Judges 15:8

Judges 15:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam.
• New International Version (NIV)He attacked them viciously and slaughtered many of them. Then he went down and stayed in a cave in the rock of Etam.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And he struck them hip and thigh with a great blow, and he went down and stayed in the cleft of the rock of Etam.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So he attacked them hip and thigh with a great slaughter; then he went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock of Etam.

Context of Judges 15:8

6The Philistines asked, ‘Who did this?’ People said to them, ‘It was Samson, the man who married the young woman in Timnah. He did it because her father gave her to Samson's special friend instead of Samson.’ So the Philistines went and burned the man and his daughter to death. 7Samson said to them, ‘Because you have done this, I will punish you. I will not stop until your punishment is complete.’ He attacked them with great strength. He killed many of them. After that, Samson went to live in a cave in the rock of Etam. 9The Philistine army went to attack Judah. They made their camp near Lehi and they prepared to fight. 10The men of Judah asked them, ‘Why have you come to attack us?’ The Philistines replied, ‘We have come to catch Samson and take him as our prisoner. We need to punish him in the same way that he has punished us.’

Judges 15:8 word by word

וַיַּ֨ךְ אוֹתָ֥ם שׁ֛וֹק עַל־יָרֵ֖ךְ מַכָּ֣ה גְדוֹלָ֑ה וַיֵּ֣רֶד וַיֵּ֔שֶׁב בִּסְעִ֖יף סֶ֥לַע עֵיטָֽם׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And he smoteנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
• them hipשׁוֹקshôq · legH7785
• andעַל‛al · uponH5921
• thighיָרֵךְyârêk · thighH3409
• with a greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
• slaughterמַכָּהmakkâh makkeh · woundH4347
• and he went downיָרַדyârad · to go downH3381
• and dweltיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• in the topסָעִיףsâ‛îyph · cleftH5585
• of the rockסֶ֫לַעsela‛ · cragH5553
• Etamעֵיטָם‛êyţâm · EtamH5862

Cross-references for Judges 15:8

• Isaiah 25:10The Lord's power will bless this mountain. He will knock down Moab's people and he will walk all over them. He will walk on them, as if they are straw in a heap of dung.
• Isaiah 63:3He says, ‘I have walked on the grapes alone. Nobody from the nations came to help me. I walked on them because I was angry. I squeezed them to pieces in my anger. Their blood splashed on my clothes, and it made all my clothes dirty.

Commentaries on Judges 15:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8He smote them hip and thigh - This also is variously understood; but the general meaning seems plain; he appears to have had no kind of defensive weapon, therefore he was obliged to grapple with them, and, according to the custom of wrestlers, trip up their feet, and then bruise them to death. Some translate heaps upon heaps; others, he smote horsemen and footmen; others, he wounded them from their legs to their thighs, etc., etc. See the different…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8Hip and thigh - A proverbial expression of doubtful origin, meaning all the “great” and “mighty,” all the choice pieces like the thigh and shoulder. In the top of the rock - Rather, “the cleft of the rock.” These clefts of the rock were the natural fortresses and hiding places of the land. (Isaiah 2:21; Isaiah 57:5. Compare 1 Samuel 13:6; 1 Kings 18:13.) Etam - Not the same as the place in the territory of Simeon 1 Chronicles 4:32. Its situation is…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6-10The cycle of revenge was complex (see Judges 9:7–21). First, Samson sought revenge on the Philistine community, not his in-laws. Then, the Philistines recognized Samson as a victim of injustice (see study note on Judges 14:20) and retaliated against his in-laws. This prompted Samson to avenge his in-laws by attacking the Philistines. This series of events nearly led to a war with Israel. God was starting to rescue Israel through Samson (Judges 13:5; see 1…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. smote them hip and thigh--a proverbial expression for a merciless slaughter. he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam--rather went down and dwelt in the cleft--that is, the cave or cavern of the cliff Etam.Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 15:8

• Etam
• Revenge
• Samson

In the dictionaries

• Displeasure
• Etam
• Fast
• Hip
• Samson
• Visit
• Israel, History of
• Judges, Book of
• Judges, Period of
• Palestine

Commentaries on Judges 15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings