Judges 15 6

Judges 15:6 kjv

Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they answered, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.

Judges 15:6 nkjv

Then the Philistines said, "Who has done this?" And they answered, "Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion." So the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire.

Judges 15:6 niv

When the Philistines asked, "Who did this?" they were told, "Samson, the Timnite's son-in-law, because his wife was given to his companion." So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death.

Judges 15:6 esv

Then the Philistines said, "Who has done this?" And they said, "Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion." And the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire.

Judges 15:6 nlt

"Who did this?" the Philistines demanded. "Samson," was the reply, "because his father-in-law from Timnah gave Samson's wife to be married to his best man." So the Philistines went and got the woman and her father and burned them to death.

Judges 15 verses

Judges 15 6 Meaning

Judges 15:6 reveals the Philistines' investigation into the cause of their devastating agricultural losses. It records their query, "Who has done this?" and the subsequent identification of Samson, specifically through his relation as "son-in-law of the Timnite," as the one responsible. The verse precisely attributes Samson's destructive act to the Timnite father's breach of covenant: taking Samson's wife and giving her to his companion, thereby revealing the immediate provocation behind Samson's extreme retaliation against the Philistines' livelihood.

Judges 15 6 Context

Judges chapter 15 directly follows Samson's ill-fated marriage to a Philistine woman from Timnah. Samson, having left his wedding feast prematurely due to his wife's betrayal in revealing the riddle, returned home (Judg 14:19). Upon his return during the wheat harvest, he expected to reclaim his wife (Judg 15:1). However, her father, assuming Samson would not return, had given her to Samson's best man or "companion" (Judg 14:20). This act of profound disrespect and contractual breach ignited Samson's fury, leading him to capture 300 foxes, tie them in pairs with torches, and release them into the standing grain of the Philistines, burning their fields, vineyards, and olive groves (Judg 15:4-5). Verse 6 marks the Philistines' immediate reaction to this economic devastation, seeking to understand its source. Their inquiry and the ensuing revelation set the stage for their counter-retaliation (the burning of Samson's wife and her father, described immediately after this verse). The verse underscores the escalating cycle of violence and the breakdown of relationships between Israel and the Philistines, fueled by personal betrayal and collective retribution, all against the backdrop of divine purpose.

Judges 15 6 Word analysis

• Then the Philistines (וַיֹּאמְרוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים, vayyomeru pelištîm): The Philistines (pelištîm) were the dominant oppressors of Israel during Samson's time, controlling their land and even prohibiting them from forging weapons (Jdg 13:1, 1 Sam 13:19). Their immediate communal inquiry shows their organized, albeit punitive, reaction to significant economic damage.
• said (וַיֹּאמְרוּ, vayyomeru): A common Hebrew verb, signifying direct, communal communication or deliberation following the devastating incident. It highlights the collective shock and demand for answers.
• "Who has done this?" (מִי עָשָׂה זֹאת, mî ‘āśâ zō’t): A question of inquiry, demanding accountability. It's not a general question but targets the specific, identifiable agent of the recent destruction, showcasing the severity of the damage that necessitated an immediate investigation.
• And they answered, (וַיֹּאמְרוּ, vayyomeru): The repetition of the verb suggests either other Philistines providing the information, or the community agreeing on the culprit after discussion. This signifies that the perpetrator was known within the local community, likely due to Samson's known conflict with the Timnite father and his violent reputation.
• "Samson, (שִׁמְשׁוֹן, Shimshon): His name, derived from shemesh (sun), alludes to either his bright destiny or the solar deity associated with Timnah. Samson himself becomes a powerful, almost sun-like force of destructive nature in this instance, fulfilling his Nazirite vow in unexpected and violent ways to start Israel's deliverance from the Philistines.
• the son-in-law (חֲתַן, ḥatan): The term for son-in-law or groom, specifically tying Samson to the Timnite through marriage, which was a contractual and familial bond. This highlights the broken covenant as the core provocation.
• of the Timnite, (הַתִּמְנִי, ha-Timni): Refers to the father from Timnah. Timnah was a Philistine city, on the border of Judah's inheritance. The relationship was problematic from the start (Jdg 14:1-3) and this identification underscores the specific family, and therefore the specific city, linked to the unfolding conflict.
• because he took his wife (כִּי לָקַח אֶת־אִשְׁתּוֹ, kî lāqaḥ ’eṯ-išhtō): "His wife" indicates her legal status remained tied to Samson despite the father's actions. The phrase emphasizes the grave offense: taking a man's wife, a sacred marital bond. It was an insult not only to Samson but also to established societal norms regarding marriage and fidelity, even across ethnic lines.
• and gave her to his companion." (וַיִּתְּנָהּ לְמֵרֵעֵהוּ, vayyiṯtəna lah ləmēre‘ēhū): The Hebrew merēa' refers to a close friend or associate, in this context likely the best man or a groomsman. This specific act of re-marrying Samson's wife to his own friend (often present at the wedding itself) compounded the offense and insult, turning a domestic slight into a profound act of public humiliation and legal breach, directly provoking Samson's outrage.

Judges 15 6 Bonus section

The communal "who has done this?" reflects ancient customs where such large-scale damage would require immediate community arbitration or, as here, swift retribution. The information chain within the Philistine community regarding the marital dispute highlights the close-knit nature of towns and how personal feuds could quickly become widely known. This also implicitly shows the father's attempt to erase Samson's claim by marrying off his daughter, misjudging Samson's temper and divine calling. The Philistine's reasoning, tracing the destruction back to a marital dispute, signifies a polemic against the instability and violence arising from their lax regard for covenants compared to Mosaic Law's stricter standards regarding marriage and justice, even though Samson himself acts outside of ideal adherence.

Judges 15 6 Commentary

Judges 15:6 serves as a pivotal explanation for the Philistines’ understanding of the devastation wrought by Samson. It reveals that the motivation for Samson's fiery rampage was not an arbitrary attack, but a deeply personal vendetta against the Timnite father who unjustly deprived him of his lawful wife and married her off to another, a 'companion.' This specific revelation informs the Philistines’ subsequent vengeful action (burning the woman and her father in the next part of the verse), showing that they comprehended the immediate, localized cause of Samson's anger. The verse highlights the escalation of the conflict from a personal marital slight to widespread economic destruction, thereby widening the gap between Samson and the Philistines, preparing the ground for future confrontations and ultimately for Samson's divinely appointed task of delivering Israel. While Samson's acts are driven by personal passion, the overarching narrative presents them as instruments in God's plan to begin Israel's liberation from Philistine oppression. It underscores the severity of broken marital covenants and the societal repercussions that extend beyond individual parties.