FocusOppression and deliverance
Connection to the wholeThis opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. The deliverers' accounts develop the repeated cycle while also revealing failures among leaders and people.
interpretation Judges 14:1
KJVAnd Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.
Read it in context
Samson’s Marriage
Start reading at Judges 14:1 (Judges 14:1 to Judges 14:7).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
This opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. The deliverers' accounts develop the repeated cycle while also revealing failures among leaders and people.
- 14:1 And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.
- 14:2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.
- 14:3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.
- 14:4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.
- 14:5 Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him.
- 14:6 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.
- 14:7 And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.
Who
- Who wrote the book? Samuel is the traditional Jewish attribution. The final writer cannot be identified with certainty; Samuel's name should therefore be given as a traditional answer, not a verified signature. Historical source: Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 14b–15a (record of Jewish attribution, not contemporary proof). traditionally held
- Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Judges 13:1–16:31): Samson, his parents, the women named in his story, and the Philistines are the principal human participants in these episodes. stated in the text
- Who was the book written to? Israel, looking back on the period between Joshua and the monarchy. The repeated notice that Israel had no king addresses readers for whom that earlier situation needed explanation. Biblical references: Judges 17:6; Judges 21:25. book background
What
- What is the topic of this reading unit? Samson’s Marriage. Read Judges 14:1 through Judges 14:7 as a connected unit. interpretation
- How does it contribute to the book? This opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. The deliverers' accounts develop the repeated cycle while also revealing failures among leaders and people. interpretation
When
- When are the events or message set? The opening follows Joshua's death. The accounts cover the period before kingship, but the book does not supply a single modern calendar date for every episode. book background
Where
- What is the book’s geographic setting? The episodes move among Israel's tribal territories and surrounding peoples. A location in one judge's account should not be assigned to another without textual support. book background
- Where does the context start? This passage sits in Samson’s Marriage (Judges 14:1 to Judges 14:7). Start reading at Judges 14:1. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
- How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? Acts 13 recalls the judges as part of Israel's history before moving to David and the promised Saviour, Jesus. This historical connection does not make every judge's conduct exemplary. See Acts 13:20, Acts 13:22, Acts 13:23. interpretation
- How should this book guide our response? Recognize the danger of recurring unfaithfulness and self-directed conduct. Distinguish the LORD's deliverance from a deliverer's sins, and do not treat a vow or violent act as approved merely because it is narrated. interpretation
Cited: Judges 14:1, Judges 14:7, Acts 13:20, Acts 13:22, Acts 13:23
Who wrote it, and how we know
Samuel (traditional)
From early tradition
What Scripture saysThe book does not name its author.
Early traditionJewish tradition (Baba Bathra 14b) names Samuel.
What is debatedAuthorship is not stated in Scripture and cannot be confirmed. The repeated note that there was no king in Israel suggests a writer during the monarchy.
Related passages
- Timnath Gen 38:12-13 Josh 15:10 Josh 19:43
- aw Gen 6:2 Gen 34:1-2 2 Sam 11:2 Job 31:1 Ps 119:37 1 John 2:16
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Judges 14
Judges describes Israel after Joshua, including repeated apostasy and deliverance. It does not name its author. Narrated violence, vows, and misconduct are not endorsements merely because they appear in the account. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Judges 2:10 Judges 2:16 Judges 21:25
Samson’s Riddle
Judges 14:8–20FocusOppression and deliverance
Connection to the wholeThis unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. The deliverers' accounts develop the repeated cycle while also revealing failures among leaders and people.
interpretation Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Judges
Judges describes Israel after Joshua, including repeated apostasy and deliverance. It does not name its author. Narrated violence, vows, and misconduct are not endorsements merely because they appear in the account.
Judges 2:10 Judges 2:16 Judges 21:25
The situation after Joshua
Judges 1:1–3:6FocusIncomplete obedience and recurring apostasy
Connection to the wholeThe opening explains the conditions and recurring pattern that frame the accounts of the judges.
interpretation FocusOppression and deliverance
Connection to the wholeThe deliverers' accounts develop the repeated cycle while also revealing failures among leaders and people.
interpretation Disorder within Israel
Judges 17:1–21:25FocusCorrupted worship and communal violence
Connection to the wholeThe closing accounts expose religious and social disorder, repeatedly drawing attention to the absence of a king and self-directed conduct.
interpretation Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.