Judges 15:13 kjv
And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock.
Judges 15:13 nkjv
So they spoke to him, saying, "No, but we will tie you securely and deliver you into their hand; but we will surely not kill you." And they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.
Judges 15:13 niv
"Agreed," they answered. "We will only tie you up and hand you over to them. We will not kill you." So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock.
Judges 15:13 esv
They said to him, "No; we will only bind you and give you into their hands. We will surely not kill you." So they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.
Judges 15:13 nlt
"We will only tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines," they replied. "We won't kill you." So they tied him up with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.
Judges 15 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jdg 15:14 | And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted...and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily...cords that were upon his arms became as flax... | God empowers Samson to break bonds. |
| Jdg 16:9 | Now there were men lying in wait...she said...cords...And he brake the bands... | Samson breaking new cords. |
| Jdg 16:12 | Delilah...bound him with new ropes that had not been occupied...he brake them from off his arms like a thread. | Samson breaking more new cords. |
| Psa 2:3 | Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. | Rebellion against divine authority's "cords." |
| Isa 58:6 | Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens... | Breaking bonds of oppression. |
| Jer 5:5 | I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them...But these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds. | Rejection of divine restraint. |
| Hos 11:4 | I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love... | God's loving leading, not forceful binding. |
| Mt 27:2 | And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. | Jesus delivered bound to authorities. |
| Jn 19:16 | Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. | Pilate delivering Jesus. |
| 2 Tim 3:3-5 | ...traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God... | Characteristics of betrayers. |
| Isa 43:13 | ...there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it? | God's ultimate power and sovereignty. |
| Job 12:18 | He looseth the bond of kings, and girdeth their loins with a girdle. | God's power over human rulers and bindings. |
| Ps 33:10-11 | The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect... | God thwarts human plans. |
| Exod 6:6-7 | ...I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians... | God delivers His people from bondage. |
| Rom 8:31 | What then shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? | Divine protection against opposition. |
| Heb 10:32 | ...ye endured a great fight of afflictions; Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock... | Enduring being publicly handed over. |
| Num 30:2 | If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word... | The importance of oaths/vows, like Samson's. |
| Gen 50:20 | But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good... | God using evil intentions for good. |
| Phil 1:12 | But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel... | Imprisonment advancing God's purpose. |
| 2 Cor 4:8-9 | We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed... | Facing overwhelming odds but not defeated. |
| Ps 118:27 | God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. | Cords for a specific purpose (sacrifice). |
| Isa 28:22 | Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong... | Warning against being bound by disbelief. |
Judges 15 verses
Judges 15 13 Meaning
Judges 15:13 describes the covenant made between Samson and the fearful men of Judah. They promised not to kill Samson if he allowed them to bind him and deliver him to the Philistines. Samson agreed, and the men subsequently bound him with two new, strong cords and brought him from his hiding place on the rock, fulfilling their part of the agreed terms, before God's power would intervene.
Judges 15 13 Context
Judges 15:13 follows Samson's decisive acts of revenge against the Philistines for burning his Philistine wife and her father (Jdg 15:6-8), culminating in a great slaughter. In response, three thousand men of Judah, dwelling under Philistine dominion and fearful of further retribution, went to the rock Etam to seize Samson. Samson agreed to be delivered to the Philistines on the condition that his fellow Israelites would not kill him. This verse details their conditional agreement and immediate action, highlighting Judah's weak spiritual state and compromise, contrasted with Samson's isolation and his direct confrontation with the oppressors. The stage is set for God's supernatural intervention, which is promised implicitly through Samson's continued trust.
Judges 15 13 Word analysis
And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand:
- "They": Refers to the three thousand men of Judah. Their actions betray fear and self-preservation over national deliverance or faith in God's chosen deliverer.
- "No": Their immediate reply to Samson's query in verse 12, where he asked if they swore not to attack him. It reaffirms their agreement to his terms: they would not attack or kill him, but only deliver him to the Philistines.
- "bind thee fast": Hebrew: אָסַר (asar) - "to bind, tie, imprison"; חָזַק (chazaq) - "strong, firm." It signifies a secure and effective binding, intended to fully incapacitate him. This commitment to bind him strongly indicates their desperate effort to appease the Philistines and demonstrate their compliance.
- "deliver thee into their hand": Hebrew: נָתַן (nathan) - "to give, place, set"; יָד (yad) - "hand, power, possession." This is the crux of their betrayal, handing over one of their own to the oppressive enemy, signifying a surrender of Israelite sovereignty and trust in Philistine authority rather than God. This act parallels future deliverances of righteous individuals to hostile powers.
but surely we will not kill thee.
- "surely we will not kill thee": Hebrew: מוּת (mut) - "to die, kill." This phrase acts as a solemn promise, or a negative oath, made to Samson. It highlights a slight moral boundary they observed—they would not shed his blood themselves—while still fulfilling the more significant treachery of delivering him to death at another's hand. This also emphasizes Samson's agreement to the terms, as he implicitly trusts their promise.
And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock.
- "bound him with two new cords": Hebrew: עֲבֹתִים (avotim) - "cords, ropes, bands"; חָדָשׁ (chadash) - "new, fresh." The use of "new" cords signifies maximum strength and integrity; old ropes might have weakened. The intent was to ensure that the binding was utterly secure, preventing any escape, a stark human attempt to contain divine strength. "Two" suggests a deliberate effort to double the security, underscoring their fear and determination to keep Samson restrained.
- "brought him up from the rock": Hebrew: סֶלַע (sela) - "rock, crag." The "rock Etam" (v. 8, 11) served as Samson's strategic stronghold. Bringing him "up from" implies taking him from his secure position, moving him into the open, and thus, into the Philistines' expected reach. This literal movement symbolizes his metaphorical transition from temporary safety to the direct path of apparent captivity.
Judges 15 13 Bonus section
The seemingly contradictory position of Samson agreeing to be bound speaks to his unique confidence in the Spirit of the Lord, which empowered him (Jdg 13:25). He knew that no human restraint, no matter how carefully applied, could withstand God's strength working through him. The men of Judah’s conditional promise, "surely we will not kill thee," ironically sets the stage for God's demonstration of Samson’s invincibility; only the Philistines would attempt to kill him, but God's plan for Samson's life would ensure their attempts fail until God's designated time for his ultimate sacrifice. This episode highlights God's sovereignty, where even human sin and fear are woven into the tapestry of divine purpose for deliverance.
Judges 15 13 Commentary
Judges 15:13 encapsulates the tension and paradoxes inherent in Samson's story and the era of the Judges. The men of Judah, chosen people of God, acted out of fear of their Philistine overlords rather than faith in God or support for their appointed deliverer. Their willingness to bind and deliver Samson, their kinsman, illustrates the deep moral and spiritual decay within Israel, a profound betrayal rooted in self-preservation and political expediency. The emphasis on "two new cords" speaks to human meticulousness in binding Samson, unaware of the divine power residing within him that would soon render their efforts futile. This verse serves as the immediate setup for God's miraculous intervention, where Samson's apparent defeat turns into another dramatic victory, demonstrating that God's plan cannot be thwarted by human weakness, betrayal, or even elaborate efforts to contain His chosen instrument.