Judges 16:5
New International Version
The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.”

New Living Translation
The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice Samson to tell you what makes him so strong and how he can be overpowered and tied up securely. Then each of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”

English Standard Version
And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Seduce him, and see where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to humble him. And we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”

Berean Standard Bible
The lords of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice him and find out the source of his great strength and how we can overpower him to tie him up and subdue him. Then each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.”

King James Bible
And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.

New King James Version
And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”

New American Standard Bible
So the governors of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and see where his great strength lies and how we can overpower him so that we may bind him to humble him. Then we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”

NASB 1995
The lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and see where his great strength lies and how we may overpower him that we may bind him to afflict him. Then we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”

NASB 1977
And the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, “Entice him, and see where his great strength lies and how we may overpower him that we may bind him to afflict him. Then we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”

Legacy Standard Bible
And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and see where his great strength lies and how we may overpower him that we may bind him to afflict him. Then we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”

Amplified Bible
So the [five] lords (governors) of the Philistines came to her and said to her, “Persuade him, and see where his great strength lies and [find out] how we may overpower him so that we may bind him to subdue him. And each of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”

Christian Standard Bible
The Philistine leaders went to her and said, “Persuade him to tell you where his great strength comes from, so we can overpower him, tie him up, and make him helpless. Each of us will then give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Philistine leaders went to her and said, “Persuade him to tell you where his great strength comes from, so we can overpower him, tie him up, and make him helpless. Each of us will then give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”

American Standard Version
And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.

Contemporary English Version
The Philistine rulers went to Delilah and said, "Trick Samson into telling you what makes him so strong and what can make him weak. Then we can tie him up so he can't get away. If you find out his secret, we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver."

English Revised Version
And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The Philistine rulers came to her and said, "Trick him, and find out what makes him so strong. Find out how we can overpower him. We want to tie him up in order to torture him. Each of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver."

Good News Translation
The five Philistine kings went to her and said, "Trick Samson into telling you why he is so strong and how we can overpower him, tie him up, and make him helpless. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver."

International Standard Version
The Philistine officials approached her and told her, "Entice him to discover where his great strength is, and how we can overpower him. We intend to tie him up and torture him. We'll each pay you 1,100 silver coins."

Majority Standard Bible
The lords of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice him and find out the source of his great strength and how we can overpower him to tie him up and subdue him. Then each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.”

NET Bible
The rulers of the Philistines went up to visit her and said to her, "Trick him! Find out what makes him so strong and how we can subdue him and humiliate him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred silver pieces."

New Heart English Bible
The lords of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, "Entice him, and see in which his great strength lies, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver."

Webster's Bible Translation
And the lords of the Philistines came to her, and said to her, Entice him, and see in what his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.

World English Bible
The lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and see in which his great strength lies, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and the princes of the Philistines come up to her, and say to her, “Entice him, and see wherein his great power [is], and wherein we are able for him—and we have bound him to afflict him, and each one of us gives eleven hundred pieces of silver to you.”

Young's Literal Translation
and the princes of the Philistines come up unto her, and say to her, 'Entice him, and see wherein his great power is, and wherein we are able for him -- and we have bound him to afflict him, and we -- we give to thee, each one, eleven hundred silverlings.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And the princes of Philisteim will come up and will say to her, Persuade him, and see in what is his great strength, and in what we shall prevail against him, and bind him to humble him: and we give to thee each a thousand and a hundred of silver.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the princes of the Philistines came to her, and said: Deceive him, and learn of him wherein his great strength lieth, and how we may be able to overcome him, to bind and afflict him: which if thou shalt do, we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And the leaders of the Philistines went to her, and they said: “Deceive him, and learn from him wherein lies his great strength, and how we may be able to overcome him and to impose restraints on him. And if you will do this, each one of us will give you one thousand one hundred silver coins.”

New American Bible
The lords of the Philistines came up to her and said, “Trick him and find out where he gets his great strength, and how we may overcome and bind him so as to make him helpless. Then for our part, we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”

New Revised Standard Version
The lords of the Philistines came to her and said to her, “Coax him, and find out what makes his strength so great, and how we may overpower him, so that we may bind him in order to subdue him; and we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lies, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to disgrace him; and we will give you every one of us thirteen hundred pieces of silver.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the Tyrants of the Philistines came up to her, and they were saying to her: “Entice him and see in what his great power is, and in what we will master the power, that we may bind him to his shame, and we will give to you, each man, one thousand and three hundred pieces of silver”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her: 'Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the princess of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, Beguile him, and see wherein his great strength is, and wherewith we shall prevail against him, and bind him to humble him; and we will give thee each eleven hundred pieces of silver.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Samson and Delilah
4Some time later, Samson fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. 5The lords of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice him and find out the source of his great strength and how we can overpower him to tie him up and subdue him. Then each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.” 6So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me the source of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.”…

Cross References
Proverbs 7:21-23
With her great persuasion she entices him; with her flattering lips she lures him. / He follows her on impulse, like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer bounding into a trap, / until an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare—not knowing it will cost him his life.

Proverbs 6:26
For the levy of the prostitute is poverty, and the adulteress preys upon your very life.

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 2:16-19
It will rescue you from the forbidden woman, from the stranger with seductive words / who abandons the partner of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God. / For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits. ...

Proverbs 7:25-27
Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths. / For she has brought many down to death; her slain are many in number. / Her house is the road to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death.

1 Kings 11:1-4
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. ...

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.

1 Samuel 18:21
“I will give her to David,” Saul thought, “so that she may be a snare to him, and the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “For a second time now you can be my son-in-law.”

1 Kings 21:25
(Surely there was never one like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, incited by his wife Jezebel.

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.

Matthew 26:15
and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?” And they set out for him thirty pieces of silver.

Luke 22:4-6
And Judas went to discuss with the chief priests and temple officers how he might betray Jesus to them. / They were delighted and agreed to give him money. / Judas consented, and began to look for an opportunity to betray Jesus to them in the absence of a crowd.

John 12:4-6
But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was going to betray Him, asked, / “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” / Judas did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money bag, he used to take from what was put into it.

Acts 16:16-19
One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl with a spirit of divination, who earned a large income for her masters by fortune-telling. / This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!” / She continued this for many days. Eventually Paul grew so aggravated that he turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” And the spirit left her at that very moment. ...

1 Timothy 6:9-10
Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. / For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.


Treasury of Scripture

And the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lies, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and we will give you every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.

the lords

Judges 3:3
Namely, five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baalhermon unto the entering in of Hamath.

Joshua 13:3
From Sihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite: five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites:

1 Samuel 29:6
Then Achish called David, and said unto him, Surely, as the LORD liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight: for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favour thee not.

entice

Judges 14:15
And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson's wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to take that we have? is it not so?

Proverbs 2:16-19
To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; …

Proverbs 5:3-11
For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: …

afflict.

Judges 17:2
And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst, and spakest of also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my son.

Genesis 33:16
So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.

Numbers 22:17,18
For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people…

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Afflict Bind Eleven Entice Hundred Lords Means Philistines Pieces Prevail Silver Strength Wherein
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Afflict Bind Eleven Entice Hundred Lords Means Philistines Pieces Prevail Silver Strength Wherein
Judges 16
1. Samson at Gaza escapes, and carries away the gates of the city
4. Delilah corrupted by the Philistines, entices Samson
6. Thrice she is deceived
15. At last she overcomes him
21. The Philistines take him, and put out his eyes
22. His strength renewing, he pulls down the house upon the Philistines and dies














The lords of the Philistines
This phrase refers to the rulers or leaders of the Philistine cities. Historically, the Philistines were a confederation of city-states, each governed by its own lord. The term "lords" here is translated from the Hebrew word "seren," which indicates a ruler or prince. The Philistines were a significant adversary of Israel during the time of the Judges, often oppressing the Israelites and seeking to undermine their leaders, such as Samson.

went to her
The "her" in this context is Delilah, a woman whom Samson loved. The Philistines approached her because they saw an opportunity to exploit her relationship with Samson. This action highlights the Philistines' cunning and strategic approach to dealing with their enemies, using espionage and manipulation rather than direct confrontation.

and said, 'Entice him
The word "entice" is translated from the Hebrew "patah," which means to persuade or seduce. This indicates a deliberate attempt to deceive or lure Samson into revealing his secrets. The use of this word underscores the moral and spiritual battle at play, as Delilah is being asked to use her influence over Samson for nefarious purposes.

and find out the source of his great strength
Samson's strength was legendary, and the Philistines were desperate to understand its origin. This phrase reflects their recognition that Samson's power was not ordinary but divinely endowed. The Philistines' desire to uncover the secret of his strength reveals their belief in the possibility of neutralizing what they perceived as a supernatural advantage.

and how we can overpower him
The Philistines sought a way to defeat Samson, who had been a thorn in their side. The Hebrew word for "overpower" is "yakol," meaning to prevail or have power over. This reflects their intent to not just capture Samson but to completely dominate and control him, removing the threat he posed.

so we may tie him up and subdue him
This phrase indicates the Philistines' plan to physically restrain Samson, rendering him powerless. The act of tying up and subduing is symbolic of their desire to humiliate and break the spirit of Israel's champion. It also foreshadows the eventual betrayal and capture of Samson, which is a pivotal moment in his story.

Then each of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver
The offer of "eleven hundred shekels of silver" to Delilah was a substantial bribe, indicating the high value the Philistines placed on capturing Samson. In ancient times, silver was a common medium of exchange, and this amount would have been a significant fortune. This highlights the lengths to which the Philistines were willing to go to achieve their goal, and it also underscores the theme of betrayal for monetary gain, reminiscent of Judas Iscariot's betrayal of Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

(5) The lords of the Philistines.--The five "satraps." (See Note on Judges 3:3.) If she were what Josephus asserts, the Philistines might both get access to her, and tempt the cupidity of an unprincipled and degraded mind. Had she been of their own race, threats would probably have been even more effectual with her than with the lady of Timnath (Judges 13:15). The LXX. here begin to call the Philistines allophuloi, or "aliens."

Entice him.--See Proverbs 2:16; Proverbs 2:18-19.

Wherein his great strength lieth.--Rather, wherein his strength is great. They attributed his strength to some amulet which might be removed.

Eleven hundred pieces of silver.--That is, "eleven hundred silver shekels." The same sum recurs in Judges 17:2 as the amount laid by for the construction of teraphim by the mother of Micah. If the five lords each gave 1,100 shekels, the amount would be nearly two talents of silver (Exodus 38:25-26)--a most enormous bribe for that age, and especially to such a woman as Delilah. It may be regarded as an almost conclusive proof that Milton is mistaken in making her a Philistine. . . .

Verse 5. - Lords. See Judges 3:3, note,' His great strength lieth - literally, wherein (or by what means) his strength is great. They guessed that it was through some charm or secret amulet that his Herculean might was nourished. Eleven hundred pieces, or shekels, of silver. The whole sum promised by the five lords would be no less than 5500 shekels, equal to about £620 of our money. The curious notation, eleven hundred pieces, occurs again Judges 17:2. The reason of it is unknown.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The lords
סַרְנֵ֣י (sar·nê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 5633: An axle, a peer

of the Philistines
פְלִשְׁתִּ֗ים (p̄ə·liš·tîm)
Noun - proper - masculine plural
Strong's 6430: Philistines -- inhabitants of Philistia

went
וַיַּעֲל֨וּ (way·ya·‘ă·lū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

to her
אֵלֶ֜יהָ (’ê·le·hā)
Preposition | third person feminine singular
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

and said,
וַיֹּ֨אמְרוּ (way·yō·mə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Entice
פַּתִּ֣י (pat·tî)
Verb - Piel - Imperative - feminine singular
Strong's 6601: To open, be, roomy, to be, simple, delude

him
אוֹת֗וֹ (’ō·w·ṯōw)
Direct object marker | third person masculine singular
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

and find out
וּרְאִי֙ (ū·rə·’î)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - feminine singular
Strong's 7200: To see

the source of
בַּמֶּה֙ (bam·meh)
Preposition-b | Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

his great
גָד֔וֹל (ḡā·ḏō·wl)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 1419: Great, older, insolent

strength
כֹּח֣וֹ (kō·ḥōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3581: A small reptile (of unknown species)

and how
וּבַמֶּה֙ (ū·ḇam·meh)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

we can overpower
נ֣וּכַל (nū·ḵal)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common plural
Strong's 3201: To be able, have power

him
ל֔וֹ (lōw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

to tie him up
וַאֲסַרְנֻ֖הוּ (wa·’ă·sar·nu·hū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - first person common plural | third person masculine singular
Strong's 631: To yoke, hitch, to fasten, to join battle

and subdue him.
לְעַנֹּת֑וֹ (lə·‘an·nō·ṯōw)
Preposition-l | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6031: To be bowed down or afflicted

Then each one
אִ֕ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

of us
וַאֲנַ֙חְנוּ֙ (wa·’ă·naḥ·nū)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - first person common plural
Strong's 587: We

will give
נִתַּן־ (nit·tan-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common plural
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

you
לָ֔ךְ (lāḵ)
Preposition | second person feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew

eleven hundred [shekels]
אֶ֥לֶף (’e·lep̄)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 505: A thousand

of silver.”
כָּֽסֶף׃ (kā·sep̄)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3701: Silver, money


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OT History: Judges 16:5 The lords of the Philistines came up (Jd Judg. Jdg)
Judges 16:4
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