Three hundred foxes with firebrands between their tails burn the standing corn of the Philistines; at Lehi, with the jawbone of a donkey, Samson smites a thousand men — and God cleaves the hollow place, and water comes out.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
But it came to pass after a while, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said: ‘I will go in to my wife into the chamber.’ But her father would not suffer him to go in.
verse value 4680
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 80 letters. Notable word values: "her·father" (אָבִ֖יהָ) = 18, chai, 'life'. Verse gematria: 4680 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·it·was" (וַיְהִ֨י, 4 letters) and the longest is "harvest·of·wheat" (קְצִיר־חִטִּ֗ים, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "harvest·of·wheat" (קְצִיר־חִטִּ֗ים), "and·he·appointed" (וַיִּפְקֹ֨ד), "in·kid·of" (בִּגְדִ֣י). The root יום appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "and·it·was" (root היה, 120x in Judges); "to·burnt-offering" (root איל, 114x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'chamber', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 3 words.
Ralbag
And after this, in the days of wheat harvest, it was that Samson returned to visit his wife with a kid of the goats, and he thought to come to her. And her father told him that he had given her to his companion as a wife, thinking that he [Samson] had already hated her, and he wished to give him, to appease him, her younger sister, who was better than she. And Samson was indignant at this and wished to avenge himself on the Philistines, and he said that he is clean, if he does evil to them, and they cannot blame him for this, for it was justly his due to do evil to them for what they did against him in this deed.
Metzudat David
“With a kid of goats.” He mentions this in connection with bringing a young goat to her, as a gift:
“I will come, etc.” – to lie with her, to be with her.
Metzudat Zion
From days. From the end of days, or from the end of a year:
And he visited. The sense of remembrance and providence, as in (Exodus 3:17) 'I have surely visited [pakod pakadti]':
Malbim
"In the days of the wheat harvest." The Lord arranged that it would be at the time when the grain was standing in its stalks, and everything would be burned up.
And her father said: ‘I verily thought that you hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to your companion; is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray you, instead of her.’
verse value 5297
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 71 letters. Notable word values: "her·father" (אָבִ֗יהָ) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְךָ֖, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·gave·her" (וָאֶתְּנֶ֖נָּה, 6 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "that·surely" (כִּי־שָׂנֹ֣א), "you·hated·her" (שְׂנֵאתָ֔הּ), "and·I·gave·her" (וָאֶתְּנֶ֖נָּה). The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "let·her·be·now" (root היה, 120x in Judges); "not" (root לא, 77x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·your·companion', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Ralbag
And indeed Samson devised to do evil to them in this manner. And it is that he already captured three hundred foxes, and took torches and placed the front of tail to tail of the foxes, and tied between the tails one torch, and it is a wood in which fire is kindled easily. And on account of the slowness of the movement of the foxes, the fire was burning in every place through which they passed before they passed from it. And in this manner Samson set fire to the Philistines' standing grain, from the stack and to the standing grain and to the olive grove. Meaning, the field that is planted with olive trees like a vineyard, for on account of the slowness of the movement of the foxes in them, the fire burned in them before they passed from them. And when the Philistines knew that Samson did this on account of what his wife's father did against him, and they wished to avenge themselves on his wife's father and on his wife, and they were not indignant against Samson, for it was already clarified to them that in justice he did what he did.
Metzudat David
"For you utterly hated her." In my seeing that you were angry because she had revealed your secret:
Metzudat Zion
In her stead. In her place:
Malbim
She is better than her. This is an allusion to the fact that his wife had cast her eyes upon others, whereas the younger one will be yours alone.
And Samson said to them: ‘This time shall I be quits with the Philistines, when I do them a mischief.’
verse value 3584
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "of·Philistines" (מִפְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "I·am·innocent" (נִקֵּ֥יתִי). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "when·doing" (root עשה, 87x in Judges); "with" (root עם, 79x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'of·Philistines', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + לָהֶם֙ [to·them] (75) + שִׁמְשׁ֔וֹן [Samson] (696) + נִקֵּ֥יתִי [I·am·innocent] (570) + הַפַּ֖עַם [stroke] (195) + מִפְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים [of·Philistines] (900) + כִּי־עֹשֶׂ֥ה [when·doing] (405) + אֲנִ֛י [I] (61) + עִמָּ֖ם [with] (150) + רָעָֽה [evil] (275) = 3584.
Rashi
"I have cleared myself this time." It is right that I do them evil:
Radak
"I am innocent this time. This time I am innocent of them, for I will do evil to them in justice."
Metzudat David
"I am innocent..." This time I shall be innocent regarding the Philistines, in that I will do them evil, for they will not hold it against me as a guilt, because it is fitting to do evil to them.
Malbim
"I am absolved this time." For surely the marriage was conducted publicly, so why did they not object to giving a married woman to another man?!
And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turned tail to tail, and put a torch in the midst between every two tails.
verse value 4761
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 75 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָ֛ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). Verse gematria: 4761 = 69². The shortest word is "tail" (זָנָב֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "three·hundred" (שְׁלֹשׁ־מֵא֣וֹת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 124: and·took, torch. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "foxes" (שׁוּעָלִ֑ים), "torches" (לַפִּדִ֗ים), "tail" (זָנָב֙). The root לפיד appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·tail" (root איל, 114x in Judges); "and·went" (root הלך, 109x in Judges); "between·year" (root בין, 50x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'foxes', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 11 words.
Rashi
"And he turned." "The tails, tail to tail, and he turned": This implies that he himself turned (Exodus 32:15). "And he turned" implies that he caused others to turn. This is the usage of every word whose verb-root ends in a heh: (Exodus 1:20) "And the people increased"; (Lamentations 2:5) "And He increased mourning in the daughter of Judah"; (2 Kings 25:21) "Judah went into exile from its land," meaning it was exiled; (2 Kings 18:11) "And the king of Assyria carried Israel away to Assyria," meaning he exiled them.
Radak
"Foxes." Why foxes? Because it is the custom of the fox to turn back behind itself. Therefore, the torch was attached between the two tails, because each of them would turn back behind itself and would not separate from its companion. Consequently, the torch remained attached to them. Had it not been so, one would have gone forward and the other forward, and the torch would have fallen between them. Our Sages of blessed memory expounded: Why specifically foxes? Samson said, "Let a fox, which turns back behind itself, come and take vengeance on the Philistines who reneged on their oath"—that being the oath of Abimelech to Abraham.
"And the tail turned to the tail." It is from the hif'il conjugation, for it is written with six dots.
Metzudat Zion
Torches. So is called the stick to which a flame is attached, so too (Isaiah 62:1) 'like a torch it shall burn,' and he called them after their end, for when he ignited the fire in them they became torches:
And he turned. He turned aside:
In the midst. In the middle, as in (Numbers 35:5) 'and the city in the midst':
Malbim
"Between the two tails, within." He hinted to them that he thus placed a torch between two "friends," just as one says, "Can a man carry fire in his lap," etc., so is it with one who comes to his fellow's wife.
And when he had set the torches on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks and the standing corn, and also the oliveyards.
verse value 4154
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "olive" (זָֽיִת, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·kindled·fire" (וַיַּבְעֶר־אֵשׁ֙, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·he·kindled·fire" (וַיַּבְעֶר־אֵשׁ֙), "in·the·torches" (בַּלַּפִּידִ֔ים), "in·standing-grain·of" (בְּקָמ֣וֹת). The root בער appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·unto·standing·grain" (root קום, 43x in Judges); "and·sent" (root שלח, 38x in Judges); "Philistine" (root פלשתי, 28x in Judges). First appearance of the root בער ("and·he·kindled·fire") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Philistine', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיַּבְעֶר־אֵשׁ֙ [and·he·kindled·fire] (589) + בַּלַּפִּידִ֔ים [in·the·torches] (176) + וַיְשַׁלַּ֖ח [and·sent] (354) + בְּקָמ֣וֹת [in·standing-grain·of] (548) + פְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים [Philistine] (860) + וַיַּבְעֵ֛ר [and·he·burned] (288) + מִגָּדִ֥ישׁ [from·heap] (357) + וְעַד־קָמָ֖ה [and·unto·standing·grain] (225) + וְעַד־כֶּ֥רֶם [and·until·vineyard] (340) + זָֽיִת [olive] (417) = 4154.
Radak
"And up to the olive grove." "And up to the vineyard and up to the olive trees"—all of it was burned. And the Targum [renders]: "ועד כרמיא ועד זיתיא" ["and up to the vineyards and up to the olive trees"]. And one may explain that "vineyard" is adjacent to "olive," and it is called "olive grove" [kerem zayit]—referring to olive trees planted together in large numbers, just as a plantation of vines planted together in large numbers is called a "vineyard." And likewise our Sages of blessed memory said: [An olive grove called] "kerem zayit" is termed a "vineyard," but [an olive tree mentioned] without specification is not termed a "vineyard."
Metzudat David
And he sent. He let them loose on their own, among the standing grain.
Metzudat Zion
In the stalks. It is the grain still attached to the ground:
From a stack. Harvested grain placed one upon another:
An olive orchard. A grove of olive trees:
Then the Philistines said: ‘Who has done this?’ And they said: ‘Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife, and given her to his companion.’ And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.
verse value 8700
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 92 letters. Verse gematria: 8700 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·father of an individual" (וְאֶת־אָבִ֖יהָ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 860: Philistine, Philistine. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "Timnite" (הַתִּמְנִ֔י), "took" (לָקַ֣ח), "and·he·gave·it" (וַֽיִּתְּנָ֖הּ). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "did" (root עשה, 87x in Judges); "and·they·went·up" (root עלה, 78x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·his·companion', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 6 words.
Rashi
The son-in-law of the Timnite. The son-in-law of the Philistine who was in Timnah (above 14:1):
Metzudat David
And they said. Those who saw him do it.
And they burned. To appease Samson:
And Samson said to them: ‘If you do after this manner, surely I will be avenged of you, and after that I will cease.’
verse value 3314
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "if·you·do" (אִֽם־תַּעֲשׂ֖וּן, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "if·you·do" (אִֽם־תַּעֲשׂ֖וּן), "surely·I·will·avenge·myself" (אִם־נִקַּ֥מְתִּי), "I·will·stop" (אֶחְדָּֽל). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "if·you·do" (root עשה, 87x in Judges); "to·them" (root הם, 74x in Judges). First appearance of the root נקם ("surely·I·will·avenge·myself") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'like·this', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + לָהֶם֙ [to·them] (75) + שִׁמְשׁ֔וֹן [Samson] (696) + אִֽם־תַּעֲשׂ֖וּן [if·you·do] (867) + כָּזֹ֑את [like·this] (428) + כִּ֛י [for] (30) + אִם־נִקַּ֥מְתִּי [surely·I·will·avenge·myself] (641) + בָכֶ֖ם [in·you] (62) + וְאַחַ֥ר [and·after the following part] (215) + אֶחְדָּֽל [I·will·stop] (43) = 3314.
Rashi
"If you do this thing." And perhaps you are accustomed to it, to give this man's wife to that one:
Radak
"If you do this thing." If from the beginning, when my wife was seized, you had done this—that you burned her and her father's house—it would have been good. But now, since you did not heed the matter from the beginning until I sought my judgment from you, I will not cease yet, unless I take vengeance on you once more, and only then will I cease.
Ralbag
And Samson said to them. 'What is fitting for you to do such a thing, to add to do against me? Behold, if I avenged myself on you in the first matter, and afterwards I will cease from doing evil to you. But now that you have returned to do against me, behold, I am doing evil to you.'
Metzudat David
"If you do this." He means to say: Therefore, because you have done this to avenge my vengeance, I will not hold an eternal grudge against you; rather, I will take vengeance upon you only once, and after that I will cease from avenging.
Malbim
"If you do this." He means to say that when they burned her, it was not on account of the act of adultery she committed, but rather to appease Samson’s anger. He said: "I thought that a monetary penalty would suffice, but since you are doing this—imposing a capital punishment—then I too will demand lives from you, according to your custom. This is what he meant when he said, 'I will surely take vengeance on you.'"
And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter; and he went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock of Etam.
verse value 2381
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 43 letters. Notable word values: "and·he·struck" (וַיַּ֨ךְ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "and·he·struck" (וַיַּ֨ךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·thigh" (עַל־יָרֵ֖ךְ, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "thigh·of" (שׁ֛וֹק), "upon·thigh" (עַל־יָרֵ֖ךְ), "in·cleft·of" (בִּסְעִ֖יף). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·dwelt" (root ישב, 69x in Judges); "and·went·down" (root ירד, 32x in Judges); "and·he·struck" (root נכה, 28x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'great', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֨ךְ [and·he·struck] (36) + אוֹתָ֥ם [them] (447) + שׁ֛וֹק [thigh·of] (406) + עַל־יָרֵ֖ךְ [upon·thigh] (330) + מַכָּ֣ה [slaughter] (65) + גְדוֹלָ֑ה [great] (48) + וַיֵּ֣רֶד [and·went·down] (220) + וַיֵּ֔שֶׁב [and·dwelt] (318) + בִּסְעִ֖יף [in·cleft·of] (222) + סֶ֥לַע [crag] (160) + עֵיטָֽם [Etam] (129) = 2381.
Rashi
"Leg upon thigh." (The Targum renders it:) "Horsemen with foot-soldiers." A horse rider does not lean upon his thigh, but rather upon his shin; one leg is placed in the iron stirrup hanging from the saddle.
"In the cleft." In the crevice of the rock of Etam; and its counterpart (Isaiah 57:5): "the clefts of the rocks," (ibid. 10:33): "lopping off the bough."
Radak
"Leg upon thigh." Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered [in the Targum]: "horsemen with footmen." Leg [shok] refers to the foot soldier, and thigh [yarekh] refers to the rider. And one may interpret "leg upon thigh" regarding those who fell in flight, namely, that none of them turned his face toward him, nor did any man stand before him, but they all fled from him, and he struck them while they were fleeing, and they fell leg upon thigh, for one who flees and falls on his face has his leg turned over his thigh.
Ralbag
And Samson struck them, shank upon thigh, a great blow. Meaning, the shank is next to the thigh. And he likened the foot soldiers to the shank, and the horsemen riding on horses to the thigh, for the shank is below the thigh. And after this Samson went down and sat in the cleft of the rock Etam, hiding from the Philistines who were lying in wait for him.
Metzudat David
“Shin upon thigh.” Targum Yonatan translates: “horsemen with footmen.” He compares the cavalrymen riding horses to the thigh, which is at the upper part of the leg, and those who walk on foot to the shin, which is at the lower part of the leg.
Metzudat Zion
"Shok" (the shank). It is the middle segment of the leg.
His haunch. It is the upper joint:
In a crack. It is a tooth of the rock, as in (Isaiah 2:21) 'and in the cracks of the rocks,' and it is a term borrowed from the branch of a tree called 'sa'if,' as it is written (ibid. 17:6) 'in its fruitful branches,' after that it protrudes from the rock, like a branch from a tree:
Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves against Lehi.
verse value 1525
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "in·Lehi" (בַּלֶּֽחִי, 4 letters) and the longest is "Philistine" (פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·they·were·left" (וַיִּנָּטְשׁ֖וּ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·went·up" (root עלה, 78x in Judges); "Philistine" (root פלשתי, 28x in Judges); "in·Judah" (root יהודה, 22x in Judges). First appearance of the root לחי ("in·Lehi") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיַּעֲל֣וּ [and·they·went·up] (122) + פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים [Philistine] (860) + וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ [and·they·encamped] (80) + בִּֽיהוּדָ֑ה [in·Judah] (32) + וַיִּנָּטְשׁ֖וּ [and·they·were·left] (381) + בַּלֶּֽחִי [in·Lehi] (50) = 1525.
Rashi
"And they spread out." And they scattered:
At Lehi. The name of a place:
Radak
"And they spread out at Lehi." [Lehi] is named after its end, for on account of the donkey's jawbone the place was called Lehi. And the meaning of "they spread out" is in the sense of spreading, like the verse: "And behold, they were spread out upon the face of the earth."
Ralbag
And they spread out at Lechi. Meaning, that they scattered and spread out in that place, from the same matter as 'and behold, they were spread out.'
Metzudat Zion
And they scattered. The sense of scattering, as in (II Samuel 5:22) 'and they scattered in the Valley of Rephaim':
In Lehi. Named after its end, that it was called Ramat Lehi ['the Height of the Jawbone']:
And the men of Judah said: ‘Why are you come up against us?’ And they said: ‘To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he has done to us.’
verse value 5042
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 67 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֔וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֔וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "Samson" (אֶת־שִׁמְשׁוֹן֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 263: and·they·said, and·they·said. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "to·tie" (לֶאֱס֤וֹר), "Samson" (אֶת־שִׁמְשׁוֹן֙). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "as" (root אשר, 178x in Judges). First appearance of the root אסר ("to·tie") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·us', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 9 words.
Rashi
"Why have you come up against us? Are we not your servants?"
"To bind Samson. That you bind him and deliver him to us:"
Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson: ‘Do you know not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what then is this that you have done to us?’ And he said to them: ‘As they did to me, so have I done to them.’
verse value 8744
Insights
Verse structure: 26 words, 111 letters. Notable word values: "not" (הֲלֹ֤א) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֔י, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·they·rule" (כִּֽי־מֹשְׁלִ֥ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 75: to·them, to·them. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "from·Judah" (מִֽיהוּדָ֗ה), "to·cleft" (אֶל־סְעִיף֮), "that·they·rule" (כִּֽי־מֹשְׁלִ֥ים). The root עשה appears 3 times in this verse. 22 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "as" (root אשר, 178x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·us', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 8 words.
Radak
As they have done to Me. They did evil to Me, and I did evil to them; and likewise, "As he puts a blemish in a person, so shall it be put in him."
Metzudat David
You have done to us. For will they not take vengeance upon us?
As they did to me: they did not object to my wife marrying another man.
Malbim
"Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us?" For the halakhic ruling is (according to the Rambam) that if non-Jews say, "Give us one of you and we will kill him," one may not hand him over unless he is liable to death, like Sheva ben Bichri. That is to say, even if he is not liable by Torah law, but only by the law of the kingdom. And likewise, if he is a rodef (pursuer) of many, such that through him danger would come to the entire community of Israel, then they hand him over even though they did not single him out by name (as the Taz states in Yoreh De'ah, siman 157).
And initially, they said: “Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? What have you done? Thus, you are pursuing the entire community.” He replied, “I did not think that harm would come to you, for as they did to me, so I did to them. These are matters between me and them, which do not concern the general public.”
And they said to him: ‘We are come down to bind you, that we may deliver you into the hand of the Philistines.’ And Samson said to them: ‘Swear to me, that you will not fall upon me yourselves.’
verse value 5249
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 64 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (לוֹ֙) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (לוֹ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·hand·of·Philistines" (בְּיַד־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים, 9 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "to·bind·you" (לֶאֱסׇרְךָ֣), "we·came·down" (יָרַ֔דְנוּ), "to·give·you" (לְתִתְּךָ֖). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "in·hand·of·Philistines" (root יד, 75x in Judges); "to·them" (root הם, 74x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·hand·of·Philistines', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֤אמְרוּ [and·they·said] (263) + לוֹ֙ [to·him] (36) + לֶאֱסׇרְךָ֣ [to·bind·you] (311) + יָרַ֔דְנוּ [we·came·down] (270) + לְתִתְּךָ֖ [to·give·you] (850) + בְּיַד־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים [in·hand·of·Philistines] (876) + וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + לָהֶם֙ [to·them] (75) + שִׁמְשׁ֔וֹן [Samson] (696) + הִשָּׁבְע֣וּ [swear] (383) + לִ֔י [to·me] (40) + פֶּֽן־תִּפְגְּע֥וּן [lest·you·fall·upon] (739) + בִּ֖י [upon·me] (12) + אַתֶּֽם [you] (441) = 5249.
Metzudat David
We went down to bind him. For the Philistines had decreed against him to bind him and bring him:
“Swear to me.” This means: “I will place myself in your hands, but swear to me regarding this matter—that you will only bind me, for I fear lest you harm me.”
Metzudat Zion
You will attack. The sense of a deadly blow, as in (II Samuel 1:15) 'Approach, strike him':
Malbim
And they said to him, "We have come down to arrest you." For they singled you out, and you are liable to them for death by decree of the kingdom.
And they spoke to him, saying: ‘No; but we will bind you fast, and deliver you into their hand; but surely we will not kill you.’ And they bound him with two new ropes, and brought him up from the rock.
verse value 4775
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 80 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֣וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֣וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·bound·him" (וַיַּאַסְרֻ֗הוּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: not, not. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "for·bond" (כִּֽי־אָסֹ֤ר), "we·will·tie·you" (נֶאֱסׇרְךָ֙), "and·we·will·give·you" (וּנְתַנּ֣וּךָ). The root אסר appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "and·they·brought·him·up" (root עלה, 78x in Judges); "not" (root לא, 77x in Judges). First appearance of the root עבת ("cords") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'we·will·kill·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 6 words.
Rashi
"No, but we will surely bind you." We will not kill you, but rather we will surely bind you:
Radak
"And they brought him up from the rock." For the place of the sons of Judah was higher than the rock, as it was stated above, "And they went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam."
Ralbag
And the sons of Yehudah bound Samson with two new strong ropes, to give him into the hand of the Philistines. He came as far as Lechi, where there were many Philistines.
Metzudat Zion
Cords. Ropes, thick cords, twisted into three doubled strands:
When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him; and the spirit of Hashem came mightily upon him, and the ropes that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands dropped from off his hands.
verse value 7747
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 104 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "spirit·of" (ר֣וּחַ, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·his·arms" (עַל־זְרוֹעוֹתָ֗יו, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "he·came" (הוּא־בָ֣א), "until·Lehi" (עַד־לֶ֔חִי), "and·Philistines" (וּפְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "and·they·became" (root היה, 120x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·meet·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 16 words.
Rashi
The Spirit of the Lord. (Targum:) A spirit of might from before the Lord:
His bonds. His ties:
Radak
"[Flax] that caught fire." Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered it in the Targum: "Like flax that fire took hold of."
And they melted away. It is from the Nifal conjugation, and it is similar to [the verse] "and the heart of the people melted away."
"His bonds (asurav)." [This is] a noun, and its singular is "esur" (a bond), and they are the cords with which he was bound.
Ralbag
And a spirit of courage from the Lord succeeded upon him, and the ropes that were upon his arms returned with his courage like flax that burns in fire, in such a way that it seemed to him as if his bonds had melted from his hands. For he did not need a sensing strength to break the ropes. And it is possible with this that the other matters were together, meaning, that the Lord weakened by way of miracle those ropes and placed them in their weakness like flax that burns in fire. And the spirit of courage that served upon him was in his killing then a thousand men with the jawbone of a donkey that he found. And Samson said, 'with the jawbone of a donkey I have made heaps and heaps of slain.' And he said 'a heap, a double heap [chamor, chamorathayim],' pairing this term with 'chamor' [donkey], by way of wit.
Metzudat David
He came. For they had bound only his hands, and not his feet:
“They shouted.” A shout of joy:
“Like flax.” Weak things, like flax that has been scorched by fire:
"And they melted." As if the ropes with which he was bound melted off his hands.
Metzudat Zion
And it went through. And passed through:
And they melted. From the terms for melting and dissolving:
His bonds. His ties with which he was bound:
And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and smote a thousand men therewith.
verse value 1641
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "his·hand" (יָדוֹ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "jaw·of·an·ass" (לְחִי־חֲמ֖וֹר, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·found" (וַיִּמְצָ֥א), "jaw·of·an·ass" (לְחִי־חֲמ֖וֹר), "fresh" (טְרִיָּ֑ה). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "his·hand" (root יד, 75x in Judges); "and·took" (root לקח, 44x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'fresh', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיִּמְצָ֥א [and·found] (147) + לְחִי־חֲמ֖וֹר [jaw·of·an·ass] (302) + טְרִיָּ֑ה [fresh] (224) + וַיִּשְׁלַ֤ח [and·he·sent] (354) + יָדוֹ֙ [his·hand] (20) + וַיִּקָּחֶ֔הָ [and·took] (129) + וַיַּךְ־בָּ֖הּ [and·he·struck·with·it] (43) + אֶ֥לֶף [thousand] (111) + אִֽישׁ [man] (311) = 1641.
Rashi
Taryah. Moist, and I saw in a book of medicines that it calls the moisture that comes out of the wound: "taryah."
Radak
"Triyah." Moist. And likewise, a fresh wound; and they call it in Arabic "tari." And the Targum [renders it] "vetinta." If the bet is a prefix, the meaning is "in its moisture." From the words of our Sages of blessed memory: "If the field was damp, it is permitted," which means: moist.
Metzudat David
"A fresh jawbone of a donkey." A moist jaw from a donkey:
Metzudat Zion
A jawbone. So is the name of a certain bone among the bones of the head:
Fresh. Moist, as in (Isaiah 1:6) 'and a fresh wound':
And Samson said: With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of an ass have I smitten a thousand men.
verse value 3390
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "thousand" (אֶ֥לֶף, 3 letters) and the longest is "heaps" (חֲמֹרָתָ֑יִם, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 50: in·cheek·of, in·cheek·of. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "heaps" (חֲמֹרָתָ֑יִם), "I·have·struck" (הִכֵּ֖יתִי). The root חמור appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "thousand" (root אלף, 34x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'heaps', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words.
Rashi
"An ass, an ass of asses." [With] the jaw of the ass, to pile up many heaps; (Targum:) "With the jawbone of the donkey I cast them in heaps."
Radak
"Chamor chamorotayim" [donkey, heaps upon heaps]. [It means] a heap and heaps, like "chomer, chamarim." And there are three patterns [of vocalization] in this matter: "chamor" is one pattern, [as in] the pattern of "se'or" [leaven], "ye'or" [river]; and "chomer" from "chomarim" is another pattern, [as in] the pattern of "kodesh" [holy], "chodesh" [month]; and "chamorotayim" from "chamorah" is another pattern, the pattern of "devorah" [bee], "chagorah" [belt].
Metzudat David
“Upon the jaw of the donkey.” With the jaw of a donkey I made heaps [of the slain], and this is a wordplay:
"I struck." "I killed." He added to explain his words:
Metzudat Zion
Heap, heaps. Piled up, piles, as in (Exodus 8:14) 'heaps, heaps':
Malbim
"A heap, heaps upon heaps." Heaps [of the slain] fell from the nation that resembles a donkey; and the meaning of his words is: "I have struck down a thousand men."
And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand; and that place was called Ramath-lehi.
verse value 2460
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "Ramath" (רָ֥מַת, 3 letters) and the longest is "when·He·finished" (כְּכַלֹּת֣וֹ, 5 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "when·He·finished" (כְּכַלֹּת֣וֹ), "jaw" (הַלְּחִ֖י), "from·his·hand" (מִיָּד֑וֹ). The root לחי appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 120x in Judges); "from·his·hand" (root יד, 75x in Judges); "that" (root הוא, 71x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·his·hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַֽיְהִי֙ [and·it·was] (31) + כְּכַלֹּת֣וֹ [when·He·finished] (476) + לְדַבֵּ֔ר [to·speak] (236) + וַיַּשְׁלֵ֥ךְ [and·threw] (366) + הַלְּחִ֖י [jaw] (53) + מִיָּד֑וֹ [from·his·hand] (60) + וַיִּקְרָ֛א [and·called] (317) + לַמָּק֥וֹם [to·the·place] (216) + הַה֖וּא [that] (17) + רָ֥מַת [Ramath] (640) + לֶֽחִי [Lehi] (48) = 2460.
Radak
Ramat Lehi. The Targum translates [the word] as "and he cast," and "Ramat" [means] "and he cast." And because he cast the jawbone there, they called it Ramat Lehi.
Ralbag
And it came to pass, when he had finished speaking, that he threw the jawbone from his hand, and he called that place Ramat Lechi. For a wondrous courage was done there through the jawbone of the donkey, although the place next to which the battle was, its name was Lechi. And it seems that it was a high place, and for this too it was called Ramat Lechi.
Metzudat David
Ramat Lechi. It is named for the fact that he cast the jawbone there, for the Targum’s rendering of “vayashlech” is “varama.”
And he was sore athirst, and called on Hashem, and said: ‘You have given this great deliverance by the hand of Your servant; and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?’
verse value 5846
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 81 letters. The shortest word is "very" (מְאֹד֒, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·salvation" (אֶת־הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·thirsted" (וַיִּצְמָא֮), "you·gave" (נָתַ֣תָּ), "by·hand·of·Your·servant" (בְיַֽד־עַבְדְּךָ֔). The root צמא appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "in·hand·of" (root יד, 75x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 6 words.
Metzudat David
"And now I shall die of thirst. If I sit here:"
"And I shall fall." Then I shall fall into the hands of the uncircumcised Philistines, if I enter the city to quench my thirst.
Malbim
"You have given, etc., and now I shall die of thirst." And the general rule is that the Lord does not perform a miracle in vain or without benefit, since in any case I will now fall into their hands.
But God cleaved the hollow place that is in Lehi, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came back, and he revived; wherefore the name thereof was called En-hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day.
verse value 5969
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 86 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֜ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "until" (עַ֖ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·mortar" (אֶת־הַמַּכְתֵּ֣שׁ, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·split" (וַיִּבְקַ֨ע), "the·mortar" (אֶת־הַמַּכְתֵּ֣שׁ), "that·in·Lehi" (אֲשֶׁר־בַּלֶּ֗חִי). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·in·Lehi" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "therefore" (root על, 87x in Judges); "day" (root יום, 76x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·he·lived', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 10 words.
Rashi
“the socket.” A hollow in which the tooth sits, shaped like a mortar.
The spring of the one who calls. A spring that came about through the cry of the one who called out to the Lord:
Radak
"Unto the mortar that is in Lehi." Targum Yonatan [renders]: "yat kifa de-vlu'a" [the rock that is hollowed]. It is the view of the Targum that there was a rock beneath the jaw, and this rock was made like a mortar; therefore it was called a mortar. And in another version I found: "yat kaka de-vlu'ah" [the socket that is hollowed], which is the cavity in which the tooth is embedded. And in another version I found: "rimza de-vla" [a hint of a hollow], and I do not know what that means.
"En-hakore" [the spring of the one who calls]. As per its Targum: "eina de-atyahivat bitzloteih de-Shimshon" [the spring that was given through the prayer of Samson].
Ralbag
The mortar that is at Lechi. I hold that it was a stone rock similar to a mortar in the place whose name was Lechi. And by way of miracle the Lord broke it and waters came out from it, and he drank. And to remember this miracle he called its name Ein HaKorei which is at Lechi. The meaning here is that there was the eye of the Lord to the one who called to Him, that is Samson, to bring out for him from there waters.
Metzudat David
"And they went out from it." By a miracle, a spring was formed beneath the mortar, and the waters flowed out through the fissure.
"And his spirit returned, and he lived." He spoke in a manner of exaggeration and hyperbole, as if his soul had departed and subsequently returned, and he became alive.
"Her name." [That is, the name] of that spring:
"En-hakkore." This is to say, the spring that came about through [Samson's] calling to the Lord, which is located at [the place called] Lechi, that is, Ramat Lechi.
"Until this day." This is the name that was called for her:
Metzudat Zion
The socket. The hollow in which the tooth sits, shaped like a mortar, and it is the name of a vessel in which spices are pounded:
A spring. A spring:
Malbim
"The mortar." A place fashioned in the shape of a mortar.
Therefore, He named it. This is to serve as a reminder that one who calls upon HaShem will be answered with a miracle, and one is obligated to recite a blessing upon reaching the place where a personal miracle occurred, according to some opinion; in any case, the recipient of the miracle is certainly obligated to recite a blessing, and therefore they designated it with a [distinctive] name. At first it was called by the name Lehi, to recall the miracle of the jawbone, and when another miracle occurred, the name "En-hakkore" was added, so that one blessing would cover both miracles — like the incident of Mar the son of Ravina in the chapter HaRo'eh, which requires including both miracles [in one blessing].
And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.
verse value 3244
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "year" (שָׁנָֽה, 3 letters) and the longest is "Israel" (אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל, 7 letters). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·days·of" (root יום, 76x in Judges); "year" (root שנה, 30x in Judges); "Philistine" (root פלשתי, 28x in Judges). Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁפֹּ֧ט [and·acts·the·judge] (405) + אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל [Israel] (942) + בִּימֵ֥י [in·days·of] (62) + פְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים [Philistine] (860) + עֶשְׂרִ֥ים [twenty] (620) + שָׁנָֽה [year] (355) = 3244.
Radak
"And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines." The meaning of "in the days of the Philistines" is: those were the days when the Philistines ruled over Israel, and he delivered them from their hand, even though their deliverance was not complete.
Ralbag
And indeed it is mentioned that he already judged Israel in the days of the Philistines for twenty years. And he said 'in the days of the Philistines' to indicate that in the days of Samson included, the Philistines were ruling over Israel, except that he saved them from their hands a certain deliverance.
Metzudat David
"In the days of the Philistines." In the days when the Philistines ruled over Israel:
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim