New International Version
Judges 15:2
2“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.”
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.
- 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.”
- New Living Translation (NLT)“I truly thought you must hate her,” her father explained, “so I gave her in marriage to your best man. But look, her younger sister is even more beautiful than she is. Marry her instead.”
Context of Judges 15:2
1Later on, at the time of wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat and went to visit his wife. He said, “I’m going to my wife’s room.” But her father would not let him go in. “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.” 3Samson said to them, “This time I have a right to get even with the Philistines; I will really harm them.” 4So he went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails,
Read all of Judges 15Judges 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 14:16Then Samson’s wife threw herself on him, sobbing, “You hate me! You don’t really love me. You’ve given my people a riddle, but you haven’t told me the answer.” “I haven’t even explained it to my father or mother,” he replied, “so why should I explain it to you?”
- Acts 26:9“I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
- Judges 14:20And Samson’s wife was given to one of his companions who had attended him at the feast.
- Genesis 38:14she took off her widow’s clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife.
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
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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Commentaries