Judges 14:14

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.

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.

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.

THE MESSAGE
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?"

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

¹⁰ And his father goeth down unto the woman, and Samson maketh there a banquet, for so the young men do; ¹¹ and it cometh to pass when they see him, that they take thirty companions, and they are with him. ¹² And Samson saith to them, `Let me, I pray you, put forth to you a riddle; if ye certainly declare it to me [in] the seven days of the banquet, and have found [it] out, then I have given to you thirty linen shirts, and thirty changes of garments; <sup>13</sup> and if ye are not able to declare [it] to me, then ye have given to me thirty linen shirts, and thirty changes of garments.' And they say to him, `Put forth thy riddle, and we hear it!' ¹⁴ 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. <sup>15</sup> And it cometh to pass, on the seventh day, that they say to Samson's wife, `Entice thy husband, that he declare to us the riddle, lest we burn thee and the house of thy father with fire; to possess us have ye called for us? is it not?' ¹⁶ And Samson's wife weepeth for it, and saith, `Thou hast only hated me, and hast not loved me; the riddle thou hast put forth to the sons of my people -- and to me thou hast not declared it;' and he saith to her, `Lo, to my father and to my mother I have not declared [it] -- and to thee I declare [it]!' ¹⁷ And she weepeth for it the seven days [in] which their banquet hath been, and it cometh to pass on the seventh day that he declareth [it] to her, for she hath distressed him; and she declareth the riddle to the sons of her people. ¹⁸ And the men of the city say to him on the seventh day, before the sun goeth in: -- `What [is] sweeter than honey? And what stronger than a lion?' And he saith to them: `Unless ye had ploughed with my heifer, Ye had not found out my riddle.' ¹⁹ And the Spirit of Jehovah prospereth over him, and he goeth down to Ashkelon, and smiteth of them thirty men, and taketh their armour, and giveth the changes to those declaring the riddle; and his anger burneth, and he goeth up to the house of his father;

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 12:5
And Abram taketh Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they have gained, and the persons that they have obtained in Charan; and they go out to go towards the land of Canaan; and they come in to the land of Canaan.

Genesis 12:16
and to Abram he hath done good because of her, and he hath sheep and oxen, and he-asses, and men-servants, and handmaids, and she-asses, and camels.

Genesis 13:8
And Abram saith unto Lot, `Let there not, I pray thee, be strife between me and thee, and between my shepherds and thy shepherds, for we [are] men -- brethren.

Genesis 14:1
And it cometh to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goyim,

Genesis 14:2
they have made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboim, and the king of Bela, which [is] Zoar.

Genesis 14:3
All these have been joined together unto the valley of Siddim, which [is] the Salt Sea;

Genesis 14:5
And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings who [are] with him, and they smite the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim,

Genesis 14:11
And they take the whole substance of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the whole of their food, and go away;

Genesis 14:12
and they take Lot, Abram's brother's son (seeing he is dwelling in Sodom), and his substance, and go away.

Genesis 15:3
And Abram saith, `Lo, to me Thou hast not given seed, and lo, a domestic doth heir me.'

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.