Judges 14:11

Judges 14:11 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.
• New International Version (NIV)When the people saw him, they chose thirty men to be his companions.
• English Standard Version (ESV)As soon as the people saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And it happened, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.

Context of Judges 14:11

9He scooped some of the honey into his hands and ate it along the way. He also gave some to his father and mother, and they ate it. But he didn’t tell them he had taken the honey from the carcass of the lion. 10As his father was making final arrangements for the marriage, Samson threw a party at Timnah, as was the custom for elite young men. When the bride’s parents saw him, they selected thirty young men from the town to be his companions. 12Samson said to them, “Let me tell you a riddle. If you solve my riddle during these seven days of the celebration, I will give you thirty fine linen robes and thirty sets of festive clothing. 13But if you can’t solve it, then you must give me thirty fine linen robes and thirty sets of festive clothing.” “All right,” they agreed, “let’s hear your riddle.”

Judges 14:11 word by word

וַיְהִ֖י כִּרְאוֹתָ֣ם אוֹת֑וֹ וַיִּקְחוּ֙ שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים מֵֽרֵעִ֔ים וַיִּהְי֖וּ אִתּֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And it came to pass, when they sawרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• him, that they broughtלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
• thirtyשְׁלֹשִׁיםshelôshîym shelôshîym · thirtyH7970
• companionsמֵרֵעַmêrêa‛ · companionH4828

Cross-references for Judges 14:11

• 1 Samuel 10:23So they found him and brought him out, and he stood head and shoulders above anyone else.
• 1 Samuel 16:6When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!”
• Matthew 9:15Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
• John 3:29It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the bridegroom’s friend is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success.

Commentaries on Judges 14:11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11They brought thirty companions - These are called in Scripture children of the bride-chamber, and friends of the bridegroom. See the whole of this subject particularly illustrated in the observations at the end of John 3:25; (note).Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11Thirty companions - These were “the children of the bride-chamber” (Matthew 9:15; see Judges 14:20). From the number of them it may be inferred that Samson‘s family was of some wealth and importance.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-20Verses 10-20 Samson's riddle literally meant no more than that he had got honey, for food and for pleasure, from the lion, which in its strength and fury was ready to devour him. But the victory of Christ over Satan, by means of his humiliation, agonies, and death, and the exaltation that followed to him, with the glory thence to the Father, and spiritual advantages to his people, seem directly alluded to. And even death, that devouring monster, being…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11The reason for thirty companions is unclear (compare 2 Samuel 23:13). Men, a word that usually means “friends,” might add irony here (Judges 14:12–20).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 10-1110-11. his father went down--The father is mentioned as the head and representative of Samson's relatives. Samson made there a feast--The wedding festivity lasted a week. The men and women were probably entertained in separate apartments--the bride, with her female relatives, at her parents' house; Samson, in some place obtained for the occasion, as he was a stranger. A large number of paranymphs, or "friends of the bridegroom," furnished, no doubt, by…Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 14:11

• Bridegroom
• Samson

In the dictionaries

• Change
• Plow
• Put
• Riddle
• Samson
• Swarm
• Timnath
• Dan (1); Dan, Tribe of
• Dark Sayings
• Israel, History of

Commentaries on Judges 14

• 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
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings