The Meaning of Judges 14:15 Explained

Judges 14:15

KJV: And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson's wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to take that we have? is it not so?

YLT: 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?'

Darby: On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, "Entice your husband to tell us what the riddle is, lest we burn you and your father's house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?"

ASV: And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson's wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to impoverish us? is it not'so ?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And it came to pass on the seventh  day,  that they said  unto Samson's  wife,  Entice  thy husband,  that he may declare  unto us the riddle,  lest we burn  thee and thy father's  house  with fire:  have ye called  us to take that we have?  [is it] not [so]? 

What does Judges 14:15 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 14:15-20 - In Bad Company
What strong confirmation is afforded, by Samson's experience, of the misery of a mixed marriage! This Philistine wife had no real love for him, and was more readily influenced by her own people than by her husband. How could she enter into his desire to emancipate Israel? To carry out his life-purpose of freeing Israel, He must break with her. Notice how this poor wife was visited with the very chastisement from which she hoped, by treachery, to save herself. Compare Judges 14:17 and Judges 15:6.
Samson's riddle is constantly being verified. We all have to encounter lions. Happy are we if we rend them in the power of the Holy Spirit! And have we not often discovered that the very sorrow, trial, or temptation which we dreaded most and which threatened to destroy us, has yielded the strength and sweetness, the meat and honey, which have enriched us for all after-time? Samson shared these with his mother and father. Let us never keep to ourselves those glorious lessons and results which we may have won in conflicts and sorrows that only the eye of God has witnessed. Let others share their benefit. [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 14

1  Samson desires a wife of the Philistines
6  In his journey he kills a lion
8  In a second journey he finds honey in the carcass
10  Samson's marriage feast
12  His riddle by his wife is made known
19  He strikes down thirty Philistines
20  His wife is married to another

What do the individual words in Judges 14:15 mean?

But it came to pass on the day seventh that they said to wife of Samson Entice - your husband that he may explain to us the riddle or else we will burn you and house your father's with fire Have in order to take what is ours you invited us [is that] not [so]
וַיְהִ֣י ׀ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ לְאֵֽשֶׁת־ שִׁמְשׁוֹן֙ פַּתִּ֣י אֶת־ אִישֵׁ֗ךְ וְיַגֶּד־ לָ֙נוּ֙ הַ֣חִידָ֔ה פֶּן־ נִשְׂרֹ֥ף אוֹתָ֛ךְ וְאֶת־ בֵּ֥ית אָבִ֖יךְ בָּאֵ֑שׁ ؟ הַלְיָרְשֵׁ֕נוּ קְרָאתֶ֥ם לָ֖נוּ הֲלֹֽא

וַיְהִ֣י ׀  But  it  came  to  pass 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
בַּיּ֣וֹם  on  the  day 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י  seventh 
Parse: Article, Number, ordinal masculine singular
Root: שְׁבִיעִי  
Sense: seventh.
וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ  that  they  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לְאֵֽשֶׁת־  to  wife 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
שִׁמְשׁוֹן֙  of  Samson 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שִׁמְשֹׁון  
Sense: a Danite, son of Manoah, a Nazarite for life, and a judge of Israel for 20 years.
פַּתִּ֣י  Entice 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: פָּתָה 
Sense: to be spacious, be open, be wide.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
אִישֵׁ֗ךְ  your  husband 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
וְיַגֶּד־  that  he  may  explain 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive imperfect Jussive, third person masculine singular
Root: נָגַד  
Sense: to be conspicuous, tell, make known.
לָ֙נוּ֙  to  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
הַ֣חִידָ֔ה  the  riddle 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חִידָה  
Sense: riddle, difficult question, parable, enigmatic saying or question, perplexing saying or question.
פֶּן־  or  else 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: פֶּן  
Sense: lest, not, beware lest adv.
נִשְׂרֹ֥ף  we  will  burn 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common plural
Root: שָׂרַף  
Sense: to burn.
בֵּ֥ית  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
אָבִ֖יךְ  your  father's 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
בָּאֵ֑שׁ  with  fire 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.
؟ הַלְיָרְשֵׁ֕נוּ  Have  in  order  to  take  what  is  ours 
Parse: Preposition, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, first person common plural
Root: יָרַשׁ  
Sense: to seize, dispossess, take possession off, inherit, disinherit, occupy, impoverish, be an heir.
קְרָאתֶ֥ם  you  invited 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
לָ֖נוּ  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
הֲלֹֽא  [is  that]  not  [so] 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.