What is the meaning of Judges 15:6? Who did this? – The opening words capture the Philistines’ hunt for the perpetrator of the massive crop fire that Samson caused with the foxes (Judges 15:4-5). – Their first instinct is blame-finding, not self-examination—a pattern seen whenever the ungodly suffer loss (cf. Genesis 3:12-13; Proverbs 28:13). – In contrast to their alarm, God is calmly unfolding His deliverance plan for Israel that He had announced before Samson’s birth (Judges 13:5). the Philistines demanded. – “Demanded” reflects the domineering spirit of an oppressor nation that had ruled Israel for forty years (Judges 13:1). – The urgency shows how deeply Samson’s act struck their pride and economy—foreshadowing later Philistine alarm at David’s victories (1 Samuel 5:8; 1 Samuel 18:8). – It also highlights how human authorities often act swiftly when their own interests are threatened, yet ignore greater moral concerns (Luke 23:24-25). It was Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, they were told. – Samson’s identity is tied to his Philistine marriage (Judges 14:1-3), reminding us that personal choices may entangle believers with ungodly systems. – Being called “son-in-law” underscores the broken covenant that fuels this conflict (Ecclesiastes 5:4-6). – God had ordained that this very relationship become a wedge to strike the Philistines (Judges 14:4); His sovereignty over human entanglements echoes Romans 8:28. For his wife was given to his companion. – The phrase points back to Samson’s father-in-law handing the bride to the “best man” after Samson stormed off (Judges 14:20). – Such betrayal inflames righteous jealousy (Proverbs 6:34) and becomes the human cause behind Samson’s vengeance. – It exposes Philistine treachery and contrasts with God’s faithful covenant love (Hosea 2:19-20; 2 Timothy 2:13). So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death. – The Philistines answer Samson’s fire with an even darker fire—fulfilling the very threat they had earlier leveled against her if she failed to solve the riddle (Judges 14:15). – Their brutality fulfills the principle, “With the measure you use, it will be measured back to you” (Matthew 7:2; Galatians 6:7). – The event underlines the escalating cycle of vengeance when sin rules—a cycle only broken by divine deliverance (Romans 12:19-21). – The tragedy also sets the stage for Samson’s next strike (Judges 15:7-8), keeping God’s promise of deliverance moving forward (Judges 13:5; Hebrews 11:32-34). summary Judges 15:6 records a grim turning point: Philistines, enraged by Samson’s crop-burning, trace the act to him through his compromised Philistine marriage. Their reaction—burning his wife and her father—reveals the cruelty of sin, the irony of threats turned on the threateners, and God’s sovereign use of even tragic circumstances to judge oppressors and advance His deliverance of Israel. |
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