Judges 14:17 · Bible study
Judges 14:17 Commentary: Pressure, Betrayal, and Human Weakness
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why did Samson reveal the riddle under his wife's relentless tears?
Research Summary
- Meaning: Samson reveals the riddle under his wife's relentless tears, leading to betrayal and conflict.
- Key words: Wept (H1058, bakha), pressed (H6693, tsuq, Hiphil, 'constrained'), told/declared (H5046, nagad).
- Main debate: Timing of the weeping, from the first day or only after the fourth day? (Kimchi vs. Abarbinel, via Gill).
- Theological theme: Human weakness and the danger of unequal relationships; God's sovereignty over flawed choices.
- Best use: A case study in emotional manipulation, marital loyalty, and the consequences of revealing entrusted secrets.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
She wept the whole seven days of the feast, and finally on the seventh day, because she had pressed him so much, he told her the answer. And in turn she explained the riddle to her people.
WEB World English Bible 2000
She wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted; and on the seventh day, he told her, because she pressed him severely; and she told the riddle to the children of her people.
KJV King James Version 1769
And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she pressed him sore; and she told the riddle to the children of her people.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And she weepeth for it the seven days in which their banquet hath been, and it cometh to pass on the seventh day that he declareth it to her, for she hath distressed him; and she declareth the riddle to the sons of her people.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And she wept before him the seven days, while they had the feast. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that he explained it to her, for she pressed him. And she explained the riddle to the children of her people.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
So she wept before him the seven days of the feast: and, at length, on the seventh day, as she was troublesome to him, he expounded it. And she immediately told her countrymen.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y ella lloró delante de él los siete días que ellos tuvieron banquete: mas al séptimo día él se lo declaró, porque le constriñó; y ella lo declaró á los hijos de su pueblo.
E ela chorou diante dele os sete dias que eles tiveram banquete: mas ao sétimo dia ele o declarou a ela, porque lhe constrangeu; e ela o declarou aos filhos de seu povo.
Elle pleura auprès de lui pendant les sept jours que dura leur festin; et le septième jour, il la lui expliqua, car elle le tourmentait. Et elle donna l’ explication de l’ énigme aux enfants de son peuple.
Und sie weinte die sieben Tage vor ihm, da sie Hochzeit hatten; aber am siebenten Tage sagte er's ihr, denn sie drängte ihn. Und sie sagte das Rätsel ihres Volkes Kindern.
En zij weende voor hem, op den zevenden der dagen in dewelke zij deze bruiloft hadden; zo geschiedde het op den zevenden dag, dat hij het haar verklaarde, want zij perste hem; en zij verklaarde dat raadsel den kinderen haars volks.
Ed ella pianse presso di lui, durante i sette giorni che durava il convito; e il settimo giorno Sansone glielo spiegò, perché lo tormentava; ed essa spiegò l’enimma ai figliuoli del suo popolo.
I płakała nań przez one siedem dni, póki mieli wesele. Stało się tedy dnia siódmego, że jej oznajmił, bo mu się uprzykrzała. A ona powiedziała onę zagadkę synom ludu swego.
И плакала она пред ним семь дней, в которые продолжался у них пир. Наконец в седьмой день разгадал ей, ибо она усиленно просила его. А она разгадала загадку сынам народа своего.
七 日 筵宴 之 內，她在丈夫面前 啼哭，到 第七 天 逼著他，他才將謎語 的意思告訴 他妻，他妻就告訴 本國 的人。
And all the seven days of the feast she went on weeping over him; and on the seventh day he gave her the answer, because she gave him no peace; and she sent word of it to the children of her people.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Judges 14:17
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators broadly agree that this verse depicts Samson yielding to persistent emotional pressure from his Philistine wife, who was acting under threat from her own people (v. 15). Adam Clarke observes that she wept 'not through any love to him' but to satisfy her paramours, a view echoed by Gill, who notes she deliberately extracted the secret knowing it would cost Samson thirty garments. The Cambridge Bible highlights the strength of the verb 'pressed' (Hiphil of H6693, tsuq), meaning 'reduced him to straits by her importunity.' Samson's eventual disclosure, after holding out through the feast days, reveals a fatal weakness: he could resist his enemies but not the tears of a wife who, as the narrative later confirms, was never truly on his side. Gill adds that she likely promised not to tell, but immediately betrayed him to her people. Thus the consensus reads this as a turning point where Samson's moral vulnerability undoes his strategic advantage, setting the stage for the violent conflict that follows.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Samson yielded to his wife's persistent pressure on the seventh day, resulting in the betrayal of the riddle's answer to the Philistines.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Timing of the wife's weeping | She wept for the duration of the feast, culminating on the seventh day when Samson finally told the riddle. | Some (Kimchi via Gill) argue she began weeping only after the Philistine threat on the fourth day; others (Abarbinel) see the weeping spanning the entire seven days, with the threat adding urgency. |
| Samson's motivation for revealing the riddle | He told her because she pressed him severely, showing his inability to withstand persistent emotional pressure. | Reformed commentators read this as evidence of Samson's moral weakness and flawed judgment; some modern readers emphasize her coercive circumstances and fear of death, shifting focus from his weakness to her desperation. |
| Her role as betrayer | She immediately told the riddle to her people, which led to Samson's loss and subsequent violence. | Traditional commentaries (Clarke, Gill) see her as a duplicitous figure acting out of self-interest; others view her as a victim caught between her people and her husband, with no good option. |
| The 'seven days' reference | The feast lasted seven days, and the riddle was to be solved within that time. | Some (synecdoche, per Poole) interpret 'the seven days' as the remaining days after the third day; others take it as the full seven days from the start. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The wedding feast in Timnah (Judges 14) follows Philistine customs: a seven-day celebration involving riddles, wine, and entertainment. Keil & Delitzsch note that proposing riddles at banquets was common among ancient Greeks and likely among Philistines as well. Samson's thirty companions are supplied by the bride's family (v. 11), indicating he had no attendants of his own, a sign of his isolation in Philistine territory.
The pressure on Samson's wife comes directly from the Philistine guests, who threaten to burn her and her father's house if she fails to extract the riddle (v. 15). This reveals the barbaric coercion behind the festive surface, as Lange observes: 'the barbarism and covetousness of the Philistines came openly to light.' The wife's choice is not between loyalty to her husband and loyalty to her people; it is between her husband's secret and her own survival. From the fourth day onward (the guests had failed for three days to solve the riddle), she weeps and presses Samson daily.
The Hebrew phrase 'she pressed him severely' (hitsiqathu, Hiphil of H6693) suggests she cornered him, leaving no escape. The seven-day timeframe is a familiar narrative device: the feast lasts seven days, the riddle must be solved within that limit, and on the seventh day, the last possible moment, Samson breaks. This pattern underscores the tragic irony: Samson, who killed a lion with his bare hands and later slays thirty men by the Spirit's power, cannot withstand a woman's persistent tears. His marriage, entered against parental advice and divine instruction (Deuteronomy 7:3), becomes the instrument of his undoing.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts, with minor differences in the Septuagint (which may read 'on the seventh day' differently) but not affecting the narrative sense. The BHS apparatus reports no variants for the key verbs or nouns in Judges 14:17.
Reception History
This verse has been received across traditions as a sobering example of the dangers of unequal marriage and emotional manipulation. Early Christian writers (e.g., Ambrose) used Samson's story to warn against being yoked with unbelievers, drawing on the disastrous consequences of his Philistine marriages. In Jewish exegesis, the midrash focuses on the wife's duplicity and Samson's failure to control his passions. Protestant reformers like Matthew Henry saw here a caution against yielding to persistent nagging, while also acknowledging the woman's dire circumstances. More recently, the passage has been read as part of a larger critique of Samson's character, a flawed hero whose strength is undone by relational weakness. The verse is seldom cited in liturgy but appears in studies on marital fidelity, coercion, and the ethics of confidentiality. Its raw portrayal of a woman manipulating her husband under threat continues to provoke both empathy for her and judgment of her methods.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The trap of misplaced trust: Samson's wife weeps not out of love but out of fear for her life (v. 15; Clarke's Commentary). Samson believes her tears are genuine, but she is acting on behalf of his enemies. This warns against assuming loyalty where there is none.
- The erosion of resolve: The verb 'pressed' (tsuq) indicates she wore him down daily (Cambridge Bible). Samson holds out for six days but finally yields, not to logic or force, but to sustained emotional pressure. Weakness often comes through repeated small concessions.
- The cost of revelation: Telling the riddle leads directly to betrayal, the loss of the wager, and the killing of thirty men (vv. 18, 19). What Samson meant for entertainment becomes a trigger for violence. Guard the secrets God entrusts to you; not everyone who asks has a right to know.
Five-point outline
- Context: The riddle contest and the Philistines' threat (vv. 12, 15).
- The wife's method: Tears and accusation ('You hate me,' v. 16).
- The duration: Seven days of weeping; the seventh day brings the breakthrough.
- The disclosure: Samson tells her because 'she pressed him sore', his weakness exposed.
- The aftermath: The riddle is solved, the wager lost, and Samson's anger ignited (v. 19).
Illustration hooks
- The persistent sales pitch: A car salesperson calls every day for a week; on the seventh call, you give in just to stop the hassle. The relief of ending the pressure can override better judgment.
- The friend who cannot keep a secret: You tell a trusted friend something confidential under promise of silence, only to learn they shared it because someone else 'really needed to know.' The pain of misplaced trust lingers.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why did Samson give in when he had resisted for so long?
- Was Samson's wife entirely to blame, or was she a victim of her own people's threats?
- How does this passage guide us in knowing when to keep confidences and when to speak?
Leading a Discussion
Samson's story confronts us with the power of persistent pressure, especially from those closest to us. His wife's tears, spread over seven days, wore down his resistance. But her motivation was not love; it was survival. This passage invites us to examine where we are vulnerable to manipulation in relationships, and how we discern genuine loyalty from coercion.
Discussion questions
- Read Judges 14:15, 17. Why do you think Samson's wife was so determined to learn the riddle? What pressures was she under?
- The Hebrew verb for 'pressed' (tsuq) means 'to constrain, bring into straits.' In what ways can emotional pressure in relationships become a form of coercion?
- Samson held out for six days but gave in on the seventh. What does this suggest about the cumulative effect of repeated pressure? Where have you seen this pattern in your own life?
- Compare this scene with Delilah's later manipulation in Judges 16. What similarities and differences do you see in how Samson responds to the women in his life?
- The Philistines threatened to burn the wife and her father's house (v. 15). How does this context change your view of her actions? Is she a betrayer or a survivor?
- Samson had a Nazirite calling and divine empowerment, yet he was undone by persistent weeping. What does this teach us about the need for accountability and boundaries?
- How can Christian communities support people who are in relationships where they feel pressured or manipulated? What does godly love look like when someone asks for a secret that should not be shared?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 3:6 | When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took some of its fruit, and ate. Then she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate it, too. |
| Judges 16:6 | Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and what you might be bound to afflict you.” |
| Judges 16:13 | Delilah said to Samson, “Until now, you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me with what you might be bound.” He said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head with the fabric on the loom.” |
| Judges 16:16 | When she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, his soul was troubled to death. |
| Job 2:9 | Then his wife said to him, “Do you still maintain your integrity? Renounce God, and die.” |
| Proverbs 2:16 | to deliver you from the strange woman, even from the foreigner who flatters with her words, |
| Proverbs 2:17 | who forsakes the friend of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God; |
| Proverbs 7:21 | With persuasive words, she led him astray. With the flattering of her lips, she seduced him. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that Delilah's weeping before Samson came not from any real affection for him, but from a calculated effort to please her lovers. Samson soon obtained ample proof that her tears were insincere.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge commentary notes that the phrase "she pressed him sore" literally means she reduced him to a tight spot by her relentless urging. This same expression appears again in Judges 16:16, where the relentless pressure leaves the person with no way out.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights that Samson's wife prevailed through relentless weeping and pressure, not through wisdom or love. Her importunity wore Samson down, and she immediately betrayed his secret to the Philistines. The emphasis falls on the destructive power of persistent, manipulative pleading.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes the disagreement over exactly when Samson's wife began weeping, but he emphasizes that she continued pressing him earnestly with tears until the seventh day. He then tells her because she "lay sore upon him" with her entreaties, and she promptly reveals the riddle to her people, knowing it will harm him.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch stress that the Spirit of Jehovah compelled Samson to kill Philistines, showing God's superior power, not personal revenge. They view the Philistines' threats and betrayal of Samson's wife as proof of their faithlessness. The marriage breakdown, they argue, was escalated by the Philistines' deceit, not Samson
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange stresses that Samson’s marriage to a Philistine was bound to end in conflict because an Israelite cannot form a true covenant with oppressors. The riddle, harmless in itself, exposed this hidden antagonism: the Philistines’ greed and vanity drove them to treachery, while Samson’s nobler nature was deceived. The clash was inevitable, revealing Samson’s true calling as Israel’s champion.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley rejects Matthew Henry's claim that the goodness of God's promised land will intensify the punishment of those who perish. He argues that this reasoning fails under predestination: if some are not elected, they never had a genuine offer, and if all the elect are saved, the grant was never free to the others.