And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee?

JUDGES 14:16KJV
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Judges 14:16 (KJV)

What does Judges 14:16 mean?

Judges 14:16 describes how Samson’s wife, upset and feeling excluded, accuses Samson of not loving her because he has shared a riddle with her people but not told her the answer. Samson responds that he has not even told his own parents, questioning why he should tell her.

In this verse, Samson’s wife is speaking to him during their wedding feast, distressed because she feels left out of his secret. The verse shows the tension between Samson and his wife, as well as the pressure she feels from her own people to discover the answer to Samson’s riddle. Samson’s reply highlights his secrecy and the distance he keeps, even from those closest to him.

The Hebrew behind Judges 14:16

  • "Wept" (בָּכָה, bakah) means to cry or weep openly, showing the emotional intensity of Samson’s wife as she pleads with him.
  • "Hate" (שָׂנֵא, sane) and "lovest" (אָהַב, ahav) are strong words for hate and love, emphasizing the dramatic way Samson’s wife expresses her feelings of rejection and longing for affection.
  • "Riddle" (חִידָה, chidah) refers to a puzzling question or enigma, which in this story is central to the conflict between Samson, his wife, and her people.

Why Judges 14:16 matters

  • This verse clarifies the emotional and cultural pressures at play during Samson’s wedding, showing how his wife is caught between loyalty to her people and her new husband.
  • The strong language of love and hate reveals how personal and intense the situation is, not just a casual disagreement.
  • Understanding this exchange helps explain why Samson’s wife later acts as she does, and it sets up the unfolding drama in the rest of the chapter.

Where else these words appear

“forth” Hebrew H2330 · used in 4 verses

  • Judges 14:12 And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments:
  • Judges 14:13 But if ye cannot declare it 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.
  • Ezekiel 17:2 Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel;

“riddle” Hebrew H2420 · used in 17 verses

  • Numbers 12:8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
  • Judges 14:17 And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people.
  • Psalms 49:4 I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.

“Samson's” Hebrew H8123 · used in 37 verses

  • Judges 13:24 And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.
  • Judges 15:6 Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they answered, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.
  • Judges 16:10 And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.

“wept” Hebrew H1058 · used in 100 verses

  • Genesis 21:16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
  • Judges 21:2 And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore;
  • Esther 8:3 And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.