19

and [what] is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not ploughed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle; if ye had not made use of my wife's assistance, ye could not have found out my riddle: comparing his wife to a young heifer not yet subdued to the yoke of obedience.

And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, a city of the Philistines, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil; they were probably making merry at a feast, and had on their best apparel, which Samson took from them, and gave change of garments unto them, which expounded the riddle, And his anger was kindled against his wife for betraying him, as well as against his guests, and he 20 went up to his father's house without her. But Samson's wife was [given] to his companion, whom he had used as his friend. She resented his conduct; and looking upon herself as forsaken, she married one of the bride men, to whom Samson had been particularly kind and obliging, whom perhaps she loved too well, and was too willing to oblige.

REFLECTIONS.

1. WE see an instance, in Samson, of the sad conse

ing where there is neither mutual affection nor any sense of religion. Samson acted in a manner very unworthy a Nazarite, or a patriot, in marrying a Philistine, an enemy to God and Israel. He was attracted chiefly by a fair face, and sacrificed every important consideration to his foolish fancy. There are many such melancholy instances as this in scripture, which were recorded for our admonition; and innumerable ones before our eyes of the misery of such marriages: yet young people will not take warning, When they are only governed by the eye, or the fancy, no wonder they entail sorrow and calamity on themselves and their offspring. I wish,' says Bp. HALL, Manoah could speak so loud, that all our Israelites might hear him. I there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to marry a stranger to God and relig ion 2 If religion be any thing, how dare we not regard it in our most important choice? Let those who are courting alliances with irreligious persons, or matching into families where there is neither the fear nor worship of God, learn from this example the folly of such a conduct; for there cannot be greater folly, or a surer way to misery, than to marry a fool, a sot, or a knave, though ever so rich or handsome.

Nothing can vindicate this conduct, but the treachery he had met with from his wife,

2. The way of spending their time at the feasts among the ancients, suggests to us a useful lesson, and réproves the corruptions of the present day. We find by this story, as well as by the custom of the Greeks and Romans, that at their feasts they were merry and wise, had something to exercise their minds? and did not spend it merely in indulging their appetites, in cards, and dancing, much less in drinking to excess, sending round the glass and the toast, till they were raging mad. This excess of riot was not known in ancient days; and it is a shame that it should be found among christians. Let us attend to that advice of the apostle, Ephes. v. 4. to avoid all filthiness, foolish talking, and jestings, double meanings; the frequent attendants on feasts, especially marriage solemnities; but by no means becoming or convenient but rather giving thanks, or, as the word signifies, edifying, friendly, cheerful discourse, such as 'may administer wisdom and grace to the hearers. We are accountable to God for our time, and should therefore be concerned to improve it well, and never trifle it away.

3. Let us learn to cease from man, and not expect too much from those, whose friendship and affection we imagine may safely be depended upon. What a base trick did Samson's wife play him, like a true Philistine! His friends and companions also proved treacherous and brutish. Let us not put too much confidence in any man, but behave with prudence and caution. JosEPHUS tells us, that when his companions solved his riddle, and said, What is sweeter than honey? he replied, What is more per fidious than a woman?' This was true of his own wife, and he could expect no better. While we are careful to guard against a jealous and suspicious temper, which is the very bane of friendship, and the utter destruction of conjugal affection, let us never suffer our passions to outrun our judgment, or trust too much to any of our friends. There is a friend we may impart every secret to, and rely entirely upon, namely, the, ever blessed and eternal God; and blessed is that man whose hope the Lord is,

CHAP. XV.

Samson is still in his own person a great scourge to the enemies of Israel: of which we have in this chapter three instances.

UT it came to pass within a while after, in the time of

of April, a season of great joy in that country, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber; not knowing that his wife was given to another, he went with a design to be reconciled to her. But

2 her father would not suffer him to go in. And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion; using Samson exceeding ill in not endeavouring to bring about a reconciliation and waiting for it to prevent Samson's resentment he adds, [Is] not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, 3 instead of her. And Samson, turning from him with acorn and indignation, said concerning them, to those whom he met, Now • shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do sthem a displeasure. Probably the people approved the mar4 riage with Samson's companion, and were present at it. And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, with the assistante of his countrymen and father's house, and took firebrands, or torches made with pitch, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails, he coupled them to $ prevent their running into holes. And when he had set the brands on fire, he let [them] go into the standing corn of the Philistines, some in one part and some in another, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vine-6 yards [and] olives. Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they, that is, some of them who had heard Samson's threatening words, answered, and said, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up,

Foxes were numerous in that country, and several places were named from the mul titude of foxes found there.

+ God, who directed the beasts to Noah's ark, and the quaile to Terael's camp, musk have assisted Samson in collecting those foxes; and by this means he avoided an open rup, ture with the Philistines; he rids his own country of many noxious animals, and severely Scourges his enemies.

Mr. Orten observes, that the Romans used every year, in the middle of April, to let loose in the circus, or the place where the public exercises were performed, some foxes with burning torches at their tails: a custom probably derived from the Phenicians, who lived in the country which was formerly the Philistines", and that this custom was kept up in remembrance of this event.

But as many very respectable writers have given a different interpretation of this story the Editor begs leave to add the following quotation, The only difficulty in this chapter, is to account for the story of Samson's foxes. Where could he meet with such a vast au ber as three hundred? how could he unkennel them and catch them? where could he put them? and how feed and preserve them, till he had collected the whole number, and found a fit opportunity for his purpose? and then how could be manage such a vast number of beasts, tie them together, put them in their proper places, and set firebrands to them; and all this without being discovered by the owners of the corn, who might have risen in a body with all their neighbours, and prevented his design? Truly I cannot account for it, nor do I think he did any such thing. The Hebrew word, Schualim, which is rendered foxes, differs but one very small stroke at the top of one letter, from the Hebrew word Schoalim, which signifies sheaves. This very little mistake might be made in transcribing; and allowing this, all the difficulty vanishes at once. When Samson had determined to destroy their corn, he observed they had made up all their sheaves into three hundred shocks; these three hundred shocks could not be set on fire one after another without loss of time, and danger of discovery: on this account he judged it necessary to lay two sheaves of corn at Jengti upon the ground, to make a communication between every two shocks for this purpose he turned tail to tail, or the bottom of one sheaf to the top of another. Observe, it is not said, he lied tail to tail, but he turned ons toward the other ; and then putting some combustible matter between the two sheaves, such as hemp, flax, or the like, which he could easily carry, he set fire to it, which, probably aided by a dry season, and the wind, spread directly from sheaf to sheaf, and shock to shock; and running over the neighbouring fields, consumed the standing corn, the vineyards and olives. All this, an ingenious, active man, Samson was, could do in one night, and without discovery. Let the reader judge, whether this is not the most easy, natural, and plain account of the matter, See Saurin's Dissertations, Vol. IV. Diss. 17.

and burnt her and her father with fire burned the house and bd them in it: this was barbarous; but God vas righteous in thas 7 punishing their treachery, And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease, unless some further provacation be given. And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter, some in one place, Bome in another, as they came in his way: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam; a strong place, where Rehoboam afterward built a city, 2 Chron. xi. 5, 6.

9

Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and 10 spread themselves in Lehi. And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us, since we pay our tribute, and have committed no offence? And they answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us; we have • no quarrel with you, but with Samson, for the injury he hath 11 done to us. Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines [are] rulers over us, and therefore are not to be attacked and offended by us? what [is] this [that] thou hast done unto us? thou hast provoked them to come against us, and we shall smart for it. And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them; I have only requited 12 the wrong I have received. And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear, unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves; instead of upbraiding them with cowardice, he consents on this condition. 13. And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock their tender mercy was cruelty they would not kill him themselves, but deliver him bound to his enemies, that they might kill him.

14

[And] when he came up unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him, for joy that they had got their enemy into their hands and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that [were] upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands, 15 melted like wax before the fire. And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thou 16 sand men therewitht And Samson said, With the jawbone

* This was strange indeed! They should rather have made him their captain, have gone out against the Philistines, and thrown off the yoke. But they chose rather to secure peace by delivering up their brave countryman, than make an attempt to recover, their liberty.

↑ It would have been wonderful to have slain so many with a sword or spear, but more So with this poor weapon. No doubt when the Philistines saw him break his cords so gaASIly, and fearing the men of Judah would join him, they all fied, and gave him a great advantage against them

of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I 17 slain 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, to perpetuate his victory, and the Philistines' disgrace, called that place Ramathlehi, that is, the lifting up, or, casting away of the jawbone.

18

And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand 19 of the uncircumcised ? But God had compassion upon him, and clave an hollow place that [was] in the jaw, not in the jaw itself, but in Lehi, as in the margin, that is, the place where the action was performed, and there came water thereout and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived : wherefore be called the name thereof Enhakkore, that is, the well of him that called, or cried, which [is] in Lehi unto this day, in the field that is so called in remembrance of this exploit. 20 And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years; Israel submitted to him, the country was quiet, and the Philistines made no inroads upon them.

1.

FR

REFLECTIONS.

ROM the calamity that befell Samson's wife, we learn, that the fear of the wicked shall come upon them. She betrayed and abused her husband, for fear of being burned; and now she is plunged into the flames she would have avoided. It is a common case in the world. When men through unreasonable fears, or from other motives, betray their friends and violate their consciences, what can they expect but suffering? The God to whom vengeance belongeth brought this evil upon her; and it often happens that those who deal treacherously, are dealt, treacherously with sooner or later there will be a recompense for both good and evil.

2. In perusing such chapters as this, let us not seek after or be influenced by, allegorical interpretations. This is hinted at here, because nothing has done greater dishonour to scripture. Men of warm imaginations pretend to find strange mysteries even in a plain narrative, and much more in dark or doubtful passages. Scarce any chapter in the bible has been more tortured than this; especially the story of Samson's foxes. Some have made it a type of Christ's disciples; which by the way is no compliment

This was his triumphant song. It is beautiful in the original, as the word signifies both an ass and an ape."

Josephus says, this dreadful thirst was brought upon him as a punishment for not acknowledging the hand of God in this affair : I have slain a thousand ; but not a word of God's hand or help in it.