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The NET Bible®

Judges 15:2

Her father said, "I really thought you absolutely despised her, so I gave her to your best man. Her younger sister is more attractive than she is. Take her instead!"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Samson;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Samson;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Abdon;   Israel;   Judges (1);   Levi;   Marriage;   Philistines;   Samson;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Closet ;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Samson;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Daughter in Jewish Law;   Tent;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“I was sure you hated her,” her father said, “so I gave her to one of the men who accompanied you. Isn’t her younger sister more beautiful than she is? Why not take her instead?”
Hebrew Names Version
Her father said, I most assuredly thought that you had utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to your companion: isn't her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her, instead.
King James Version
And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.
Lexham English Bible
Her father said, "I really thought that you hated her, so I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please, take her instead."
English Standard Version
And her father said, "I really thought that you utterly hated her, so I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her instead."
New Century Version
He said to Samson, "I thought you really hated your wife, so I gave her to your best man. Her younger sister is more beautiful. Take her instead."
Amplified Bible
Her father said, "I really thought you utterly hated her; so I gave her to your companion. Is her younger sister not more beautiful than she? Please take her [as your wife] instead."
New American Standard Bible
Her father said, "I really thought that you hated her intensely; so I gave her to your companion. Is her younger sister not more beautiful than she? Please let her be yours instead."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And her father sayde, I thought that thou hadst hated her: therefore gaue I her to thy companion. Is not her yonger sister fayrer then shee? take her, I pray thee, in stead of the other.
Legacy Standard Bible
En haar vader het gesê: Ek het vir seker gedink dat jy niks om haar gee nie; daarom het ek haar aan jou metgesel gegee; is haar jonger suster nie mooier as sy nie? Laat sy tog joue word in haar plek.
Contemporary English Version
"When you left the way you did, I thought you were divorcing her. So I arranged for her to marry one of the young men who were at your party. But my younger daughter is even prettier, and you can have her as your wife."
Complete Jewish Bible
Her father said, "I really thought you hated her altogether, so I gave her to your best man. But her younger sister — isn't she even prettier? Why not take her instead?"
Darby Translation
And her father said, I verily thought that thou didst utterly hate her; therefore I gave her to thy companion. Is not her younger sister fairer than she? Let her, I pray thee, be thine instead of her.
Easy-to-Read Version
He said, "I thought you hated her, so I let her marry the best man at the wedding. Her younger sister is more beautiful. Take her younger sister."
George Lamsa Translation
And her father said, I surely thought that you had utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to your groomsman; behold, her younger sister, who is fairer than she, take her to wife instead.
Good News Translation
He told Samson, "I really thought that you hated her, so I gave her to your friend. But her younger sister is prettier, anyway. You can have her, instead."
Literal Translation
And her father said, I certainly said that hating you would hate her, and I gave her to your companion. Is not her sister, the young one, better than she? Please let her belong to you, instead of her.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and sayde: I thoughte thou wast displeased at her, and I gaue her vnto thy frende. But she hath a yonger sister which is more beutyfull then she, let ye same be thine for her.
American Standard Version
And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.
Bible in Basic English
And her father said, It seemed to me that you had only hate for her; so I gave her to your friend: but is not her younger sister fairer than she? so please take her in place of the other.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And her father sayde, I thought that thou haddest hated her, & therfore gaue I her to thy companion: Is not her younger sister fayrer then she? Take her I pray thee, in steade of the other.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And her father said: 'I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion; is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.'
King James Version (1611)
And her father saide, I verily thought that thou haddest vtterly hated her, therfore I gaue her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer then she? take her, I pray thee, in stead of her.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And her father spoke, saying, I said that thou didst surely hate her, and I gave her to one of thy friends: is not her younger sister better than she? let her be to thee instead of her.
English Revised Version
And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.
Berean Standard Bible
"I was sure you thoroughly hated her," said her father, "so I gave her to one of the men who accompanied you. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her instead."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Y gesside that thou haddist hatid hir, and therfor Y yaf hir to thi freend; but sche hath a sistir, which is yongere and fairere than sche, be sche `wijf to thee for hir.
Young's Literal Translation
and her father saith, I certainly said, that thou didst certainly hate her, and I give her to thy companion; is not her sister -- the young one -- better than she? Let her be, I pray thee, to thee, instead of her.'
Update Bible Version
And her father said, I truly thought that you had completely hated her; therefore I gave her to your companion: isn't her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray you, instead of her.
Webster's Bible Translation
And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: [is] not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.
World English Bible
Her father said, I most assuredly thought that you had utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to your companion: isn't her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her, instead.
New King James Version
Her father said, "I really thought that you thoroughly hated her; therefore I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister better than she? Please, take her instead."
New Living Translation
"I truly thought you must hate her," her father explained, "so I gave her in marriage to your best man. But look, her younger sister is even more beautiful than she is. Marry her instead."
New Life Bible
Her father said, "I thought you hated her. So I gave her to your friend. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Let her be yours instead."
New Revised Standard
Her father said, "I was sure that you had rejected her; so I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister prettier than she? Why not take her instead?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And her father said - I, thought, that thou didst, hate, her, so I gave her to thy companion, - Is not, her younger sister, fairer than she? Pray let her be thine, in her stead.
Douay-Rheims Bible
I thought thou hadst hated her, and therefore I gave her to thy friend: but she hath a sister, who is younger and fairer than she, take her to wife instead of her.
Revised Standard Version
And her father said, "I really thought that you utterly hated her; so I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister fairer than she? Pray take her instead."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Her father said, "I really thought that you hated her intensely; so I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please let her be yours instead."

Contextual Overview

1 Sometime later, during the wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat as a gift and went to visit his bride. He said to her father, "I want to have sex with my bride in her bedroom!" But her father would not let him enter. 2 Her father said, "I really thought you absolutely despised her, so I gave her to your best man. Her younger sister is more attractive than she is. Take her instead!" 3 Samson said to them, "This time I am justified in doing the Philistines harm!" 4 Samson went and captured three hundred jackals and got some torches. He tied the jackals in pairs by their tails and then tied a torch to each pair. 5 He lit the torches and set the jackals loose in the Philistines' standing grain. He burned up the grain heaps and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves. 6 The Philistines asked, "Who did this?" They were told, "Samson, the Timnite's son-in-law, because the Timnite took Samson's bride and gave her to his best man." So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father. 7 Samson said to them, "Because you did this, I will get revenge against you before I quit fighting." 8 He struck them down and defeated them. Then he went down and lived for a time in the cave in the cliff of Etam.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I verily: Judges 14:16, Judges 14:20, Acts 26:9

I gave: Judges 14:20, Genesis 38:14

take her: Heb. let her be thine

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 22:13 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 15:1
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram! I am your shield and the one who will reward you in great abundance."
Genesis 15:2
But Abram said, "O sovereign Lord , what will you give me since I continue to be childless, and my heir is Eliezer of Damascus?"
Genesis 15:3
Abram added, "Since you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir!"
Genesis 15:4
But look, the word of the Lord came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but instead a son who comes from your own body will be your heir."
Genesis 15:6
Abram believed the Lord , and the Lord considered his response of faith as proof of genuine loyalty.
Genesis 24:2
Abraham said to his servant, the senior one in his household who was in charge of everything he had, "Put your hand under my thigh
Genesis 24:10
Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed with all kinds of gifts from his master at his disposal. He journeyed to the region of Aram Naharaim and the city of Nahor.
Genesis 25:21
Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.
Genesis 39:9
There is no one greater in this household than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?"
Genesis 43:19
So they approached the man who was in charge of Joseph's household and spoke to him at the entrance to the house.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her,.... Not only thought so, but said so, and had said it over and over again; for the words are, "saying I said" t, affirmed it confidently and constantly, that "in hating thou hast hated her" u, with an implacable hatred, that there was no hope of any reconciliation:

therefore I gave her to thy companion; this he said to excuse his daughter, and soften his resentment, that it was not his daughter's doing, but his, and that he had disposed of her not to anybody, but to a companion of Samson's; and what follows seems to be said with the same view, for he might be in some fear of Samson, knowing him to be a man of spirit and strength:

is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her; that is, to wife; and two things he observes to recommend her, her youth and beauty, in which she was preferable to her sister. Such incestuous marriages were common with the old Canaanites, and it seems still continued; but were condemned by the law of God, and not allowed an Israelite, which Samson knew full well, and therefore listened not to the proposal; see Leviticus 18:3.

t אמר אמרתי "dicendo dixi", Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator. u שנא שנאתה "odiendo odires eam", Pagninus, Montanus; so Piscator.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I gave her - In marriage. Samson had probably not heard of this before. Samson’s father had paid the dowry for the older sister; her father therefore offers her sister in her room. The fear of Samson probably also influenced him.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 15:2. Thou hadst utterly hated her — As he was conscious she had given him great cause so to do.

Her younger sister — The father appears to have been perfectly sincere in this offer.


 
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