What is the meaning of Judges 15:8? And he struck them ruthlessly Samson’s response to the Philistines is immediate and forceful. Having vowed in Judges 15:7 to avenge their cruelty, he now fulfills that promise. His action is not impulsive rage but the divinely empowered deliverance God had begun to work through him (Judges 14:4; 14:19). Scripture often depicts God raising up a deliverer who meets oppression head-on—compare Ehud in Judges 3:15–30 or David facing Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:45–47. Samson’s ruthlessness underlines that he is God’s appointed judge, wielding God’s judgment against Israel’s enemies (Exodus 15:3; Psalm 18:34). with a great slaughter The phrase highlights both scale and finality. • Earlier, Samson had killed thirty Philistines at Ashkelon (Judges 14:19); here the text stresses an even broader defeat. • Soon after, he will slay a thousand more with the jawbone of a donkey (Judges 15:15). The pattern shows escalating victories that weaken Philistine dominance and remind Israel that “salvation belongs to the LORD” (Psalm 3:8). Such “great slaughters” recur throughout Judges (e.g., Gideon in Judges 8:10; Jephthah in Judges 11:33), each time reaffirming that God’s power is not limited by the number or strength of the enemy (1 Samuel 14:6). and then went down The physical descent signals a strategic withdrawal, not defeat. Samson often “goes down” after major exploits—he went down to Ashkelon (Judges 14:19) and later goes down to Gaza (Judges 16:1). By moving away, he avoids immediate retaliation and positions himself for God’s next assignment. The pattern fits biblical wisdom that there is “a time to fight and a time to refrain” (Ecclesiastes 3:8). and stayed in the cave at the rock of Etam • Caves regularly serve as refuges for God’s servants—David at Adullam (1 Samuel 22:1), Elijah at Horeb (1 Kings 19:9). • The “rock of Etam” provides both physical shelter and symbolic assurance: God Himself is the believer’s rock (Psalm 18:2). Samson may appear isolated, yet he is exactly where the Lord wants him, preparing for the next deliverance recorded in Judges 15:9-20. Even in hiding, God’s purposes advance, echoing Hebrews 11:32, which lists Samson among the faithful who “conquered kingdoms” by faith. summary Judges 15:8 portrays Samson fulfilling his vow of vengeance with decisive, Spirit-empowered judgment on the Philistines, executing a “great slaughter” that weakens enemy oppression. His subsequent retreat to the cave at Etam is a tactical pause in God’s ongoing plan, illustrating that the Lord provides both victory and refuge for His chosen deliverer. |
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