Judges 14:4

"Then his father and his mother said to him, “Isn’t there a woman among your brothers’ daughters, or among all my people, that you go to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines?” Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she pleases me well.”"

Key Reflection

In Judges 14:4, Samson’s parents express concern that he is considering a wife from among the Philistines, who were their enemies and the rulers of Israel at the time. The original audience would have understood this as a serious issue, given the historical tension between the Israelites and the Philistines. By choosing a Philistine wife, Samson was defying both cultural norms and his parents' wishes, setting the stage for potential conflict and betrayal that would later play a significant role in the narrative.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

His father and mother very properly opposed Samson’s marriage with a Pagan woman, the daughter of the oppressors of his race. But they could not prevail, because it was the secret purpose of God by these means to “seek occasion” against the Philistines; i. e. to make the misconduct of the father of Samson’s wife, which He foresaw, the occasion of destruction to the Philistines. Compare the marginal references for similar statements.

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