The Meaning of Judges 15:18 Explained

Judges 15:18

KJV: And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?

YLT: and he thirsteth exceedingly, and calleth unto Jehovah, and saith, 'Thou -- Thou hast given by the hand of Thy servant this great salvation; and now, I die with thirst, and have fallen into the hand of the uncircumcised.'

Darby: And he was very thirsty, and he called on the LORD and said, "Thou hast granted this great deliverance by the hand of thy servant; and shall I now die of thirst, and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?"

ASV: And he was sore athirst, and called on Jehovah, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance by the hand of thy servant; and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And he was sore  athirst,  and called  on the LORD,  and said,  Thou hast given  this great  deliverance  into the hand  of thy servant:  and now shall I die  for thirst,  and fall  into the hand  of the uncircumcised? 

What does Judges 15:18 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 15:9-20 - Mighty Against The Foe
To how low a depth had the men of Judah descended, that they should hand over their champion to their hereditary foes? The northern tribes that arose at the call of Gideon rebuked such cowardly treachery. There are things worse than defeat or death. To forfeit honor, to shirk duty, to fail in the supreme call of friendship and loyalty-these are the crimes that belittle the soul and court disgrace. What shall it profit, though we gain the whole world, if we lose our souls?
How inspiring is the thought that on us also the Spirit of the Lord may come mightily! There is no limit to his gracious and irresistible operations, save that imposed by the narrowness of our faith. Notice how the Apostle piles up his words in Ephesians 1:19. Whatever the cords of evil habits, woven through long years, and however entangling your circumstances, God's indwelling power can set you free. Yes, and that is not all: At the place where you have won your victories, there shall arise that fountain of water which is fed from the throne of God; and the soul, exhausted by its effort, shall drink and be revived. Lord, cause us so to drink! [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 15

1  Samson is denied his wife
3  He burns the Philistines' corn with foxes and firebrands
6  His wife and her father are burnt by the Philistines
8  Samson smites them hip and thigh
9  He is bound by the men of Judah, and delivered to the Philistines
14  He kills them with a jawbone
18  God makes the fountain En-hakkore for him in Lehi

What do the individual words in Judges 15:18 mean?

And he became thirsty very so he cried out to Yahweh and said You have given by the hand of Your servant - deliverance great this now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised
וַיִּצְמָא֮ מְאֹד֒ וַיִּקְרָ֤א אֶל־ יְהוָה֙ וַיֹּאמַ֔ר אַתָּה֙ נָתַ֣תָּ בְיַֽד־ עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את וְעַתָּה֙ אָמ֣וּת בַּצָּמָ֔א וְנָפַלְתִּ֖י בְּיַ֥ד ؟ הָעֲרֵלִֽים

וַיִּצְמָא֮  And  he  became  thirsty 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: צָמֵא  
Sense: (Qal) to be thirsty.
מְאֹד֒  very 
Parse: Adverb
Root: מְאֹד  
Sense: exceedingly, much subst.
וַיִּקְרָ֤א  so  he  cried  out 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וַיֹּאמַ֔ר  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
נָתַ֣תָּ  have  given 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
בְיַֽד־  by  the  hand 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
עַבְדְּךָ֔  of  Your  servant 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: עֶבֶד  
Sense: slave, servant.
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.
הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה  deliverance 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: תְּשׁוּעָה  
Sense: salvation, deliverance.
הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה  great 
Parse: Article, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
הַזֹּ֑את  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
וְעַתָּה֙  now 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: עַתָּה  
Sense: now.
אָמ֣וּת  shall  I  die 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
בַּצָּמָ֔א  of  thirst 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: צָמָא  
Sense: thirst.
וְנָפַלְתִּ֖י  and  fall 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
בְּיַ֥ד  into  the  hand 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
؟ הָעֲרֵלִֽים  of  the  uncircumcised 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine plural
Root: עָרֵל  
Sense: uncircumcised, having foreskin.