Judges 15:2

Judges 15:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.
• New International Version (NIV)“I was so sure you hated her,” he said, “that I gave her to your companion. Isn’t her younger sister more attractive? Take her instead.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And her father said, "I really thought that you utterly hated her, so I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her instead."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Her father said, “I really thought that you thoroughly hated her; therefore I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister better than she? Please, take her instead.”

Context of Judges 15:2

1Sometime later, during the wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat as a gift and went to visit his bride. He said to her father, “I want to have sex with my bride in her bedroom!” But her father would not let him enter. Her father said, “I really thought you absolutely despised her, so I gave her to your best man. Her younger sister is more attractive than she is. Take her instead!” 3Samson said to them, “This time I am justified in doing the Philistines harm!” 4Samson went and captured three hundred jackals and got some torches. He tied the jackals in pairs by their tails and then tied a torch to each pair.

Judges 15:2 word by word

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אָבִ֗יהָ אָמֹ֤ר אָמַ֙רְתִּי֙ כִּי־שָׂנֹ֣א שְׂנֵאתָ֔הּ וָאֶתְּנֶ֖נָּה לְמֵרֵעֶ֑ךָ הֲלֹ֨א אֲחֹתָ֤הּ הַקְּטַנָּה֙ טוֹבָ֣ה מִמֶּ֔נָּה תְּהִי־נָ֥א לְךָ֖ תַּחְתֶּֽיהָ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And her fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• that thou hadst utterlyשָׂנֵאώânê' · to hateH8130
• her; therefore I gaveנָתַןnâthan · to give: give(marriage)H5414
• her to thy companionמֵרֵעַmêrêa‛ · companionH4828
• not her youngerקָטָןqâţân qâţôn · smallH6996
• sisterאָחוֹת'âchôth · sisterH269
• fairerטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896

Cross-references for Judges 15:2

• Judges 14:16So Samson’s bride cried on his shoulder and said, “You must hate me; you do not love me! You told the young men a riddle, but you have not told me the solution.” He said to her, “Look, I have not even told my father or mother. Do you really expect me to tell you?”
• Acts 26:9Of course, I myself was convinced that it was necessary to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus the Nazarene.
• Judges 14:20Samson’s bride was then given to his best man.
• Genesis 38:14So she removed her widow’s clothes and covered herself with a veil. She wrapped herself and sat at the entrance to Enaim which is on the way to Timnah. (She did this because she saw that she had not been given to Shelah as a wife, even though he had now grown up.)

Commentaries on Judges 15:2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Thou hadst utterly hated her - As he was conscious she had given him great cause so to do. Her younger sister - The father appears to have been perfectly sincere in this offer.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2I gave her - In marriage. Samson had probably not heard of this before. Samson‘s father had paid the dowry for the older sister; her father therefore offers her sister in her room. The fear of Samson probably also influenced him.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2The father might have believed his daughter was abandoned (see study note on Judges 14:20). Offering the younger sister could have been his way to fix his betrayal.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her--This allegation was a mere sham, a flimsy pretext to excuse his refusal of admittance. The proposal he made of a marriage with her younger sister was but an insult to Samson, and one which it was unlawful for an Israelite to accept (Le 18:18).Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 15:2

• Samson

In the dictionaries

• Displeasure
• Fast
• Hip
• Samson
• Visit
• Israel, History of
• Judges, Book of
• Judges, Period of
• Shephelah
• Philistines

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