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 14:17KJVWhat 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.