Judges 15:16 (KJV)

What does Judges 15:16 mean?

Judges 15:16 records Samson boasting after a great victory, saying that with the jawbone of a donkey he has piled up heaps of bodies and killed a thousand men. The verse highlights Samson’s strength and the unusual weapon he used in this dramatic moment.

Samson is speaking after being attacked by the Philistines, and he uses the jawbone of a donkey—an unexpected tool—to defeat a large group of enemies. The verse captures both the scale of the victory and Samson’s sense of triumph, showing how he attributes his success to his own actions in a memorable, almost poetic way.

The Hebrew behind Judges 15:16

• "Jawbone" (לֶחִי, lechi): This word refers specifically to the jawbone of an animal, and in this story, it is the jawbone of a donkey. The choice of such an ordinary object as a weapon emphasizes the surprising nature of Samson’s victory.
• "Heaps" (חֲמוֹר, chamor): This word is a play on words in Hebrew, as it sounds similar to the word for "donkey" (חֲמוֹר, chamor). The verse uses this similarity to create a kind of pun, linking the weapon and the result—heaps of bodies with the jawbone of a donkey.
• "Slain" (נָכָה, nakah): This word means to strike down or kill. It underscores the completeness of Samson’s victory, as he claims to have killed a thousand men with a single, simple weapon.

Why Judges 15:16 matters

• The verse uses wordplay in Hebrew that is lost in English, connecting the weapon (donkey’s jawbone) and the result (heaps of slain) in a memorable way that shows the storyteller’s creativity.
• Judges 15:16 emphasizes that Samson’s victories often come through unexpected means, highlighting both his physical strength and the unusual ways he overcomes his enemies.
• This verse connects to the larger story of Samson, showing a pattern where he acts alone, relies on his own strength, and uses whatever is at hand, which sets him apart from other leaders in the book of Judges.