God’s Word Translation
Judges 16:3
3But Samson was in bed ⌞with the prostitute⌟ only until midnight. Then he got up, took hold of the doors, door posts, and bar of the city gate and pulled them out. He carried them on his shoulders to the top of the hill facing Hebron.
Judges 16:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.
- New International Version (NIV)But Samson lay there only until the middle of the night. Then he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate, together with the two posts, and tore them loose, bar and all. He lifted them to his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.
- English Standard Version (ESV)But Samson lay till midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts, and pulled them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that is in front of Hebron.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And Samson lay low till midnight; then he arose at midnight, took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two gateposts, pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.
Context of Judges 16:3
1Samson went to Gaza. There he saw a prostitute and slept with her. 2The people of Gaza were told, “Samson’s here!” So they surrounded the place and waited all night at the city gate to ambush him. They were quiet all night. They thought, “We’ll kill him at dawn.” But Samson was in bed ⌞with the prostitute⌟ only until midnight. Then he got up, took hold of the doors, door posts, and bar of the city gate and pulled them out. He carried them on his shoulders to the top of the hill facing Hebron. 4After ⌞leaving Gaza⌟, he fell in love with a woman in the Sorek Valley. Her name was Delilah. 5The 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.”
Read all of Judges 16Judges 16:3 word by word
וַיִּשְׁכַּ֣ב שִׁמְשׁוֹן֮ עַד־חֲצִ֣י הַלַּיְלָה֒ וַיָּ֣קָם׀ בַּחֲצִ֣י הַלַּ֗יְלָה וַיֶּאֱחֹ֞ז בְּדַלְת֤וֹת שַֽׁעַר־הָעִיר֙ וּבִשְׁתֵּ֣י הַמְּזוּז֔וֹת וַיִּסָּעֵם֙ עִֽם־הַבְּרִ֔יחַ וַיָּ֖שֶׂם עַל־כְּתֵפָ֑יו וַֽיַּעֲלֵם֙ אֶל־רֹ֣אשׁ הָהָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־פְּנֵ֥י חֶבְרֽוֹן׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Samsonשִׁמְשׁוֹןshimshôn · SamsonH8123
- layשָׁכַבshâkab · to lie down: sleepH7901
- till midnightלַ֫יְלָהlayil lêyl layelâh · nightH3915
- till midnightחֲצִיchêtsîy · halfH2677
- and aroseקוּםqûm · to arise: riseH6965
- and tookאָחַז'âchaz · to graspH270
- the doorsדֶּ֫לֶתdeleth · doorH1817
- of the gateשַׁ֫עַרsha‛ar · gateH8179
- of the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- and the twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
- postsמְזוּזָהmezûzâh mezûzâh · doorpostH4201
- and went awayנָסַעnâsa‛ · to set outH5265
- with them, barבְּרִיחַberîyach · barH1280
- and all, and putשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: putH7760
- upon his shouldersכָּתֵףkâthêph · shoulderH3802
- and carried them upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: establishH5927
- to the topרֹאשׁrô'sh · head: topH7218
- of an hillהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
- beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- Hebronחֶבְרוֹןchebrôn · HebronH2275
Cross-references for Judges 16:3
- Psalms 107:16He shattered bronze gates and cut iron bars in two.
- Isaiah 63:1Who is this coming from Bozrah in Edom with his clothes stained bright red? Who is this dressed in splendor, going forward with great strength? “It is I, the Lord. I am coming to announce my victory. I am powerful enough to save ⌞you⌟.”
- Micah 2:13⌞The Lord⌟ will open the way and lead them. They will break out, go through the gate, and leave. Their king will travel in front of them. The Lord will lead the people.
- Acts 2:24But God brought him from death back to life and destroyed the pains of death, because death had no power to hold him.
Commentaries on Judges 16:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Took the doors of the gate - Though Samson was a very strong man, yet we do not find that he was a giant; consequently we may conjecture that the gates of the city were not very large, as he took at once the doors, the two posts, and the bar, with him. The cities of those days would appear to disadvantage among modern villages. A hill - before Hebron - Possibly there were two Hebrons; it could not be the city generally understood by the word Hebron, as…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Instead of forcing the doors open, he tore the posts up, as it were, by the roots, with the barred doors attached to them. The word rendered “went away with them,” means “to pluck up the tent-pins,” and hence, “to remove.” The present town of Gaza (Ghuzzeh) is an open town, without gates or walls, but the sites of the ancient gates still remain visible. One of these, on the southeast, is shown as the gate carried off by Samson. A partially-isolated hill…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3Samson lifted the entire gate system, which was six to twelve feet wide, and carried it to the hills across from Hebron, a town about forty miles away. Samson embarrassed the Philistines but did not defeat them.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. Samson ... arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city--A ruinous pile of masonry is still pointed out as the site of the gate. It was probably a part of the town wall, and as this ruin is "toward Hebron," there is no improbability in the tradition. carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron--That hill is El-Montar; but by Hebron in this passage is meant "the mountains of Hebron"; for otherwise Samson, had he run…Read the comment
Topics related to Judges 16:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Judges 16
- 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
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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