Judges 14:20

The NET Bible®

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

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.

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

¹⁰ Then Samson's father accompanied him to Timnah for the marriage. Samson hosted a party there, for this was customary for bridegrooms to do. ¹¹ When the Philistines saw he had no attendants, they gave him thirty groomsmen who kept him company. ¹² Samson said to them, "I will give you a riddle. If you really can solve it during the seven days the party lasts, I will give you thirty linen robes and thirty sets of clothes. ¹³ But if you cannot solve it, you will give me thirty linen robes and thirty sets of clothes." They said to him, "Let us hear your riddle." ¹⁴ 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. ¹⁵ On the fourth day they said to Samson's bride, "Trick your husband into giving the solution to the riddle. If you refuse, we will burn up you and your father's family. Did you invite us here to make us poor?" ¹⁶ So Samson's bride cried on his shoulder and said, "You must hate me; you do not love me! You told the young men a riddle, but you have not told me the solution." He said to her, "Look, I have not even told my father or mother. Do you really expect me to tell you?" ¹⁷ She cried on his shoulder until the party was almost over. Finally, on the seventh day, he told her because she had nagged him so much. Then she told the young men the solution to the riddle. ¹⁸ On the seventh day, before the sun set, the men of the city said to him, "What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?" He said to them, "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle!" ¹⁹ The Lord 's spirit empowered him. He went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty men. He took their clothes and gave them to the men who had solved the riddle. He was furious as he went back home.

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 9:26
He also said, "Worthy of praise is the Lord , the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem!

Genesis 14:3
These last five kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).

Genesis 14:4
For twelve years they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

Genesis 14:5
In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were his allies came and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim,

Genesis 14:6
and the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is near the desert.

Genesis 14:9
Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings fought against five.

Genesis 14:17
After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King's Valley).

Genesis 14:19
He blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth.

Genesis 24:27
saying "Praised be the Lord , the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his faithful love for my master! The Lord has led me to the house of my master's relatives!"

Genesis 28:22
Then this stone that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of God, and I will surely give you back a tenth of everything you give me."

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.