Judges 14:18New American Standard Bible (NASB ©1995) [2]
— So the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, You would not have found out my riddle.”
King James Version (KJV 1769) [2]
— And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What [is] sweeter than honey? and what [is] stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.
English Revised Version (ERV 1885)
— And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.
American Standard Version (ASV 1901) [2]
— And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, Ye had not found out my riddle.
Webster's Revision of the KJB (WEB 1833)
— And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What [is] sweeter than honey? and what [is] stronger than a lion? And he said to them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.
Darby's Translation (DBY 1890)
— And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey, And what stronger than a lion? And he said to them, If ye had not ploughed with my heifer, Ye had not found out my riddle.
Rotherham's Emphasized Bible (EBR 1902)
— And the men of the city said to him, on the seventh day—ere yet the sun went in, What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion? And he said to them: If ye had not ploughed with my heifer, Ye had not found out my riddle!
Young's Literal Translation (YLT 1898)
— And the men of the city say to him on the seventh day, before the sun goeth in:—'What [is] sweeter than honey? And what stronger than a lion?' And he saith to them: 'Unless ye had ploughed with my heifer, Ye had not found out my riddle.'
Douay-Rheims Challoner Revision (DR 1750)
— And they, on the seventh day before the sun went down, said to him: What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said to them: If you had not ploughed with my heifer, you had not found out my riddle.
Geneva Bible (GNV 1560)
— And the men of ye citie sayde vnto him the seuenth day before the Sunne went downe, What is sweeter then honie? and what is stronger then a lyon? Then sayd hee vnto them, If yee had not plowed with my heiffer, yee had not found out my riddle.
Original King James Bible (AV 1611) [2]
— And the men of the city said vnto him on the seuenth day before the sunne went downe, What is sweeter then honie? and what is stronger then a Lion? And he said vnto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, yee had not found out my riddle.
Lamsa Bible (1957)
— And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the banquet, What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion? And Samson said to them, If you had not enticed my heifer, you would not have interpreted my riddle.
Brenton Greek Septuagint (LXX, Restored Names)
— And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day, before sunrise, What [is] sweeter than honey? and what [is] stronger than a lion? and Samson{gr.Sampson} said to them, If ye had not ploughed with my heifer, ye would not have known my riddle.
Full Hebrew Names / Holy Name KJV (2008) [2] [3]
— And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What [is] sweeter than honey? and what [is] stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle. |
And the men
y582 [0582] Standardאֱנוֹשׁ'enowsh{en-oshe'}
From H0605; properly a mortal (and thus differeing from the more dignified H0120); hence a man in general (singly or collectively). It is often unexpressed in the English Version, especially when used in apposition with another word.
x376 (0376) Complementאִישׁ'iysh{eesh}
Contracted for H0582 (or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant); a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation.).
of the city
5892 {5892} Primeעִיר`iyr{eer}
From H5782 a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post).
said
559 {0559} Primeאָמַר'amar{aw-mar'}
A primitive root; to say (used with great latitude).
z8799 <8799> Grammar
Stem - Qal (See H8851) Mood - Imperfect (See H8811) Count - 19885
unto him on the seventh
7637 {7637} Primeשְׁבִיעִיsh@biy`iy{sheb-ee-ee'}
Ordinal from H7657; seventh.
day
3117 {3117} Primeיוֹםyowm{yome}
From an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm hours), whether literally (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figuratively (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverbially).
before
x2962 (2962) Complementטֶרֶםterem{teh'-rem}
From an unused root apparently meaning to interrupt or suspend; properly non-occurrence; used adverbially not yet or before.
the sun
2775 {2775} Primeחֶרֶסcherec{kheh'-res}
From an unused root meaning to scrape; the itch; also (perhaps from the mediating idea of H2777) the sun.
went down,
935 {0935} Primeבּוֹאbow'{bo}
A primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications).
z8799 <8799> Grammar
Stem - Qal (See H8851) Mood - Imperfect (See H8811) Count - 19885
What
x4100 (4100) Complementמָּהmah{maw}
A primitive particle; properly interrogitive what? (including how?, why? and when?); but also exclamations like what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjugational senses.
[ is] sweeter
4966 {4966} Primeמָתוֹקmathowq{maw-thoke'}
From H4985; sweet.
than honey?
1706 {1706} Primeדְּבַשׁd@bash{deb-ash'}
From an unused root meaning to be gummy; honey (from its stickiness); by analogy syrup.
x4480 (4480) Complementמִןmin{min}
For H4482; properly a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses.
and what
x4100 (4100) Complementמָּהmah{maw}
A primitive particle; properly interrogitive what? (including how?, why? and when?); but also exclamations like what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjugational senses.
[ is] stronger
5794 {5794} Primeעַז`az{az}
From H5810; strong, vehement, harsh.
than a lion?
738 {0738} Primeאַרִי'ariy{ar-ee'}
From H0717 (in the sense of violence); a lion.
x4480 (4480) Complementמִןmin{min}
For H4482; properly a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses.
And he said
559 {0559} Primeאָמַר'amar{aw-mar'}
A primitive root; to say (used with great latitude).
z8799 <8799> Grammar
Stem - Qal (See H8851) Mood - Imperfect (See H8811) Count - 19885
unto them, If
3884
ye had not plowed
2790 {2790} Primeחָרַשׁcharash{khaw-rash'}
A primitive root; to scratch, that is, (by implication) to engrave, plough; hence (from the use of tools) to fabricate (of any material); figuratively to devise (in a bad sense); hence (from the idea of secrecy) to be silent, to let alone; hence (by implication) to be deaf (as an accompaniment of dumbness).
z8804 <8804> Grammar
Stem - Qal (See H8851) Mood - Perfect (See H8816) Count - 12562
with my heifer,
5697 {5697} Primeעֶגְלָה`eglah{eg-law'}
Feminine of H5695; a (female) calf, especially one nearly grown (that is, a heifer).
ye had not
x3808 (3808) Complementלֹאlo'{lo}
lo; a primitive particle; not (the simple or abstract negation); by implication no; often used with other particles.
found out
4672 {4672} Primeמָצָאmatsa'{maw-tsaw'}
A primitive root; properly to come forth to, that is, appear or exist; transitively to attain, that is, find or acquire; figuratively to occur, meet or be present.
z8804 <8804> Grammar
Stem - Qal (See H8851) Mood - Perfect (See H8816) Count - 12562
my riddle.
2420 {2420} Primeחִידָהchiydah{khee-daw'}
From H2330; a puzzle; hence a trick, conundrum, sententious maxim. |
Judges 14:18
_ _ If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle — a metaphor borrowed from agricultural pursuits, in which not only oxen but cows and heifers were, and continue to be, employed in dragging the plough. Divested of metaphor, the meaning is taken by some in a criminal sense, but probably means no more than that they had resorted to the aid of his wife — an unworthy expedient, which might have been deemed by a man of less noble spirit and generosity as releasing him from the obligation to fulfil his bargain. |
Judges 14:18
If ye had not &c. — If you had not employed my wife to find it out, as men plough up the ground with an heifer, thereby discovering its hidden parts; he calls her heifer, because she was joined with him in the same yoke. |
Judges 14:18
And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What [is] sweeter than honey? and what [is] stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, (k) If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.
(k) If you had not used the help of my wife. |
[No cross-references for this verse.] |
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[no cross-references ascribed to this verse] |
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