3 Then his father and his mother ſaid unto him, 1s there never a woman among the daughters of thy bre- thren, or among all my people, that thou goeſt to take a wife of the uncircumciſed Philiſtines c ? and Samſon ſaid unto his father, Get her for me d; for
Heb. :e | the pleaſeth mie well e. 7 f c With whom the 1/raelites were forbidden to Marry, Exod. 34. 12, ©&c. And although the Philiſlines were not Canaamres 1n their Original, Gen. 16, 14+ Deut. 2+ 23. yet they were fo in their habira-
2nd a meat-offering at our hznds, neither have thewed us all theſe :hjngs, nor would as uch things as thele.
* Heb.
II. Z2.
is rigrtt in mine Eyes,
Keepeth a marriage.
by Bees, was wholly conſumed, and nothing was left but the Bon:
7 Not generated of the dead Lions Body, but elſewhere, nd Grking
themſelves there, as they have ſometimes done in a Mans Sku}
and 1n a Sepulchre, and 1uch Jike places. 4 9 And he took thereof in his hands o, and went on
eating, and came to his father and mother p, and he
gave them, and they did eat : but he told not them that
he had taken the honey out of the carcaſe of the lion.
0 Out of the Lions Carcaſe. Queſ?. Did not Samſon tranſgreſs in touching a Carcaſe ? Anſwer, It was in it ſelf a legal pollution : bur ſome ſuch pollutions were involuntary and unavoidable, as in one tat hath an Ifſue running in his fleep ; and ſome were neceſſary Duttes,as in thoſe who were to attend upon a Woman in her Month or upon the burial of a dead Body. And ſuch was this pollution, being contrafted by Divine Inſtin& and DireQion, and in order to Gods honour, and therefore diſpenſed with by the Author of that Law, and required by him for his Services p From whom he had turned aſide tor a ſeaſon, v. 8. upon ſome pretence or other.
10 Q So his father went down unto the woman, and Samſon made there a feaſt ; for fo uſed the young men to do.
ir And itcame to paſs when they ſaw him 9, that they brought thirty companions to be with him 7.
q Or, obſerved or conſidered b/m, his Stature , and Strength, and Countenance.and Carriage, which were extraordinary. »r Partly in compliance with the Cuſtom cf having Bride-men ; of which ſee Matth, g. 15+ Mark 2, 19. Joh. 3. 29. though they were not ſo nu- merous ; and principally by way of Caution, and as a Guard put upon him under a pretence of Reſpe& and AffeCtion.
12 & And Samſon ſaid unto them, I will now put forth a riddle s unto you : if ye can certainly declare it me within the ſeven days of the feaſt :, and find i: out, then I will give you thirty || change of garments x.
5 (7.6. ) An obſcure Sentence for you to reſolve and explain.
# For ſo long Marriage-Feaſts laſted. See Gen. 29. 27, « Fine Linen-Cioathes, which were uſed for many purpoſes 1n thoſe parts; See Matth, 27. 59. Mark 14. 51. x (i.e. ) Changeable Suits of Ap- parel, as below, ws 19, and Gen. 45. 22,
13 Butif ye cannet declare i: me, then ſhall ye give me thirty ſheets, and thirty change of garments. And
they ſaid unto him, Put forth thy riddle that we may hear it.
14 And he ſaid unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the ſtrong came forth ſweet- _ Y. And they could net in theſe days expound the riddle.
/ 7: e- Out of that ſtrong and devouring Creature, the Lion, came forth ſweer Meat ; to wit, Honey ; withal it is covertly implied, thar the Philiſtines, though now they had Strength on their ſide, and Cominion over 1rael, whom they did devour upon all occaſions, yer at laſt they ſhould become Meat to the 1/raelites.
Is And it came to paſs on the ſeventh day z, that they ſaid unto Samſons wife, Entice thy husband, that
he may declare unto us the riddle, leſt we burn thee
ſheets #, and thirty |Or, fi
tion, - and concurrence with them in Wickednels, and therefore weie liable-to the fame Cenſures and Judgments with them. 4 This ation of Samſons, though againſt common Rules, ſeems to be war- ranted partly by the greatneſsand goodneſs of his Deſign in it; and principally by the inſtin& and dire&ion of God, which is mentio- ned in the following words, which was known to Samſon, but not to his Parents. e Not fo much for her Beauty, as for the Deſign mentioned in the next Verſe. _ * 1 Kino But his father and his mother * knew not that ;: 12.15. © was of the LORD, that he ſought an occaſion againſt 2 Chron. the Philiſtines f : for at thar time the Philiſtines had 10:15: dominion Over [frac]. | and 22.7. f Which he knew by very probable ConjcEure, if not by particu- and2$5-22e 1, Inſpiration, thar Marriage would give him many Way. : 5 Then went Samſon down, and his father and his mother s to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of + Heb: i» Timnath b: and behold, a young lion roared Ffagainſt meeting him. R _ g Who accompanied him, either becauſe they were now ac- quainted with his Dcſign ; or, to order the Circumſtances of that Atticn which they ſaw he was fet upon : or, to watch if they could find any. occaſion to take him off from his intention. þ Whither he had turned alide either by a Divine impulſe, or upon ſome real or pretended Occaſion. By 6 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him z, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid &, and he had nothing in his hand : but he tald not his fa- ther or his mother what he had done /. i Stirred up and increaſed his Courage and bodily Strength. k As ſoon and as tafely. / Leſt by their means it ſhould be publickly known; for he wiſely conſidered, thar it was not yet a fit time to awaken the Jealouſies and Fears of the Philiſtines concerning bim, as this would have done. ; 7 And he went down, and talked with the woman,
and ſhe pleaſed Samſon well. 8 © And after atime » he returned to take her: and he turned aſide to ſee the carcaſe of the lion, and
and thy fathers houſe with fire : Have ye called us ++He;
to take that we have a? 3s it not ſo? poſe u; = They had doubtleſs ſpoken to her before this time, but with 9 #tin
ſome remiſneſs, ſuppofing that they fhoule find ir out ; but now Wil
their time being nigh flipped, they preſs her with more vehemency,
_ put = _—_ a neceſſity of ſearching it out. a(7.e.) To
rip uz of our Garments: and fo your Civility will 7
Unkindnets and Injuſtice. : ME Oe 9M proſe
16 And Samfons wife wept before him, and ſaid Thou doſt but hate me, end loveſt me not: thou haſt pur forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and haſt not told ix me. And he faid unto her, Behold, I have not told ir my father, nor my mother 6, and ſhall I tell ;t thee ? :