Judges 16:15 kjv
And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.
Judges 16:15 nkjv
Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great strength lies."
Judges 16:15 niv
Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when you won't confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven't told me the secret of your great strength."
Judges 16:15 esv
And she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me where your great strength lies."
Judges 16:15 nlt
Then Delilah pouted, "How can you tell me, 'I love you,' when you don't share your secrets with me? You've made fun of me three times now, and you still haven't told me what makes you so strong!"
Judges 16 15 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Prov 23:7 | For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he... | Inner thoughts reveal true character |
| Matt 15:8 | This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. | Heart condition, lip service vs. true devotion |
| Jer 17:9 | The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? | Deceitfulness of the human heart |
| Hos 10:2 | Their heart is divided; now shall they be found faulty... | Divided heart, spiritual unfaithfulness |
| Psa 78:36 | Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. | Deceitful words and actions |
| Psa 78:37 | For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant. | Lack of true commitment |
| 1 Sam 16:7 | ...for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. | God judges the heart, not just appearance |
| 1 Ki 11:4 | ...his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God... | Heart turning away from God |
| Jam 1:8 | A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. | Instability due to a divided mind |
| Gen 2:24 | Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. | Marital unity, "one heart" implication |
| 1 Sam 2:30 | ...for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. | Honoring God (Nazirite vow context) |
| Num 6:1-21 | Laws of the Nazirite vow | Context of Samson's commitment to God |
| Judg 14:16 | And Samson’s wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not... | Echoes of earlier marital pressure |
| Judg 14:17 | And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her... | Repeated emotional manipulation |
| Judg 16:6 | Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth... | Delilah's initial request |
| Prov 7:21 | With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. | Power of seductive words |
| Prov 7:26 | For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. | Warning against seductresses |
| Prov 5:3-5 | For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter... | Destructive nature of illicit relationships |
| 2 Tim 3:6 | For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, | Deceivers preying on weaknesses |
| Eph 5:11 | And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. | Avoiding association with deceit |
| Phil 2:3 | Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. | Selflessness versus Samson's self-indulgence |
Judges 16 verses
Judges 16 15 Meaning
Judges 16:15 records Delilah's accusatory and manipulative plea to Samson, challenging his declaration of love by highlighting his repeated deception regarding the secret of his immense strength. She implies that his heart, or true inner self, is not devoted to her, accusing him of mockery because he has misled her three times concerning his source of power. This persistent questioning reveals her determined effort to extract his secret for the Philistines, pressing him through emotional blackmail and a simulated wounded heart.
Judges 16 15 Context
Judges chapter 16 depicts the tragic culmination of Samson's downfall. After his escapades in Gaza, he falls for Delilah in the Valley of Sorek. Delilah, paid by the Philistine lords, persistently tries to discover the secret of his superhuman strength. Verses 6-14 detail her three previous attempts to elicit the truth from Samson, each met with a lie from him (fresh bowstrings, new ropes, weaving his hair into a loom). Each time, she tested his deception, and he barely escaped. This verse (16:15) captures her climactic psychological assault after these three failed attempts, as she escalates her emotional manipulation by weaponizing his words of "love" against him, seeking to wear down his resistance. Historically, this period reflects the cycle of apostasy and oppression in Israel, where personal failings of leaders like Samson led to further subjugation by enemies, contrasting with earlier, more devout judges.
Judges 16 15 Word analysis
- And she said unto him,: Establishes Delilah as the aggressor in this verbal exchange. It's a calculated move to pressure Samson further.
- How canst thou say,: (Hebrew: ’Êḵ yomer) This is a rhetorical question designed not to seek information, but to accuse and exert emotional pressure. It implies disbelief and a challenge to his sincerity.
- I love thee,: (Hebrew: ’ăhabṯîḵā) Delilah is quoting Samson's own supposed profession of love, or at least a term of endearment he used. She uses his own words to entrap him, weaponizing his verbal declarations against his actions.
- when thine heart is not with me?: (Hebrew: wəlibəḵā ’ênennî ’immādî) heart (leb): In biblical Hebrew, leb often refers not just to emotion, but to the entire inner person—the mind, will, intention, and core being. It's the seat of thought, affection, purpose, and moral character. This phrase indicates a complete lack of shared intent or true allegiance. Delilah accuses him of profound insincerity; his inner self, his deepest convictions and purposes, are not aligned with her, as evidenced by his withholding the truth. It suggests a covenantal sense of fidelity.
- thou hast mocked me: (Hebrew: hithallaltā bî) hithallaltā (Hithpael of halal): Means "you have mocked," "tricked," "trifled with," "deceived," or even "made sport of me." The Hithpael form emphasizes a reflexive or intensive action, meaning he repeatedly made a fool of her, or he showed himself to be one who makes a mockery of things. This accusation expresses deep insult and perceived humiliation. This word highlights Delilah's sense of personal affront and strengthens her claim that his "love" is empty.
- these three times,: A precise number emphasizes a pattern of deceit, not an isolated incident. Biblically, "three" often signifies completion, intensity, or a significant trial/testing. For Delilah, it implies his lies are consistent and deliberate, leaving no room for excuses.
- and hast not told me: A clear statement of his refusal to share his secret, despite her repeated attempts and implied emotional suffering. It reiterates his defiance of her "love-based" demands.
- wherein thy great strength lieth. This reveals her unchanging, ultimate objective: to extract the exact nature and secret of his power. This detail underscores her role as a mercenary driven by the Philistine lords.
Judges 16 15 Bonus section
Samson's pattern of falling for manipulative women (Judges 14:16-17 with his first wife) suggests a deeper character flaw of spiritual blindness and susceptibility to lust, making him highly vulnerable to Delilah's tactics. This repetition indicates a lack of learning from past mistakes. The term "heart" (lev) not being "with me" echoes covenant language (e.g., God's heart being with His people) and implies a complete breach of loyalty, which Delilah leverages effectively. Her persistence here signifies the sustained temptation Samson faced, mirroring how sin often pressures and besieges the believer until a point of compromise.
Judges 16 15 Commentary
Judges 16:15 marks the point of psychological culmination in Delilah's assault on Samson. She skillfully uses emotional blackmail, challenging the authenticity of his professed love by highlighting his repeated deception regarding the secret of his strength. Her rhetorical "How canst thou say..." is not a genuine query but a potent accusation designed to manipulate his ego and desire to maintain the illusion of affection. By linking his unwillingness to reveal the secret directly to a lack of genuine "heart," she exploits the biblical understanding of leb as the core of one's being, thereby suggesting he is fundamentally untrue to her. Samson's consistent failure to tell the truth, already tested "three times," portrays his incredible spiritual dullness and his dangerous weakness for lust and flattery over his divine calling and integrity. This verse encapsulates Delilah's relentless, targeted pressure, which ultimately chipped away at Samson's willpower until his secret, and consequently his anointing, was lost.