New King James Version
Judges 16:2
2When 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.”
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.
- New International Version (NIV)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.”
- 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 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
1Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her. 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.” 3And Samson lay low till midnight; then he arose at midnight, took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two gateposts, pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron. 4Afterward it happened that he loved 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 also sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and to kill him in the morning. And Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.”
- 1 Samuel 23:26Then Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. So David made haste to get away from Saul, for Saul and his men were encircling David and his men to take them.
- Psalms 118:10All nations surrounded me, But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.
- Acts 9:24But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him.
- 2 Corinthians 11:32In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me;
- Judges 15:18Then 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?”
- Matthew 21:38But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’
- Matthew 27:1When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death.
- Acts 23:15Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries