Judges 8:14

8:14 He captured a young man from Succoth ¹  and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for him the names of Succoth’s officials and city leaders – seventy-seven men in all. ² 

Judges 14:12

14:12 Samson said to them, “I will give you a riddle. If you really can solve it during the seven days the party lasts, ³  I will give you thirty linen robes and thirty sets ⁴  of clothes.

Judges 16:7

16:7 Samson said to her, “If they tie me up with seven fresh ⁵  bowstrings ⁶  that have not been dried, I will become weak and be just like any other man.”

Judges 16:19

16:19 She made him go to sleep on her lap ⁷  and then called a man in to shave off ⁸  the seven braids of his hair. ⁹  She made him vulnerable ¹⁰  and his strength left him.

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¹ tn Heb “from the men of Succoth.”

² tn Heb “wrote down for him the officials of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men.”

³ tn Heb “If you really can tell it to me [during] the seven days of the feast and you find [its answer].”

⁴ tn Heb “changes.”

⁵ tn Or “moist.”

⁶ tn The word refers to a bowstring, probably made from animal tendons. See Ps 11:2; Job 30:11.

⁷ tn Heb “on her knees.” The expression is probably euphemistic for sexual intercourse. See HALOT 160-61 s.v. בֶּרֶךְ.

⁸ tn Heb “she called for a man and she shaved off.” The point seems to be that Delilah acted through the instrumentality of the man. See J. A. Soggin, Judges (OTL), 254.

⁹ tn Heb “head.” By metonymy the hair of his head is meant.

¹⁰ tn Heb “She began to humiliate him.” Rather than referring to some specific insulting action on Delilah’s part after Samson’s hair was shaved off, this statement probably means that she, through the devious actions just described, began the process of Samson’s humiliation which culminates in the following verses.