, gather in holy worship and don't do any regular work. Bring a Whole-Burnt-Offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven male yearling lambs as a pleasing fragrance to God . Prepare a Grain-Offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with oil for each bull, four quarts for the ram, and two quarts for each lamb, plus a he-goat as an Absolution-Offering to atone for you.

Deuteronomy 14:28
At the end of every third year, gather the tithe from all your produce of that year and put it aside in storage. Keep it in reserve for the Levite who won't get any property or inheritance as you will, and for the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow who live in your neighborhood. That way they'll have plenty to eat and God , your God, will bless you in all your work.

Nehemiah 10:37
We will bring the best of our grain, of our contributions, of the fruit of every tree, of wine, and of oil to the priests in the storerooms of The Temple of our God. We will bring the tithes from our fields to the Levites, since the Levites are appointed to collect the tithes in the towns where we work. We'll see to it that a priest descended from Aaron will supervise the Levites as they collect the tithes and make sure that they take a tenth of the tithes to the treasury in The Temple of our God. We'll see to it that the People of Israel and Levites bring the grain, wine, and oil to the storage rooms where the vessels of the Sanctuary are kept and where the priests who serve, the security guards, and the choir meet. We will not neglect The Temple of our God.

Psalms 68:19
Blessed be the Lord— day after day he carries us along. He's our Savior, our God, oh yes! He's God-for-us, he's God-who-saves-us. Lord God knows all death's ins and outs. What's more, he made heads roll, split the skulls of the enemy As he marched out of heaven, saying, "I tied up the Dragon in knots, put a muzzle on the Deep Blue Sea." You can wade through your enemies' blood, and your dogs taste of your enemies from your boots.

Psalms 144:1
A David Psalm Blessed be God , my mountain, who trains me to fight fair and well. He's the bedrock on which I stand, the castle in which I live, my rescuing knight, The high crag where I run for dear life, while he lays my enemies low.

Amos 4:4
"Come along to Bethel and sin! And then to Gilgal and sin some more! Bring your sacrifices for morning worship. Every third day bring your tithe. Burn pure sacrifices—thank offerings. Speak up—announce freewill offerings! That's the sort of religious show you Israelites just love." God 's Decree.

Malachi 3:8
"Begin by being honest. Do honest people rob God? But you rob me day after day. "You ask, ‘How have we robbed you?' "The tithe and the offering—that's how! And now you're under a curse—the whole lot of you—because you're robbing me. Bring your full tithe to the Temple treasury so there will be ample provisions in my Temple. Test me in this and see if I don't open up heaven itself to you and pour out blessings beyond your wildest dreams. For my part, I will defend you against marauders, protect your wheat fields and vegetable gardens against plunderers." The Message of God -of-the-Angel-Armies.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But Samson's wife was given to his companion,.... By her father, and with her consent, both being affronted and provoked by Samson leaving her, who judged her not only to be injured, but hereby discharged from him, and free to marry another:

and whom he had used as his friend; though there were thirty of them that were his companions, yet there was one of them that was the principal of them, and was the most intimate with him, whom he used in the most friendly manner, and admitted to a more free conversation than the rest, the same that is called the friend of the bridegroom, John 3:29 while the others were called the children of the bridechamber, Matthew 9:15. It is not unlikely that this person had too much intimacy with Samson's wife before, and so had the secret of the riddle from her, and so very readily married her, as soon as Samson departed; and all this furnished out an occasion and opportunity, which Samson sought for, to be revenged on the Philistines, as in the following chapter.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

His companion - Perhaps one of those mentioned in Judges 14:11. The transaction denotes loose notions of the sanctity of marriage among the Philistines. It should be noted carefully that the practical lesson against ungodly marriages comes out most strongly in this case and that the providential purpose which out of this evil brought discomfiture to the Philistines, has nothing to do with the right or wrong of Samson’s conduct.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 14:20. But Samson's wife was given to his companion — This was the same kind of person who is called the friend of the bridegroom, John 3:29. And it is very likely that she loved this person better than she loved her husband, and went to him as soon as Samson had gone to his father's house at Zorah. She might, however, have thought herself abandoned by him, and therefore took another; this appears to have been the persuasion of her father, Judges 15:2. But her betraying his secret and his interests to his enemies was a full proof he was not very dear to her; though, to persuade him to the contrary, she shed many crocodile tears; see Judges 14:16. He could not keep his own secret, and he was fool enough to suppose that another would be more faithful to him than he was to himself. Multitudes complain of the treachery of friends betraying their secrets, &c., never considering that they themselves have been their first betrayers, in confiding to others what they pretend to wish should be a secret to the whole world! If a man never let his secret out of his own bosom, it is impossible that he should ever be betrayed.