Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Then Samson’s wife threw herself on him, sobbing, “You hate me! You don’t really love me. You’ve given my people a riddle, but you haven’t told me the answer.” “I haven’t even explained it to my father or mother,” he replied, “so why should I explain it to you?” New Living Translation So Samson’s wife came to him in tears and said, “You don’t love me; you hate me! You have given my people a riddle, but you haven’t told me the answer.” “I haven’t even given the answer to my father or mother,” he replied. “Why should I tell you?” English Standard Version And Samson’s wife wept over him and said, “You only hate me; you do not love me. You have put a riddle to my people, and you have not told me what it is.” And he said to her, “Behold, I have not told my father nor my mother, and shall I tell you?” Berean Standard Bible Then Samson’s wife came to him, weeping, and said, “You hate me! You do not really love me! You have posed to my people a riddle, but have not explained it to me.” “Look,” he said, “I have not even explained it to my father or mother, so why should I explain it to you?” King James Bible 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? New King James Version Then Samson’s wife wept on him, and said, “You only hate me! You do not love me! You have posed a riddle to the sons of my people, but you have not explained it to me.” And he said to her, “Look, I have not explained it to my father or my mother; so should I explain it to you?” New American Standard Bible So Samson’s wife wept in front of him and said, “You only hate me, and you do not love me; you have proposed a riddle to the sons of my people, and have not told it to me.” And he said to her, “Behold, I have not told it to my father or mother; so should I tell you?” NASB 1995 Samson’s wife wept before him and said, “You only hate me, and you do not love me; you have propounded a riddle to the sons of my people, and have not told it to me.” And he said to her, “Behold, I have not told it to my father or mother; so should I tell you?” NASB 1977 And Samson’s wife wept before him and said, “You only hate me, and you do not love me; you have propounded a riddle to the sons of my people, and have not told it to me.” And he said to her, “Behold, I have not told it to my father or mother; so should I tell you?” Legacy Standard Bible So Samson’s wife wept before him and said, “You only hate me, and you do not love me; you have propounded a riddle to the sons of my people and have not told it to me.” And he said to her, “Behold, I have not told it to my father or mother; so should I tell you?” Amplified Bible So Samson’s wife wept before him and said, “You only hate me, you do not love me; you have asked my countrymen a riddle, and have not told [the answer] to me.” And he said to her, “Listen, I have not told my father or my mother [either], so [why] should I tell you?” Christian Standard Bible So Samson’s wife came to him, weeping, and said, “You hate me and don’t love me! You told my people the riddle, but haven’t explained it to me.” “Look,” he said, “I haven’t even explained it to my father or mother, so why should I explain it to you? ” Holman Christian Standard Bible So Samson’s wife came to him, weeping, and said, “You hate me and don’t love me! You told my people the riddle, but haven’t explained it to me."” Look,” he said, “I haven’t even explained it to my father or mother, so why should I explain it to you?” American Standard Version 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 thee? Contemporary English Version Samson's bride went to him and started crying in his arms. "You must really hate me," she sobbed. "If you loved me at all, you would have told me the answer to your riddle." "But I haven't even told my parents the answer!" Samson replied. "Why should I tell you?" English Revised Version 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? GOD'S WORD® Translation So Samson's wife cried on his shoulder. She said, "You hate me! You don't really love me! You gave my friends a riddle and didn't tell me the answer." Samson replied, "I haven't even told my father and mother, so why should I tell you?" Good News Translation So Samson's wife went to him in tears and said, "You don't love me! You just hate me! You told my friends a riddle and didn't tell me what it means!" He said, "Look, I haven't even told my father and mother. Why should I tell you?" International Standard Version So Samson's wife cried in front of him and accused him, "You only hate me. You don't love me. You've told a riddle to my relatives, but you haven't told the solution to me." Samson responded, "Look, I haven't told my parents, either. Why should I tell you?" Majority Standard Bible Then Samson?s wife came to him, weeping, and said, ?You hate me! You do not really love me! You have posed to my people a riddle, but have not explained it to me.? ?Look,? he said, ?I have not even explained it to my father or mother, so why should I explain it to you?? NET Bible So Samson's bride cried on his shoulder and said, "You must hate me; you do not love me! You told the young men a riddle, but you have not told me the solution." He said to her, "Look, I have not even told my father or mother. Do you really expect me to tell you?" New Heart English Bible Samson's wife wept before him, and said, "You just hate me, and do not love me. You have put forth a riddle to the children of my people, and haven't told it me." And he said to her, "Look, I haven't told it to my father or my mother, and shall I tell you?" Webster's Bible Translation And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast proposed a riddle to the children of my people, and hast not told it to me. And he said to her, Behold, I have not told it to my father nor to my mother, and shall I tell it to thee? World English Bible Samson’s wife wept before him, and said, “You just hate me, and don’t love me. You’ve told a riddle to the children of my people, and haven’t told it to me.” He said to her, “Behold, I haven’t told my father or my mother, so why should I tell you?” Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd Samson’s wife weeps for it and says, “You have only hated me, and have not loved me; you have put forth the riddle to the sons of my people, but have not declared it to me”; and he says to her, “Behold, I have not declared [it] to my father and to my mother—and I declare [it] to you?” Young's Literal Translation And Samson's wife weepeth for it, and saith, 'Thou hast only hated me, and hast not loved me; the riddle thou hast put forth to the sons of my people -- and to me thou hast not declared it;' and he saith to her, 'Lo, to my father and to my mother I have not declared it -- and to thee I declare it!' Smith's Literal Translation And Samson's wife will weep upon him, and will say, Thou only hatedst me and lovedst me not: thou didst propose an enigma to the sons of my people, and to me thou didst not announce it. And he will say to her, Behold, to my father and to my mother I announced it not, and shall I announce to thee? Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleSo she wept before Samson and complained, saying: Thou hatest me, and dost not love me: therefore thou wilt not expound to me the riddle which thou hast proposed to the sons of my people. But he answered: I would not tell it to my father and mother, and how can I tell it to thee? Catholic Public Domain Version And she shed tears before Samson, and she complained, saying: “You hate me, and you do not love me. That is why you do not want to explain to me the problem, which you have proposed to the sons of my people.” But he responded: “I was not willing to reveal it to my father and mother. And so, how can I reveal it to you?” New American Bible So Samson’s wife wept at his side and said, “You just hate me! You do not love me! You proposed a riddle to my people, but did not tell me the answer.” He said to her, “If I did not tell even my father or my mother, must I tell you?” New Revised Standard Version So Samson’s wife wept before him, saying, “You hate me; you do not really love me. You have asked a riddle of my people, but you have not explained it to me.” He said to her, “Look, I have not told my father or my mother. Why should I tell you?” Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleAnd Samson's wife wept and said to him, You truly hate me and do not love me; you have put forth a riddle to my countrymen, and you have never told it to me. And he said to her, I have not told it to my father nor to my mother, and shall I tell it to you? Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And the wife of Samson wept and said to him: “Truly you have hated me and you have not loved me, because the riddle that you have given to the sons of my people you have not told me, and he said to her: “I have not told my father and my mother; shall I tell you?” OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917And 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 wilt thou not tell it me?' And he said unto her: 'Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell thee?' Brenton Septuagint Translation And Sampson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not; for the riddle which thou hast propounded to the children of my people thou hast not told me: and Sampson said to her, If I have not told it to my father and my mother, shall I tell it to thee? Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Samson's Riddle…15So on the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father’s household to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?” 16Then Samson’s wife came to him, weeping, and said, “You hate me! You do not really love me! You have posed to my people a riddle, but have not explained it to me.” “Look,” he said, “I have not even explained it to my father or mother, so why should I explain it to you?” 17She wept the whole seven days of the feast, and finally on the seventh day, because she had pressed him so much, he told her the answer. And in turn she explained the riddle to her people.… Cross References Judges 16:15 “How can you say, ‘I love you,’” she asked, “when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and failed to reveal to me the source of your great strength!” Genesis 29:20-28 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, yet it seemed but a few days because of his love for her. / Finally Jacob said to Laban, “Grant me my wife, for my time is complete, and I want to sleep with her.” / So Laban invited all the men of that place and prepared a feast. ... Proverbs 7:21 With her great persuasion she entices him; with her flattering lips she lures him. Proverbs 31:30 Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Micah 7:5 Do not rely on a friend; do not trust in a companion. Seal the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms. 1 Kings 11:1-3 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh—women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon, as well as Hittite women. / These women were from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, for surely they will turn your hearts after their gods.” Yet Solomon clung to these women in love. / He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines—and his wives turned his heart away. 1 Samuel 25:3 His name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings. 2 Samuel 11:2-4 One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman. / So David sent and inquired about the woman, and he was told, “This is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” / Then David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. (Now she had just purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned home. Nehemiah 13:26 Did not King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many nations, and he was loved by his God, who made him king over all Israel—yet foreign women drew him into sin. Proverbs 5:3-4 Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil, / in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword. Proverbs 6:24-26 to keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. / Do not lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes. / For the levy of the prostitute is poverty, and the adulteress preys upon your very life. Proverbs 21:9 Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife. Proverbs 21:19 Better to live in the desert than with a contentious and ill-tempered wife. Proverbs 25:24 Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife. Matthew 14:3-4 Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, / because John had been telling him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” Treasury of Scripture And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, You do but hate me, and love me not: you have put forth a riddle to the children of my people, and have not told it me. And he said to her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it you? thou dost Judges 16:15 And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth. I have not Genesis 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. Jump to Previous Children Hate Love Mother Proposed Riddle Samson's Wept Wife WiltJump to Next Children Hate Love Mother Proposed Riddle Samson's Wept Wife WiltJudges 14 1. Samson desires a wife of the Philistines.6. In his journey he kills a lion 8. In a second journey he finds honey in the carcass 10. Samson's marriage feast 12. His riddle by his wife is made known 19. He strikes down thirty Philistines 20. His wife is married to another. Then Samson’s wife came to him, weeping, and said, Samson's wife, a Philistine woman from Timnah, approaches him in tears. This reflects the emotional manipulation often seen in relationships where one party seeks to gain something from the other. In the cultural context, women had limited power and often resorted to emotional appeals to influence their husbands. The weeping indicates the seriousness of her request and her desperation, possibly due to pressure from her people. “You hate me! You do not really love me! You have posed to my people a riddle, but have not explained it to me.” “Look,” he said, “I have not even explained it to my father or mother, so why should I explain it to you?” Persons / Places / Events 1. SamsonA judge of Israel known for his supernatural strength, given by God, and his Nazirite vow. His life is marked by personal weaknesses and struggles with temptation. 2. Samson's Wife A Philistine woman from Timnah whom Samson marries. Her relationship with Samson is fraught with tension and manipulation, as seen in this verse. 3. Philistines The ruling people in the region during Samson's time, often in conflict with the Israelites. They are the recipients of Samson's riddle. 4. Timnah A Philistine town where Samson's wife is from and where the wedding feast takes place. 5. The Riddle A challenge posed by Samson to the Philistines during his wedding feast, which becomes a source of conflict and betrayal. Teaching Points The Danger of Unequally Yoked RelationshipsSamson's marriage to a Philistine woman illustrates the challenges and spiritual dangers of forming close relationships with those who do not share the same faith and values. The Power of Manipulation and Deceit Samson's wife's tears and accusations are a form of manipulation, reminding us to be wary of emotional manipulation in our relationships. The Importance of Trust and Communication in Marriage The lack of trust and open communication between Samson and his wife serves as a cautionary tale for married couples to prioritize honesty and transparency. The Consequences of Ignoring Godly Counsel Samson's decision to marry a Philistine woman, against his parents' wishes, shows the potential consequences of ignoring wise and godly counsel. The Role of Personal Weakness in Spiritual Battles Samson's susceptibility to emotional manipulation highlights the need for self-awareness and reliance on God's strength in overcoming personal weaknesses.(16) Wept before him.--Samson's riddle had the effect of making the whole wedding-feast of this ill-starred marriage one of the most embittered and least joyous that ever fell to a bridegroom's lot. This was a just punishment for his lawless fancies, though God overruled them to His own ends. A weeping, teazing, fretting bride and sullen guests might have served as a warning that Philistine marriages were not good for the sons of Israel.Verse 16. - And Samson's wife, etc. This statement does not follow ver. 15, but is a parallel narrative to that beginning in ver. 14, "And they could not in three days," etc., down to the end of ver. 15, bringing the story down to the same point of time, viz., the seventh day. One stream of the narrative tells us what the young men did when Samson had propounded his riddle; the other tells us what Samson's wife did. From the very first, no doubt, she had wished to be in the secret, not perhaps from treacherous motives, but from curiosity, and the natural desire to be in her husband's confidence, and she pressed her request with cajolery and petulance. The young men at the same time had tried to find out the riddle by fair means. But on the seventh day they threatened to burn her and her father unless she found out the riddle for them, and under the terror of this threat she extracted the secret from Samson and divulged it to the Philistine young men. The only difficulty is to explain why a gap of four days occurs in the account between vers. 14 and 15. The most likely thing is, that after three days' vain attempt to find out the riddle, they began to tamper with Samson's wife, offering her money, as the Philistine lords did to Delilah (Judges 16:5), though the narrative does not mention it; but that on the seventh day, becoming desperate, and thinking that the woman was not doing her best, they resorted to the dreadful threat of burning her. Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Then Samson’sשִׁמְשׁ֜וֹן (šim·šō·wn) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 8123: Samson -- a deliverer of Israel wife אֵ֨שֶׁת (’ê·šeṯ) Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female came to him, עָלָ֗יו (‘ā·lāw) Preposition | third person masculine singular Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against weeping, וַתֵּבְךְּ֩ (wat·tê·ḇək) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular Strong's 1058: To weep, to bemoan and said, וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ (wat·tō·mer) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular Strong's 559: To utter, say “You hate me! שְׂנֵאתַ֙נִי֙ (śə·nê·ṯa·nî) Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular | first person common singular Strong's 8130: To hate You do not really וְלֹ֣א (wə·lō) Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no love me! אֲהַבְתָּ֔נִי (’ă·haḇ·tā·nî) Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular | first person common singular Strong's 157: To have affection f You have posed חַ֙דְתָּ֙ (ḥaḏ·tā) Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular Strong's 2330: To tie a, knot, to propound a, riddle to my people לִבְנֵ֣י (liḇ·nê) Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct Strong's 1121: A son a riddle, הַֽחִידָ֥ה (ha·ḥî·ḏāh) Article | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 2420: A riddle, an enigmatic, perplexing saying or question but have not לֹ֣א (lō) Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no explained it to me.” הִגַּ֑דְתָּה (hig·gaḏ·tāh) Verb - Hifil - Perfect - second person masculine singular Strong's 5046: To be conspicuous “Look,” הִנֵּ֨ה (hin·nêh) Interjection Strong's 2009: Lo! behold! he said, וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (way·yō·mer) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 559: To utter, say “I have not לֹ֥א (lō) Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no even explained הִגַּ֖דְתִּי (hig·gaḏ·tî) Verb - Hifil - Perfect - first person common singular Strong's 5046: To be conspicuous it to my father לְאָבִ֧י (lə·’ā·ḇî) Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular Strong's 1: Father or mother, וּלְאִמִּ֛י (ū·lə·’im·mî) Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular Strong's 517: A mother, ) so why should I explain it אַגִּֽיד׃ (’ag·gîḏ) Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular Strong's 5046: To be conspicuous to you?” וְלָ֥ךְ (wə·lāḵ) Conjunctive waw | Preposition | second person feminine singular Strong's 0: 0 Links Judges 14:16 NIVJudges 14:16 NLT Judges 14:16 ESV Judges 14:16 NASB Judges 14:16 KJV Judges 14:16 BibleApps.com Judges 14:16 Biblia Paralela Judges 14:16 Chinese Bible Judges 14:16 French Bible Judges 14:16 Catholic Bible OT History: Judges 14:16 Samson's wife wept before him and said (Jd Judg. 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