Judges 16:3

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

1Once Samson went to Gaza and eyed a prostitute there, so he went to her. 2The Gazites were told, “Samson has come here.” So they surrounded him, lay in ambush for him all night at the gate of the city, and kept quiet all night saying, “When morning light comes, then we kill him.” But Samson lay in bed till midnight, got up at midnight, grabbed the doors of the city gate along with the two gateposts and pulled them up bar and all. Then he put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is near Hebron. 4It came about afterward that he fell in love with a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. 5So the Philistine lords came up to her and said to her, “Coax him, see where his great strength comes from and by what we may overpower him, so we may bind him to subdue him—then we’ll each of us give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”

Judges 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 shattered bronze gates, and broke into pieces iron bars.
• Isaiah 63:1“Who is this coming from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Bozrah? This One splendid in His apparel, pressing forward in His great might?” “It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”
• Micah 2:13One breaking through will go up before them. They will break through, pass through the gate and go out by it. Their King will pass through before them —Adonai at their head!”
• Acts 2:24But God raised Him up, releasing Him from the pains of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held by it.

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

• Friends
• Miracles
• Samson

In the dictionaries

• Hebron
• Samson
• Doors
• Feel
• Fenced cities
• Gate
• Gaza
• Mock
• Quiet
• Sport

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