Judges 5:11

5:11 Hear ¹  the sound of those who divide the sheep ²  among the watering places;

there they tell of ³  the Lord’s victorious deeds,

the victorious deeds of his warriors ⁴  in Israel.

Then the Lord’s people went down to the city gates –

Judges 13:6

13:6 The woman went and said to her husband, “A man sent from God ⁵  came to me! He looked like God’s angelic messenger – he was very awesome. ⁶  I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name.

Judges 14:9

14:9 He scooped it up with his hands and ate it as he walked along. When he returned ⁷  to his father and mother, he offered them some and they ate it. But he did not tell them he had scooped the honey out of the lion’s carcass. ⁸ 

Judges 14:16

14:16 So Samson’s bride cried on his shoulder ⁹  and said, “You must ¹⁰  hate me; you do not love me! You told the young men ¹¹  a riddle, but you have not told me the solution.” He said to her, “Look, I have not even told my father or mother. Do you really expect me to tell you?” ¹² 

Judges 16:13

16:13 Delilah said to Samson, “Up to now you have deceived me and told me lies. Tell me how you can be subdued.” He said to her, “If you weave the seven braids of my hair ¹³  into the fabric on the loom ¹⁴  and secure it with the pin, I will become weak and be like any other man.”

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¹ tn The word “Hear” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

² tn The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain. Some translate “those who distribute the water” (HALOT 344 s.v. חצץ pi). For other options see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 246-47.

³ tn Or perhaps “repeat.”

⁴ tn See the note on the term “warriors” in v. 7.

⁵ tn Heb “The man of God.”

⁶ tn Heb “His appearance was like the appearance of the messenger of God, very awesome.”

⁷ tn Heb “went.” Samson apparently went home to his parents before going to Timnah for the marriage. Seeing and tasting the honey appears to encourage Manoah to go with his son to Timnah. Perhaps both Samson and his father viewed the honey as a good omen of future blessing. Possibly Samson considered it a symbol of sexual pleasure or an aphrodisiac. Note the use of honey imagery in Song 4:11 and 5:1.

⁸ sn Touching the carcass of a dead animal undoubtedly violated Samson’s Nazirite status. See Num 6:6.

⁹ tn Heb “on him.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “only”; or “simply.”

¹¹ tn Heb “the sons of my people.”

¹² tn Heb “Should I tell you?”

¹³ tn Heb “head” (also in the following verse). By metonymy the head is mentioned in the Hebrew text in place of the hair on it.

¹⁴ tn Heb “with the web.” For a discussion of how Delilah did this, see C. F. Burney, Judges, 381, and G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 353-54.