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.

JUDGES 14:17KJV
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Judges 14:17 (KJV)

What does Judges 14:17 mean?

Judges 14:17 describes how Samson’s wife wept and pressured him for seven days during their wedding feast until he finally revealed the answer to his riddle, which she then shared with her people. The verse highlights her persistence and Samson’s eventual surrender to her pleas.

In this scene, Samson is at his wedding feast with the Philistines, and his new wife is trying to get him to reveal the answer to a riddle he posed to the guests. The verse notes that she wept before him for the entire seven-day feast, and on the last day, because she pressed him so hard, he gave in and told her. She immediately passed the answer to her own people, setting up the conflict that follows in the story.

The Hebrew behind Judges 14:17

  • "wept" (בָּכָה, bakhah): This word means to cry or lament. The verse emphasizes her emotional persistence, not just a single moment of sadness.
  • "lay sore upon him" (צַר, tsar): This phrase means to press hard, to trouble, or to distress. It shows that her actions were not just emotional but also persistent and intense, wearing Samson down over time.
  • "riddle" (חִידָה, chidah): This word refers to a puzzle or enigmatic saying. The riddle is central to the story’s tension, as it is the source of the challenge and the betrayal.

Why Judges 14:17 matters

  • The verse clarifies that Samson did not give up the answer easily; it took sustained emotional pressure over the entire feast, highlighting both his wife’s determination and his eventual weakness.
  • This moment is key in the narrative, as it leads directly to Samson’s conflict with the Philistines and sets the stage for his later actions.
  • The verse helps explain why Samson felt betrayed and angry, since the answer to his riddle was only revealed after intense manipulation by someone he trusted.

Where else these words appear

“sore” Hebrew H6693 · used in 10 verses

  • Deuteronomy 28:53 And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:
  • Judges 16:16 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;
  • Isaiah 29:7 And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision.

“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 14:16 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?
  • Psalms 49:4 I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.

“feast” Hebrew H4960 · used in 43 verses

  • Genesis 19:3 And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
  • Esther 2:18 Then the king made a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the state of the king.
  • Esther 9:19 Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns, made the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another.

“lasted” Hebrew H1961 · used in 72 verses

  • Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
  • Exodus 12:4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
  • 2 Samuel 9:9 Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master's son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house.