New King James Version
Judges 15:2
2Her 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.”
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 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
1After a while, in the time of wheat harvest, it happened that Samson visited his wife with a young goat. And he said, “Let me go in to my wife, into her room.” But her father would not permit him to go in. 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.” 3And Samson said to them, “This time I shall be blameless regarding the Philistines if I harm them!” 4Then Samson went and caught three hundred foxes; and he took torches, turned the foxes tail to tail, and put a torch between each 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 wept on him, and said, “You only hate me! You do not love me! You have posed a riddle to the sons of my people, but you have not explained it to me.” And he said to her, “Look, I have not explained it to my father or my mother; so should I explain it to you?”
- Acts 26:9“Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
- Judges 14:20And Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.
- Genesis 38:14So she took off her widow’s garments, covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place which was on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as a 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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries