New International Version
Judges 16:2
2The people of Gaza were told, “Samson is here!” So they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They made no move during the night, saying, “At dawn we’ll kill him.”
Judges 16:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The Gazites were told, "Samson has come here." And they surrounded the place and set an ambush for him all night at the gate of the city. They kept quiet all night, saying, "Let us wait till the light of the morning; then we will kill him."
- New King James Version (NKJV)When the Gazites were told, “Samson has come here!” they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. They were quiet all night, saying, “In the morning, when it is daylight, we will kill him.”
- New Living Translation (NLT)Word soon spread that Samson was there, so the men of Gaza gathered together and waited all night at the town gates. They kept quiet during the night, saying to themselves, “When the light of morning comes, we will kill him.”
Context of Judges 16:2
1One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her. The people of Gaza were told, “Samson is here!” So they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They made no move during the night, saying, “At dawn we’ll kill him.” 3But 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. 4Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah.
Read all of Judges 16Judges 16:2 word by word
לַֽעַזָּתִ֣ים׀ לֵאמֹ֗ר בָּ֤א שִׁמְשׁוֹן֙ הֵ֔נָּה וַיָּסֹ֛בּוּ וַיֶּאֶרְבוּ־ל֥וֹ כָל־הַלַּ֖יְלָה בְּשַׁ֣עַר הָעִ֑יר וַיִּתְחָרְשׁ֤וּ כָל־הַלַּ֙יְלָה֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר עַד־א֥וֹר הַבֹּ֖קֶר וַהֲרְגְנֻֽהוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- the Gazitesעַזָּתִי‛azzâthîy · GazaH5841
- sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Samsonשִׁמְשׁוֹןshimshôn · SamsonH8123
- is comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- inסָבַבsâbab · to turn: surroundH5437
- and laid waitאָרַב'ârab · to ambushH693
- for him all nightלַ֫יְלָהlayil lêyl layelâh · nightH3915
- in the gateשַׁ֫עַרsha‛ar · gateH8179
- of the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- and were quietחָרֵשׁchârash · be quietH2790
- In the morningבֹּ֫קֶרbôqer · morningH1242
- when it is dayאוֹר'ôr · lightH216
- we shall killהָרַגhârag · to killH2026
Cross-references for Judges 16:2
- 1 Samuel 19:11Saul sent men to David’s house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, warned him, “If you don’t run for your life tonight, tomorrow you’ll be killed.”
- 1 Samuel 23:26Saul was going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side, hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his forces were closing in on David and his men to capture them,
- Psalms 118:10All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
- Acts 9:24but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him.
- 2 Corinthians 11:32In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me.
- Judges 15:18Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the Lord, “You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”
- Matthew 21:38“But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’
- Matthew 27:1Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed.
- Acts 23:15Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here.”
Commentaries on Judges 16:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2They compassed him in - They shut up all the avenues, secured the gates, and set persons in ambush near them, that they might attack him on his leaving the city early the next morning.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-3During that time, city gates were locked at night to stop anyone from entering or leaving. The men of the city, seeing the gates locked, likely slept in a gatehouse. They planned to continue their watch in the morning.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-31-2. Gaza--now Guzzah, the capital of the largest of the five Philistine principal cities, about fifteen miles southwest of Ashkelon. The object of this visit to this city is not recorded, and unless he had gone in disguise, it was a perilous exposure of his life in one of the enemy's strongholds. It soon became known that he was there; and it was immediately resolved to secure him. But deeming themselves certain of their prey, the Gazites deferred the…Read the comment
Topics related to Judges 16:2
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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