The Meaning of Judges 14:18 Explained

Judges 14:18

KJV: And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.

YLT: 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.'

Darby: And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, "What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?" And he said to them, "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle."

ASV: And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, Ye had not found out my riddle.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the men  of the city  said  unto him on the seventh  day  before the sun  went down,  What [is] sweeter  than honey?  and what [is] stronger  than a lion?  And he said  unto them, If  ye had not plowed  with my heifer,  ye had not found out  my riddle. 

What does Judges 14:18 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 14:18 mean?

So said to him the men of the city on the day seventh before went down the sun what [is] sweeter than honey and what [is] stronger than a lion and he said to them if not you had plowed with my heifer not You would have solved my riddle
וַיֹּ֣אמְרוּ לוֹ֩ אַנְשֵׁ֨י הָעִ֜יר בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י בְּטֶ֙רֶם֙ יָבֹ֣א הַחַ֔רְסָה מַה־ מָּת֣וֹק ؟ מִדְּבַ֔שׁ וּמֶ֥ה עַ֖ז ؟ מֵאֲרִ֑י וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֔ם לוּלֵא֙ חֲרַשְׁתֶּ֣ם בְּעֶגְלָתִ֔י לֹ֥א מְצָאתֶ֖ם חִידָתִֽי

וַיֹּ֣אמְרוּ  So  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לוֹ֩  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
אַנְשֵׁ֨י  the  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
הָעִ֜יר  of  the  city 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
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.
בְּטֶ֙רֶם֙  before 
Parse: Preposition-b, Adverb
Root: טֶרֶם  
Sense: before, not yet, before that.
יָבֹ֣א  went  down 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
הַחַ֔רְסָה  the  sun 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: חֶרֶס 
Sense: itch, an eruptive disease.
מַה־  what  [is] 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
מָּת֣וֹק  sweeter 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: מָתֹוק  
Sense: sweet.
؟ מִדְּבַ֔שׁ  than  honey 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דְּבַשׁ  
Sense: honey.
וּמֶ֥ה  and  what  [is] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
עַ֖ז  stronger 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: עַז 
Sense: strong, mighty, fierce.
؟ מֵאֲרִ֑י  than  a  lion 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲרִי 
Sense: lion.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר  and  he  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לָהֶ֔ם  to  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
לוּלֵא֙  if  not 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: לוּלֵא  
Sense: unless, if not, except.
חֲרַשְׁתֶּ֣ם  you  had  plowed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: חָרַשׁ 
Sense: to cut in, plough, engrave, devise.
בְּעֶגְלָתִ֔י  with  my  heifer 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: עֶגְלָה 
Sense: heifer.
מְצָאתֶ֖ם  You  would  have  solved 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: מָצָא  
Sense: to find, attain to.
חִידָתִֽי  my  riddle 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: חִידָה  
Sense: riddle, difficult question, parable, enigmatic saying or question, perplexing saying or question.

What are the major concepts related to Judges 14:18?

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