Judges 15:16

Judges 15:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.
• New International Version (NIV)Then Samson said, “With a donkey’s jawbone I have made donkeys of them. With a donkey’s jawbone I have killed a thousand men.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And Samson said, "With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone of a donkey have I struck down a thousand men."
• New Living Translation (NLT)Then Samson said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, I’ve piled them in heaps! With the jawbone of a donkey, I’ve killed a thousand men!”

Context of Judges 15:16

14When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him. Then the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him; and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands. 15He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and killed a thousand men with it. Then Samson said: “With the jawbone of a donkey, Heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men!” 17And so it was, when he had finished speaking, that he threw the jawbone from his hand, and called that place Ramath Lehi. 18Then he became very thirsty; so he cried out to the Lord and said, “You have given this great deliverance by the hand of Your servant; and now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?”

Judges 15:16 word by word

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שִׁמְשׁ֔וֹן בִּלְחִ֣י הַחֲמ֔וֹר חֲמ֖וֹר חֲמֹרָתָ֑יִם בִּלְחִ֣י הַחֲמ֔וֹר הִכֵּ֖יתִי אֶ֥לֶף אִֽישׁ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Samsonשִׁמְשׁוֹןshimshôn · SamsonH8123
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• With the jawboneלְחִיlechîy · jawH3895
• of an assחֲמוֹרchămôr chămôr · donkeyH2543
• heapsחֲמוֹרchămôrâh · heapH2565
• have I slainנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
• a thousandאֶ֫לֶף'eleph · thousandH505
• menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376

People and places in Judges 15:16

• Samson

Commentaries on Judges 15:16

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16There is a play upon the word, three times repeated, which means both “an ass” and also “a heap.” The spirit of riddle-making Judges 14:12, Judges 14:18 is apparent in this song of triumph (compare Judges 5:1; Exodus 15:1; 1 Samuel 18:6-7).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. 16Like other warrior-heroes such as Moses, Deborah, and David, Samson celebrated his victory with poetry. He used a short couplet that combined colorful speech with wordplay. The Hebrew word "lekhi" means both "Lehi" (Judges 15:9) and "jawbone." Similarly, "heaps" and "donkey" share the Hebrew word "khamor." piled them into heaps: Or made donkeys of them.Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 15:16

• Ass (Donkey)
• Lehi
• Samson

In the dictionaries

• Samson
• Displeasure
• Fast
• Hip
• Lehi
• Ramathlehi
• Visit
• Ass
• Heap
• Israel, History of

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