Judges 14:14 - Forerunner Commentary

Judges 14:14

12 Then Samson said to them, “Let me ^apose a riddle to you. If you can correctly solve and explain it to me ^bwithin the seven days of the feast, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty ^cchanges of clothing.

13 But if you cannot explain it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.” And they said to him, ^a“Pose your riddle, that we may hear it.”

14 So he said to them:
“Out of the eater came something to eat,
And out of the strong came something sweet.” Now for three days they could not explain the riddle.

15 But it came to pass on the¹ seventh day that they said to Samson’s wife, ^a“Entice your husband, that he may explain the riddle to us, ^bor else we will burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you invited us in order to take what is ours? Is that not so?”

16 Then Samson’s wife wept on him, and said, ^a“You only hate me! You do not love me! You have posed a riddle to the sons of my people, but you have not explained it to me.” And he said to her, “Look, I have not explained it to my father or my mother; so should I explain it to you?”

17 Now she had wept on him the seven days while their feast lasted. And it happened on the seventh day that he told her, because she pressed him so much. Then she explained the riddle to the sons of her people.

Verse Comparison: Judges 14:14

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American Standard Version
And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth food, And out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days declare the riddle.

Amplified® Bible
And he said to them, Out of the eater came forth food, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not solve the riddle in three days.

Contemporary English Version
Samson said: Once so strong and mighty-- now so sweet and tasty! Three days went by, and the Philistine young men had not come up with the right answer.

Darby English Version
And he said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet." And they could not in three days tell what the riddle was.

Good News Bible
He said, "Out of the eater came something to eat; Out of the strong came something sweet." Three days later they had still not figured out what the riddle meant.

King James Version
And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.

New American Standard Bible
So he said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet. But they could not tell the riddle in three days."

New International Version
He replied,
"Out of the eater, something to eat;
out of the strong, something sweet."
For three days they could not give the answer.

New King James Version
So he said to them:
“Out of the eater came something to eat,
And out of the strong came something sweet.” Now for three days they could not explain the riddle.

N.A.S.B. in E-Prime
So he said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet." But they could not tell the riddle in three days.

Revised Standard Version
And he said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet." And they could not in three days tell what the riddle was.

Young's Literal Translation
And he saith to them: `Out of the eater came forth meat, And out of the strong came forth sweetness;' and they were not able to declare the riddle `in' three days.

New English Translation
He said to them, “Out of the one who eats came something to eat; out of the strong one came something sweet.” They could not solve the riddle for three days.

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