Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Before sunset on the seventh day the men of the town said to him, “What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?” Samson said to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle.” New Living Translation So before sunset of the seventh day, the men of the town came to Samson with their answer: “What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?” Samson replied, “If you hadn’t plowed with my heifer, you wouldn’t have solved my riddle!” English Standard Version And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, “What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle.” Berean Standard Bible Before sunset on the seventh day, the men of the city said to Samson: “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” So he said to them: “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle!” King James Bible And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle. New King James Version So the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down: “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them: “If you had not plowed with my heifer, You would not have solved my riddle!” New American Standard Bible So the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, You would not have found out my riddle.” NASB 1995 So the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, You would not have found out my riddle.” NASB 1977 So the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” Legacy Standard Bible So the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, You would not have found out my riddle.” Amplified Bible So the men of the city said to Samson on the seventh day before sundown, “What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, You would not have solved my riddle.” Christian Standard Bible On the seventh day, before sunset, the men of the city said to him: What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion? So he said to them: If you hadn’t plowed with my young cow, you wouldn’t know my riddle now! Holman Christian Standard Bible On the seventh day, before sunset, the men of the city said to him: What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion? So he said to them: If you hadn’t plowed with my young cow, you wouldn’t know my riddle now! American Standard Version And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, Ye had not found out my riddle. Contemporary English Version Before sunset that day, the men of the town went to Samson with this answer: A lion is the strongest--honey is the sweetest! Samson replied, This answer you have given me doubtless came from my bride-to-be. English Revised Version And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle. GOD'S WORD® Translation So before sundown on the seventh day, the men of the city said to him, "What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?" Samson replied, "If you hadn't used my cow to plow, you wouldn't know my riddle now." Good News Translation So on the seventh day, before Samson went into the bedroom, the men of the city said to him, "What could be sweeter than honey? What could be stronger than a lion?" Samson replied, "If you hadn't been plowing with my cow, You wouldn't know the answer now." International Standard Version Then the men of the city answered him just before sunset on the seventh day: "What's sweeter than honey? What's stronger than lions?" Samson responded, "If you hadn't plowed with my heifer you wouldn't have solved my riddle." Majority Standard Bible Before sunset on the seventh day, the men of the city said to Samson: ?What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?? So he said to them: ?If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle!? NET Bible On the seventh day, before the sun set, the men of the city said to him, "What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?" He said to them, "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle!" New Heart English Bible The men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, "What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?" He said to them, "If you hadn't plowed with my heifer, you wouldn't have found out my riddle." Webster's Bible Translation And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said to them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle. World English Bible The men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, “What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?” He said to them, “If you hadn’t plowed with my heifer, you wouldn’t have found out my riddle.” Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd the men of the city say to him on the seventh day, before the sun goes in: “What [is] sweeter than honey? And what [is] stronger than a lion?” And he says to them: “Unless you had plowed with my heifer, "" You had not found out my riddle.” Young's Literal Translation And the men of the city say to him on the seventh day, before the sun goeth in: -- 'What is sweeter than honey? And what stronger than a lion?' And he saith to them: 'Unless ye had ploughed with my heifer, Ye had not found out my riddle.' Smith's Literal Translation And the men of the city will say to him in the seventh day before the sun will go down, What is sweet above honey? and what is strong above the lion? and he will say to them, Unless ye ploughed with my heifer ye found not out my enigma. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd they on the seventh day before the sun went down said to him: What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said to them: If you had not ploughed with my heifer, you had not found out my riddle. Catholic Public Domain Version And they, on the seventh day, before the sun declined, said to him: “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have uncovered my proposition.” New American Bible On the seventh day, before the sun set, the men of the city said to him, “What is sweeter than honey, what is stronger than a lion?” He replied to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle.” New Revised Standard Version The men of the town said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, “What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle.” Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleAnd the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the banquet, What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion? And Samson said to them, If you had not enticed my heifer, you would not have interpreted my riddle. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And the men of the city were saying on the seventh day, before he would enter the banquet: “What is sweeter than honey, or what is that stronger than a lion?” Samson said to them, “If you had not allured my heifer, you would not have interpreted my riddle” OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down: What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them: If ye had not plowed with my heifer, Ye had not found out my riddle. Brenton Septuagint Translation And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day, before sunrise, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? and Sampson said to them, If ye had not ploughed with my heifer, ye would not have known my riddle. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Samson's Riddle…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. 18Before sunset on the seventh day, the men of the city said to Samson: “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” So he said to them: “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle!” 19Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave their clothes to those who had solved the riddle. And burning with anger, Samson returned to his father’s house,… Cross References Proverbs 1:17 How futile it is to spread the net where any bird can see it! Proverbs 6:26 For the levy of the prostitute is poverty, and the adulteress preys upon your very life. Proverbs 7:10-21 Then a woman came out to meet him, with the attire of a harlot and cunning of heart. / She is loud and defiant; her feet do not remain at home. / Now in the street, now in the squares, she lurks at every corner. ... Proverbs 9:13-18 The woman named Folly is loud; she is naive and knows nothing. / She sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the heights of the city, / calling out to those who pass by, who make their paths straight. ... Proverbs 11:22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion. Proverbs 30:18-19 There are three things too wonderful for me, four that I cannot understand: / the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship at sea, and the way of a man with a maiden. Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter. Isaiah 29:15 Woe to those who dig deep to hide their plans from the LORD. In darkness they do their works and say, “Who sees us, and who will know?” Jeremiah 4:22 “For My people are fools; they have not known Me. They are foolish children, without understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but they know not how to do good.” Jeremiah 9:23-24 This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches. / But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises loving devotion, justice and righteousness on the earth—for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD. Matthew 12:39 Jesus replied, “A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Matthew 16:1-4 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came and tested Jesus by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven. / But He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘The weather will be fair, for the sky is red,’ / and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but not the signs of the times. ... Mark 8:11-12 Then the Pharisees came and began to argue with Jesus, testing Him by demanding from Him a sign from heaven. / Jesus sighed deeply in His spirit and said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.” Luke 11:29-32 As the crowds were increasing, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. / For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation. / The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now One greater than Solomon is here. ... 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. / For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” / Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ... Treasury of Scripture And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion? and he said to them, If you had not plowed with my heifer, you had not found out my riddle. Jump to Previous Bride's City Cow Hadn't Heifer Honey Lion Ploughing Plowed Riddle Room Samson Seventh Stronger Sun Sunset Sweeter Wouldn'tJump to Next Bride's City Cow Hadn't Heifer Honey Lion Ploughing Plowed Riddle Room Samson Seventh Stronger Sun Sunset Sweeter Wouldn'tJudges 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. Before sunset on the seventh day This phrase indicates the urgency and the time constraint under which the men of the city were operating. The seventh day is significant in biblical terms, often representing completion or perfection, as seen in the creation narrative in Genesis. The timing "before sunset" suggests a last-minute revelation, emphasizing the tension and drama of the moment. In the Hebrew context, days are marked from sunset to sunset, highlighting the cultural understanding of time. the men of the city said to him What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion? And he said to them If you had not plowed with my heifer you would not have solved my riddle If ye had not plowed with my heifer.--Many commentators, following Rabbi Levi Ben Gershom, read in this proverbial phrase an implication that Samson suspected his wife of adultery; but there is no sufficient reason for this view. Verse 18. - The men of the city - the same as were spoken of in ver. 11 as Samson's companions. Before the sun went down - just in time, therefore, to save the wager, as defined in ver. 12. This is the uncommon word for the sun used also in Judges 8:13, where see note. What is sweeter, etc. They put their answer in a form to make it seem as if they had guessed the riddle; but Samson instantly perceived his wife's treachery, and showed that he did so by quoting the proverb of plowing with another person s heifer. They had not used their own wit to find out the riddle, but had learnt the secret at Samson's cost, through his wife. He insinuates that had they acted fairly he would have won the wager.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Beforeבְּטֶ֙רֶם֙ (bə·ṭe·rem) Preposition-b | Adverb Strong's 2962: Non-occurrence, not yet, before sunset יָבֹ֣א (yā·ḇō) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go on the seventh הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י (haš·šə·ḇî·‘î) Article | Number - ordinal masculine singular Strong's 7637: Seventh (an ordinal number) day, בַּיּ֣וֹם (bay·yō·wm) Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 3117: A day the men אַנְשֵׁ֨י (’an·šê) Noun - masculine plural construct Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person of the city הָעִ֜יר (hā·‘îr) Article | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 5892: Excitement said וַיֹּ֣אמְרוּ (way·yō·mə·rū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 559: To utter, say to [Samson]: לוֹ֩ (lōw) Preposition | third person masculine singular Strong's Hebrew “What מַה־ (mah-) Interrogative Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what is sweeter מָּת֣וֹק (mā·ṯō·wq) Adjective - masculine singular Strong's 4966: Sweet, sweetness than honey? מִדְּבַ֔שׁ (mid·də·ḇaš) Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 1706: Honey, syrup And what [is] וּמֶ֥ה (ū·meh) Conjunctive waw | Interrogative Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what stronger עַ֖ז (‘az) Adjective - masculine singular Strong's 5794: Strong, vehement, harsh than a lion?” מֵאֲרִ֑י (mê·’ă·rî) Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 738: A lion So he said to them: וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (way·yō·mer) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 559: To utter, say “If you had not לוּלֵא֙ (lū·lê) Conjunction Strong's 3884: If not, unless plowed חֲרַשְׁתֶּ֣ם (ḥă·raš·tem) Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine plural Strong's 2790: To cut in, engrave, plow, devise with my heifer, בְּעֶגְלָתִ֔י (bə·‘eḡ·lā·ṯî) Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular Strong's 5697: A, calf, one nearly grown you would not לֹ֥א (lō) Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no have solved מְצָאתֶ֖ם (mə·ṣā·ṯem) Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine plural Strong's 4672: To come forth to, appear, exist, to attain, find, acquire, to occur, meet, be present my riddle!” חִידָתִֽי׃ (ḥî·ḏā·ṯî) Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular Strong's 2420: A riddle, an enigmatic, perplexing saying or question Links Judges 14:18 NIVJudges 14:18 NLT Judges 14:18 ESV Judges 14:18 NASB Judges 14:18 KJV Judges 14:18 BibleApps.com Judges 14:18 Biblia Paralela Judges 14:18 Chinese Bible Judges 14:18 French Bible Judges 14:18 Catholic Bible OT History: Judges 14:18 The men of the city said (Jd Judg. 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