New Living Translation
Judges 16:3
3But Samson stayed in bed only until midnight. Then he got up, took hold of the doors of the town gate, including the two posts, and lifted them up, bar and all. He put them on his shoulders and carried them all the way to the top of the hill across from Hebron.
Judges 16:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.
- New International Version (NIV)But 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.
- English Standard Version (ESV)But Samson lay till midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts, and pulled them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that is in front of Hebron.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And 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.
Context of Judges 16:3
1One day Samson went to the Philistine town of Gaza and spent the night with a prostitute. 2Word 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.” But Samson stayed in bed only until midnight. Then he got up, took hold of the doors of the town gate, including the two posts, and lifted them up, bar and all. He put them on his shoulders and carried them all the way to the top of the hill across from Hebron. 4Some time later Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the valley of Sorek. 5The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice Samson to tell you what makes him so strong and how he can be overpowered and tied up securely. Then each of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”
Read all of Judges 16Judges 16:3 word by word
וַיִּשְׁכַּ֣ב שִׁמְשׁוֹן֮ עַד־חֲצִ֣י הַלַּיְלָה֒ וַיָּ֣קָם׀ בַּחֲצִ֣י הַלַּ֗יְלָה וַיֶּאֱחֹ֞ז בְּדַלְת֤וֹת שַֽׁעַר־הָעִיר֙ וּבִשְׁתֵּ֣י הַמְּזוּז֔וֹת וַיִּסָּעֵם֙ עִֽם־הַבְּרִ֔יחַ וַיָּ֖שֶׂם עַל־כְּתֵפָ֑יו וַֽיַּעֲלֵם֙ אֶל־רֹ֣אשׁ הָהָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־פְּנֵ֥י חֶבְרֽוֹן׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Samsonשִׁמְשׁוֹןshimshôn · SamsonH8123
- layשָׁכַבshâkab · to lie down: sleepH7901
- till midnightלַ֫יְלָהlayil lêyl layelâh · nightH3915
- till midnightחֲצִיchêtsîy · halfH2677
- and aroseקוּםqûm · to arise: riseH6965
- and tookאָחַז'âchaz · to graspH270
- the doorsדֶּ֫לֶתdeleth · doorH1817
- of the gateשַׁ֫עַרsha‛ar · gateH8179
- of the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- and the twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
- postsמְזוּזָהmezûzâh mezûzâh · doorpostH4201
- and went awayנָסַעnâsa‛ · to set outH5265
- with them, barבְּרִיחַberîyach · barH1280
- and all, and putשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: putH7760
- upon his shouldersכָּתֵףkâthêph · shoulderH3802
- and carried them upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: establishH5927
- to the topרֹאשׁrô'sh · head: topH7218
- of an hillהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
- beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- Hebronחֶבְרוֹןchebrôn · HebronH2275
Cross-references for Judges 16:3
- Psalms 107:16For he broke down their prison gates of bronze; he cut apart their bars of iron.
- Isaiah 63:1Who is this who comes from Edom, from the city of Bozrah, with his clothing stained red? Who is this in royal robes, marching in his great strength? “It is I, the Lord, announcing your salvation! It is I, the Lord, who has the power to save!”
- Micah 2:13Your leader will break out and lead you out of exile, out through the gates of the enemy cities, back to your own land. Your king will lead you; the Lord himself will guide you.”
- Acts 2:24But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.
Commentaries on Judges 16:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Took the doors of the gate - Though Samson was a very strong man, yet we do not find that he was a giant; consequently we may conjecture that the gates of the city were not very large, as he took at once the doors, the two posts, and the bar, with him. The cities of those days would appear to disadvantage among modern villages. A hill - before Hebron - Possibly there were two Hebrons; it could not be the city generally understood by the word Hebron, as…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Instead of forcing the doors open, he tore the posts up, as it were, by the roots, with the barred doors attached to them. The word rendered “went away with them,” means “to pluck up the tent-pins,” and hence, “to remove.” The present town of Gaza (Ghuzzeh) is an open town, without gates or walls, but the sites of the ancient gates still remain visible. One of these, on the southeast, is shown as the gate carried off by Samson. A partially-isolated hill…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3Samson lifted the entire gate system, which was six to twelve feet wide, and carried it to the hills across from Hebron, a town about forty miles away. Samson embarrassed the Philistines but did not defeat them.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. Samson ... arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city--A ruinous pile of masonry is still pointed out as the site of the gate. It was probably a part of the town wall, and as this ruin is "toward Hebron," there is no improbability in the tradition. carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron--That hill is El-Montar; but by Hebron in this passage is meant "the mountains of Hebron"; for otherwise Samson, had he run…Read the comment
Topics related to Judges 16:3
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 Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries