Judges 14:1 kjv
And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.
Judges 14:1 nkjv
Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines.
Judges 14:1 niv
Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman.
Judges 14:1 esv
Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines.
Judges 14:1 nlt
One day when Samson was in Timnah, one of the Philistine women caught his eye.
Judges 14 1 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 3:6 | "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food..." | Visual desire leading to transgression |
| Gen 6:2 | "the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive..." | Marrying based on sight, leading to corruption |
| Gen 13:10 | "Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well-watered..." | Choosing by sight, not discernment |
| Gen 24:3-4 | "you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites" | Abraham's command against foreign wives |
| Gen 26:34-35 | "When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives..." | Esau's marriage to Hittite women grieved parents |
| Exod 34:15-16 | "You shall not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land..." | Command against intermarriage with idolaters |
| Num 25:1-3 | "the people began to prostitute themselves with the daughters of Moab." | Sexual sin and intermarriage with foreigners |
| Deut 7:3-4 | "You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters..." | Clear prohibition on intermarriage |
| Deut 17:17 | "nor shall he acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away..." | Kings warned against multiplying wives |
| Josh 15:10 | "the boundary went from Baalah westward to Mount Seir..." | Timnah's location in the Philistine border |
| Josh 23:12-13 | "if you turn aside and cling to the remnant of these nations..." | Consequences of disobeying intermarriage law |
| Judg 3:5-6 | "So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites...and took their daughters..." | Israel's repeated sin of intermarriage |
| Judg 13:5 | "for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb..." | Samson's divinely appointed mission and vow |
| Judg 14:3 | "Then his father and mother said to him, 'Is there no woman...?'" | Parents' opposition to Samson's choice |
| Judg 14:4 | "His father and mother did not know that this was from the LORD..." | God working through Samson's choices |
| 1 Kgs 11:1-4 | "King Solomon loved many foreign women..." | Solomon's downfall due to foreign wives |
| Neh 13:23-27 | "In those days I also saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod..." | Nehemiah's strong condemnation of intermarriage |
| Prov 4:23 | "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." | The importance of guarding one's inner desires |
| Prov 27:20 | "Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and never satisfied are the eyes of man." | Insatiable desire, especially seen through the eyes |
| Isa 5:21 | "Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes..." | Danger of self-reliance in judgment |
| Jer 17:9-10 | "The heart is deceitful above all things..." | Human heart's propensity for evil |
| Matt 5:28 | "everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already..." | Lust beginning with a glance |
| 2 Cor 6:14 | "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers." | New Testament principle against unequal yokes |
| Jas 1:14-15 | "each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire." | Desire as the root of sin |
| 1 Jn 2:16 | "For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes..." | The lust of the eyes as a worldly desire |
Judges 14 verses
Judges 14 1 Meaning
Judges 14:1 introduces Samson, the Nazarite judge, descending from his home in Zorah to Timnah, a Philistine city. There, he observed a Philistine woman who captured his desire, setting in motion a series of events marked by his personal choices that ran contrary to God's law regarding intermarriage with foreign nations, yet providentially served God's broader purpose in confronting the Philistines. This verse highlights Samson's initial focus on personal gratification over covenant obedience.
Judges 14 1 Context
Judges 14:1 follows Samson's miraculous birth and early life (Judges 13), establishing him as a Nazarite dedicated to God for the specific purpose of beginning to deliver Israel from Philistine oppression. His physical strength is a gift from God. This verse immediately plunges Samson into the conflict of his personal desires versus his divine calling and the explicit laws of God. At this time, Israel was under Philistine dominion for forty years, making Samson's interactions with them highly significant. Timnah was a Philistine city, demonstrating Samson's willingness to enter enemy territory, initially driven by personal attraction rather than a direct strategic mission. This choice, while against the covenant, is also highlighted as being "from the Lord" (Judg 14:4), indicating God's sovereign hand working even through Samson's flawed motivations to achieve His purposes.
Judges 14 1 Word analysis
- Samson: The Hebrew name שִׁמְשׁוֹן (Shimshon) means "sun-like" or "little sun." It may relate to strength or a fiery temperament, echoing his powerful deeds and later consuming passions. Given by the angel, his name sets him apart for a divine purpose.
- went down: The Hebrew יֵרֶד (yered) literally means "descended," as Timnah was geographically lower than his home city, Zorah. This "descent" also carries spiritual and moral connotations, signaling a lowering of standards or a departure from his Nazarite purity and God's clear path. It signifies a deliberate action.
- to Timnah: תִּמְנָתָה (Timnatah) was a Philistine town or one under Philistine control during this period. It was strategically located in the Shephelah, a fertile lowlands area between the central hill country of Judah and the Philistine plain. Entering this town represented a deliberate movement into foreign and hostile territory, particularly problematic for a judge tasked with delivering Israel from their oppressors.
- and saw: וַיַּרְא (vayyar) – The Hebrew emphasizes direct visual perception, the first step towards desire and covetousness. It wasn't a passive encounter but an active observation that engaged Samson's affections, highlighting the power of sight in shaping choices. This initial visual desire often precedes actions contrary to divine instruction.
- there: שָׁם (sham) – This seemingly simple word emphasizes that Samson sought out this interaction. He "went down" and "there" his attention was fixed, implying a localized intent in his journey and not just a casual sighting on the road.
- a Philistine woman: אִשָּׁה פְּלִשְׁתִּית (ishshah Plishtit) – This phrase is key. The Philistines were the primary oppressors of Israel at this time, and God's law explicitly forbade intermarriage with foreign, idolatrous peoples to prevent spiritual assimilation and the abandonment of Yahweh worship (Deut 7:3-4). Samson's desire for this woman signifies a clear disregard for covenant law and a pursuit of personal desire over his God-given calling.
Judges 14 1 Bonus section
- Samson's "seeing" a woman and desiring her establishes a recurring pattern in his narrative (cf. Judges 16:1 for Delilah). This theme underscores how his physical sight became a significant weakness that led him into compromised positions.
- The fact that he "went down" suggests a purposeful journey. Samson did not accidentally stumble upon this woman; he deliberately entered Philistine territory, hinting at an attraction or curiosity toward the foreign lifestyle, potentially common among Israelites struggling under oppression.
- While Samson's parents' reaction in the following verses (Judg 14:3) reveals their adherence to the Law and concern for their son's choice, Samson's unwavering resolve to have this specific Philistine woman demonstrates a stubborn self-will overriding parental counsel and divine command.
- The historical context highlights the struggle for control over border regions like Timnah between Israel and the Philistines. Samson's presence there, even if driven by personal desire, subtly points to the broader conflict.
Judges 14 1 Commentary
Judges 14:1 marks the genesis of Samson's personal saga, immediately exposing his Achilles' heel: unchecked desire. His "descent" to Timnah is both a geographical shift into enemy territory and a symbolic moral step away from his Nazarite dedication. The pivotal act of "seeing" (וַיַּרְא) highlights how his eyes become a conduit for sin, paralleling other biblical narratives where visual desire leads to downfall. This particular desire for a Philistine woman stands in stark defiance of God's clear covenant prohibition against intermarriage, which was designed to preserve Israel's spiritual purity and distinctiveness. Though seemingly a personal choice driven by lust, the narrator quickly reveals a deeper, divine purpose behind Samson's actions (Judg 14:4). God, in His sovereignty, would use Samson's flawed human will and desires, even his missteps, as a catalyst to bring about His plan for Israel's deliverance from the Philistines. Thus, the verse succinctly establishes the complex interplay between human weakness and divine orchestration, setting the stage for Samson's tumultuous life as a judge marked by extraordinary strength yet profound moral compromise.