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Tuesday, December 30th, 2025
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New Living Translation

Judges 14:20

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

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Samson;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Marriage;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Samson;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Levi;   Marriage;   Philistines;   Samson;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Marriage;   Samson;  

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 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 As his father was making final arrangements for the marriage, Samson threw a party at Timnah, as was the custom for elite young men. 11 When the bride's parents saw him, they selected thirty young men from the town to be his companions. 12 Samson said to them, "Let me tell you a riddle. If you solve my riddle during these seven days of the celebration, I will give you thirty fine linen robes and thirty sets of festive clothing. 13 But if you can't solve it, then you must give me thirty fine linen robes and thirty sets of festive clothing." "All right," they agreed, "let's hear your riddle." 14 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. 15 On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, "Entice your husband to explain the riddle for us, or we will burn down your father's house with you in it. Did you invite us to this party just to make us poor?" 16 So Samson's wife came to him in tears and said, "You don't love me; you hate me! You have given my people a riddle, but you haven't told me the answer." "I haven't even given the answer to my father or mother," he replied. "Why should I tell you?" 17 So she cried whenever she was with him and kept it up for the rest of the celebration. At last, on the seventh day he told her the answer because she was tormenting him with her nagging. Then she explained the riddle to the young men. 18 So before sunset of the seventh day, the men of the town came to Samson with their answer: "What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?" Samson replied, "If you hadn't plowed with my heifer, you wouldn't have solved my riddle!" 19 Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. He went down to the town of Ashkelon, killed thirty men, took their belongings, and gave their clothing to the men who had solved his riddle. But Samson was furious about what had happened, and he went back home to live with his father and mother.

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
Then Noah said, "May the Lord , the God of Shem, be blessed, and may Canaan be his servant!
Genesis 14:3
This second group of kings joined forces in Siddim Valley (that is, the valley of the Dead Sea).
Genesis 14:4
For twelve years they had been subject to King Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled against him.
Genesis 14:5
One year later Kedorlaomer and his allies arrived and defeated the Rephaites at Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzites at Ham, the Emites at Shaveh-kiriathaim,
Genesis 14:6
and the Horites at Mount Seir, as far as El-paran at the edge of the wilderness.
Genesis 14:9
They fought against King Kedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King Amraphel of Babylonia, and King Arioch of Ellasar—four kings against five.
Genesis 14:17
After Abram returned from his victory over Kedorlaomer and all his allies, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley).
Genesis 14:19
Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing: "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.
Genesis 24:27
"Praise the Lord , the God of my master, Abraham," he said. "The Lord has shown unfailing love and faithfulness to my master, for he has led me straight to my master's relatives."
Genesis 28:22
And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives 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.


 
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