b Though I have had much more Experience and 'Taciturnity, than of thine,
17 Andſhewept before him || the ſeven days, while the ſ Or, h feaſt laſted & : and it came to paſs on the ſeventh day, ri that he told her, becauſe ſhe lay ſore upon him: and", ſhe told the riddle tothe children of her people. __
e (7. e- ) On therelidue of the ſeven days; towity after thethird day. Iris a familiar Synecdoche. Or, on the ſeventh of 1he days, on which the Faſt was: And then the following Clauſe, on the ſeventh day, is only the Noun repeated for the Pronoun, on that day ; as is moſt frequent, as 1 King. 8. 1. Solomen aſſembled unto Solomon 7, e. unto himſelf. f
18 And the men of the city ſaid unto him on the ſeventh day before the ſun went down, What is ſweeter than honey, and what 3s ſtronger than a lion ? And he ſaid unto them, If ye had not plowed with my hei- | fer 4, ye had not found out my riddle, ]
a If you had not employed my Wife to find it out, as Men plough up the ground with an Heiter, thereby diſcovering its hid- den parts ; he calls her Heifer, either, becauſe he now ſuſpeRed her wantonneſs and too much familiarity with that Friend which ſhe | afterwards married ; or, becauſe ſhe was joyned with him in the ſame Yoke; or, rather, becauſe they uſed ſuch in Ploughing.
of their Fidelity
beho!d, ns was a\ſwarm of bees », and honey in the} 19 <4 And the Spirit of the LORD came upon
carcaſe of the lion. him e, and he went down to Aſh "I | 1 Heb. after days; i. e. Either afrer ſome days: or, rather, after ty men of them, a nd EE { _w_ _—_ thir 1 Os;
a year, as that word off ſignifies ; as Exod. 13. 16, Levite 25. 29. | 9 IF jj POV, and gave appart, |
change
Numb. 9. 22. Judg, 17. 10, I Sams Is 3. and 27. 7. when the Fleſh
"Chap. XV. : change of garments g unto them which expounded the riddle, and his anger was kindled þ, and he went up #
to bis fathers houſe. : | e Though he had a conſtant habit of eminent Strength and Cou- rage; yer that was exceedingly increaſed upon ſpecial occaſions, by the extraordinary influences of Gods Spirit. f Either to the Ter- ritory, which oft comes under the name of rhe City ; Or to the Ciry it ſelf, where he had both Strength and Courage enough to attempt what here follows ; and upon the doing hereof they were doubtleſs firuck with ſuch a Terrour, that every one fought only to preſerve himſelf, and none durſt:oppoſe or purſue him. g To- gether with their Sheers or Shirts, which it ſufficed to imply here, bing expreſſed above. v. 13- b For the Treachery of his Wife and Companions. # To wit, alone, or without his Wife. 20 But Samfſons wife was gives & to his companion,
whom he had uſed as his friend 7.
k By her father. / (1.e.) To the chief of the Bride-men, to
avhom he had ſhewed moſt Reſpe& and Kindneſs. Ci AF. a6 Samſon deſireth to wifi: his wife : is denied her : wherefore he tieth fire-
brands to three hundred foxes tails, and ſets the corn-on fire, I — 5.
For which they burn his wife and her father, 6. Samſons revenge, 7, 8-
The Philiſtines pitch in Judah and demand Samſon ; the men of Judah
bind and deliver him, 9 ——= 13. He breaketh his bonds and fayeth
one thouſand Philiftines with the jaw-bone of an aſs, 14 —==17, He? is
# thirft : prays: obtains water out of it, 18 —=-20, _ ;
Ur it came to paſs within a while atter, in the time
of wheat harveſt a, that Samſon viſited his wife
with a kid : and he ſaid, T will goin to my wife into
the chamber b. But her father would not ſuffer him to go 1n.
s Which Circumſtance is noted as the proper ſeaſon for the fol- lowing Exploit. 6 Jato her proper Chamber, which Womea had diſtin& and ſeparate from the Mens. _ :
2 And her father faid, I verily thought that thou hadſt utterly hated her c, therefore I gave her to thy companion : « not her younger ſiſter fairer than ſhe ? + take her, I pray thee, inſtead of her,
c Becauſe thou didſt deſert her in great Wrath : But this was not ſafficienc cauſe; for he ſhou!d have endeavoured a reconciliation, or waited for it: and not have diſpoſed of another Mans Wite withour his conſent : which is not only againſt the Law of God,
but of Natur - alſo. : - «4 And Samſon ſaid concerning them, || Now ſhall
T be more blameleſs than the Philiſtines, though I do them a diſpleaſure d, :
d Becauſe they have firſt provoked me by an irreparable Injury: Bur although this may look like an aft of private Revenge ; yer it 1s plain enough, that Samſon ated as3 judge (for ſo he was) and as an Avenger of the publick Injuries and Oppreffions of his people ; as plainiy appears from hence, that Samſon deſigned this very thing before he had received any perſonal Injury, Judg 14: 4+
4 And Samſon went and caught chree hundred foxes e, and took || fire-brands f, and turned tail to tail, and
ut a fire-brand in the midſt between two tails g.
e Of which cthzre were great numbers in Canaav, as appears from Neb 4: 3s Pal. 62: 11; Cant. 2: 15: Lam, 5; 18: Ezek. 13: 4+ Sothat divers places there h:ve their Names from the Foxes which aboun- ded there ; as Joſh. 15: 28: and 19; 42: 1 Sam. 13: 17. Add to this, that ſome learned Men conceive rhat rhe Hebrew Name Schual is more general, and containsnot only the Foxes, but another ſort of Crearure very like to them, cailed Thoes, whereof there were ſo many tnece,thac ſomerimes 209 of them have been met together in one Company ; as ſome who have lived in thoſe parts have lefr up- onRecord: Bur Infidels are much ſcandalized at this Hiſtory, and pretend it incredible that Samſon ſhould catch ſo many Foxes t1= gether; ſo nice and delicate is the Faith of theſe Men in rhings concerning God and Scriprure, that can devour. things ten t:mes more difficulr and ab'urd, concerning the produGtionof the World, and of M-n, ©&«c. Bur there is no cauſe of wonder here, f:r any Man thar is coilerabiy wiſe ; for it is .not ſaid thar Samſon caught
' them all, eitherar one time, or by his own hands : for veing fo E-
Ir, ſrt
+ Hebs Lit her be thine,
f Or, Now ſoall I be blameleſs, from the Philiſtines, though,&C
| Or,
Torchese
He ſe] w; WALL ri