New English Translation
Judges 15:11
11Three thousand men of Judah went down to the cave in the cliff of Etam and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? Why have you done this to us?” He said to them, “I have only done to them what they have done to me.”
Judges 15:11 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.
- New International Version (NIV)Then three thousand men from Judah went down to the cave in the rock of Etam and said to Samson, “Don’t you realize that the Philistines are rulers over us? What have you done to us?” He answered, “I merely did to them what they did to me.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then 3,000 men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, "Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?" And he said to them, "As they did to me, so have I done to them."
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? What is this you have done to us?” And he said to them, “As they did to me, so I have done to them.”
Context of Judges 15:11
9The Philistines went up and invaded Judah. They arrayed themselves for battle in Lehi. 10The men of Judah said, “Why are you attacking us?” The Philistines said, “We have come up to take Samson prisoner so we can do to him what he has done to us.” Three thousand men of Judah went down to the cave in the cliff of Etam and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? Why have you done this to us?” He said to them, “I have only done to them what they have done to me.” 12They said to him, “We have come down to take you prisoner so we can hand you over to the Philistines.” Samson said to them, “Promise me you will not kill me.” 13They said to him, “We promise! We will only take you prisoner and hand you over to them. We promise not to kill you.” They tied him up with two brand new ropes and led him up from the cliff.
Read all of Judges 15Judges 15:11 word by word
וַיֵּרְד֡וּ שְׁלֹשֶׁת֩ אֲלָפִ֨ים אִ֜ישׁ מִֽיהוּדָ֗ה אֶל־סְעִיף֮ סֶ֣לַע עֵיטָם֒ וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ לְשִׁמְשׁ֗וֹן הֲלֹ֤א יָדַ֙עְתָּ֙ כִּֽי־מֹשְׁלִ֥ים בָּ֙נוּ֙ פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים וּמַה־זֹּ֖את עָשִׂ֣יתָ לָּ֑נוּ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֔ם כַּאֲשֶׁר֙ עָ֣שׂוּ לִ֔י כֵּ֖ן עָשִׂ֥יתִי לָהֶֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Then threeשָׁלֹשׁshâlôsh shâlôsh shelôshâh shelôshâh · threeH7969
- thousandאֶ֫לֶף'eleph · thousandH505
- menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- of Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
- wentיָרַדyârad · to go downH3381
- to the topסָעִיףsâ‛îyph · cleftH5585
- of the rockסֶ֫לַעsela‛ · cragH5553
- Etamעֵיטָם‛êyţâm · EtamH5862
- and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- to Samsonשִׁמְשׁוֹןshimshôn · SamsonH8123
- Knowestיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- thou not that the Philistinesפְּלִשְׁתִּיpelishtîy · PhilistineH6430
- rulersמָשַׁלmâshal · to ruleH4910
- thou hast doneעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
Cross-references for Judges 15:11
- 1 Chronicles 4:32Their settlements also included Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan – five towns.
- Judges 13:1The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines for forty years.
- Judges 14:4Now his father and mother did not realize this was the Lord’s doing, because he was looking for an opportunity to stir up trouble with the Philistines (for at that time the Philistines were ruling Israel).
- Deuteronomy 28:13The Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always end up at the top and not at the bottom, if you obey his commandments which I am urging you today to be careful to do.
- Psalms 106:41He handed them over to the nations, and those who hated them ruled over them.
Commentaries on Judges 15:11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11Three thousand men of Judah went - It appears evidently from this that Samson was strongly posted, and they thought that no less than three thousand men were necessary to reduce him.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11The dispirited men of Judah were prepared to give up their champion, in order to conciliate their masters. This shows how hard was the task of the Judge, whose office it was to restore his countrymen to freedom and independence.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-17Verses 9-17 Sin dispirits men, it hides from their eyes the things that belong to their peace. The Israelites blamed Samson for what he had done against the Philistines, as if he had done them a great injury. Thus our Lord Jesus did many good works, and for those the Jews were ready to stone him. When the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson, his cords were loosed: where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, and those are free indeed who are thus…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11The tribe of Judah missed a chance to end Philistine rule. They seemed willing to live under foreign control. We can only imagine what might have happened if the Judeans had fully followed the Lord’s covenant, which instructed them to take the land and drive out its inhabitants (see study note on Judges 1:1).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 9-139-17. Then the Philistines went up--to the high land of Judah. and spread themselves in Lehi--now El-Lekieh, abounding with limestone cliffs; the sides of which are perforated with caves. The object of the Philistines in this expedition was to apprehend Samson, in revenge for the great slaughter he had committed on their people. With a view of freeing his own countrymen from all danger from the infuriated Philistines, he allowed himself to be bound and…Read the comment
Topics related to Judges 15:11
In the dictionaries
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
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