EXPOSITION. Samson's father-in-law might well have CHAPTER XV. thought that Samson had forsaken his wife, Ver. 1.-Within a while-the same ex- and would never forgive her treachery. pression as that in eh. xiv. 8, rendered Possibly too he was a covetous man, and '' after a time," and in eh. xi. 4, rendered glad to get a second dower. Anyhow, his '' in process of time." In the time of wheat answer was conciliatory; but Samson was harvest-about the month of May. The not in a mood to accept excuses, or be soft- harvest, Ill! appears from ver. 5, had begun, ened by conciliation. some corn being already cut, and in shocks ; Ver. 3.-I ■hall be more blameless than the rest still standing, and, being ready to the Philistines. The phrase rather means, he cut of course extremely dry and inflam- I shall be blannel,ess (or guiltless) before thd maLl/ With a kid, as a present, intended PkilUJtines, L e. in relation to the Philistines, no doubt to make peace (Gen. xxxviiL 17). -they will have nothing to lay to my charge; His anger (eh. xiv. 19) had now passed my revenge will be a just one,-as in Numb. away, and his love for his wife had return~d. xxxii 22 : Then shall ye be guiltless before He was little prepared to find her married the Lord, am,d, before Iarael. He means that again to his friend. so grievous an 1njury as he ho.d received in Ver. 2.-IB not _her younger sister, &c. having his wife taken from him and given en. xv. 1-8.] THE BOOK OF JUDGES. 15'J
to n Philistine will justify any requitals on her and her father with fire. See eh. xiv. 15. his part. It appears from Gen. xxxviii. 24; Levit. xx. Ver. 4.-Foxea. The word here rendered 14; xxi. 9; Josh. vii. 15, 25, that burning with fox (sku'al, in Persian shagal, which is ety- fire was a judicial punishment among the mologically the same word as jackal) in- Hebrews. Possibly the Philistines, in their cludes the jackal, which is as common in fear of Samson, and perhaps also from a Palestine as the fox. Here, and in Pa. rude sense of justice, inflicted this punish- !xiii. 1 0, the gregarious jackals, the canis ment upon the Thimnathite and her father aureus, are undoubtedly meant. Canght. as the real authors of the de8truction of their The Hebrew word means especially caught corn-fields, by giving Samson so unheard-of in nels or snares. See Amos iii. 5 (have taken provocation. Note the fact of the identical nothing at all); Ps. xxxv. 8 (let his net catch, fate overtaking Samson's wife which sho himself); J er. xviii 22; Isa. viiL 14 (taken), had sought to escape by base treachery (cf. &c. And it is in this sense that the A. V. John xi. 48 with what actually happened). uses the word caught. A clever sportsman, Ver. 7.-And Samson said, &c. There as no doubt Samson was, would have no are two ways of understanding Samson's difficulty whatever in netting or snaring 300 speech: one, with the A. V., as meaning to jackals, which always move in packs, and say that tkougk the Philistines had taken his would be attracted by the vineyards of part, and repudiated all fellowship in the Thimnathah, for which their partiality is well shameful deed of the Thimnathite and her known (see eh. xiv. 6, note). The writer of father, yet he would have his full revenge the additional article Fox in Smith's 'Dic- upon them ; the other, translating the par- tionary of the Bible,' states that he had tried ticle in its more common sense of if, makes the experiment of throwing grapes to the him say, "If this is the way you treat me, foxes, jackals, and wolves in the Zoological be sure I will not cease till I ha.ve had my Gardens. The wolves would not touch them, full revenge." This is perhaps on the whole the others ate them with avidity. Took fire- the most probable mean.mg. It still leaves brands, &c. Many cavils have been directed it uncertain whether the Philistines meant against the truth of this account, but with- to do Samson justice, or to do him an ad- out the slightest reason. The terrified ditional injury, by putting his wife and her animals, with the burning torches and the father to death. blazing straw behind them, would neces- Ver. 8.-He smote them hip and thigh, sarily run forwards. Samson would, of &c. A proverbial expression, the origin of course, start the couples at numerous dif- which is uncertain ; it means, he smote ferent points, and no doubt have a number them with a great and complete slaughter. of Hebrews to assist him. To the present It is reasonable to suppose the.t he had day the corn-fields in that pa.rt of the Skepke- gathered a few Hebrews round him to help ln,h, extend continuously for twenty or thirty him. He went down, &c. This shows that miles. Etam must have been situated lower than Ver. 5.-The shooksand theatandingcom. Timne.th, and seems to preclude it.s identifi- Seever. 1, note. With the vineyards and cation with Urtas, in the hill country of olives. The Hebrew text has tke orchards of Judah, between Bethlehem and Tekoah, olive trees--the word ckerem, usually trans- which apparently represents the Elam of 2 lated vineyard, meaning also any orchard; Chron. :ri. 6. But there is another Etam in but the Septuagint in both codices supplies the tribe of Simeon (1 Chron. iv. 32), which and, as does the A. V., which gives the may possibly be the Etam of our text. In more probable sense, vineyards and olives. the top of the rock. Rather, the cleft or It is unlikely that the vineyards should not fissure of the rock - some narrow e.nd in- be mentioned, in a district abounding in accessible ravine. The site has not been them. identified. Ver. 6.-And the Philistines . .. burnt
HOMILETICS. Vcrs. 1-8.-The progress of the feud. In trncing the steps of uny quarrel which hns gone on to the bitter end, we can usually see that there were moments when recon- ciliation was very near, but was hindered by the hasty action of one party, and that after such failure the enmity becomes more fierce and bitter than ever. Thus in the quarrel between Samson and the Philistines. After the first burst of nnger at his rwie's treachery, Samson's impatient nature hnd cooled down, his love for his wi Ee had fevived, nnd he returned to her house with 11 present intended as u peace offering-, hooing no doubt to find her penitent uncl to receive n warm welcome from her. Had 160 THE BOOK OF JUDGES. [cH. XV. 1-8•