The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 148
SECT. CXLVIII.
SAmſon being now about twenty years of age,Samſon 12th Judg. goes down to Timnah (a City in the Tribe of Dan, but at preſent in the poſſeſſion of the Philiſtines) and there ſees a Daughter of the Philiſtines, whom he likes, and acquainting his Father and Mother therewith, he deſires them to procure her for him to wife. They were much troubled that he ſhould have thoughts to marry with a Daughter of the uncircumciſed Philiſtines, and therefore ſought to divert him from it; but it ſeems Samſon had an eſpecial warrant from God either by revelation, or ſome extraordinary motion of his Spirit for what he did. For hereby he ſought an occaſion againſt the Philiſtines, though his Parents underſtood not that it was of the Lord, who hereby intended to give Samſon an opportunity to perform what he called him unto. Samſons Parents being now perſwaded by him, or at leaſt yielding to his deſires, went down with him to Timnah, in purſuance of this buſineſs. When they came to the Vineyards belonging to that City, Samſon going aſide upon ſome occaſion, a young Lion came roaring out againſt him, and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him with his naked hands, as if he had been a tender Kid. Thus God by this victory over the Lion encouraged him againſt thoſe Encounters with the Philiſtines which he was afterwards to be engaged in. But he told not his Father and Mother what he had done. Samſon and his Parents being come to Timnah, they began to treat with the young Maid and her Parents about this match: It ſeems they ſoon agreed on it, and the time was ſet when the young perſons ſhould be married. Accordingly at the time appointed Samſon went down with his Father and Mother to ſolemnize the Marriage. And coming near the place where he had before kill'd the Lion, he ſtept aſide to ſee what was become of the carcaſs, and behold there was a ſwarm of Bees and honey in the carcaſs, that is, in the bones * of it (as they lay faſtened ſtill together),In corpore oſſeo. the fleſh probably being eaten or dried away. And he took of the honey and came eating of it, and brought ſome of it to his Father and Mother, who did alſo eat of it, but he told them not whence he had it. Samſon being now come to marry this young woman, he made a Wedding-Feaſt (that laſted ſeven days), as young men (or their Parents for them) uſed to do in thoſe times on ſuch occaſions. See Gen. 29.22. When the Brides friends and kindred ſaw that Samſon was come to take his wife, they provided thirty young men (d)Some think that the Philiſtines brought theſe 30 companions to be with Samſon under pretence of reſpect, and the cuſtom uſed at Marriage-ſolemnities, but indeed to be a Guard upon him.(according to cuſtom) to be his Companions and Bridemen (called the children of the Bride-chamber, or friends of the Bridegroom, Mark 2.19. Mat. 9.15.) to attend upon him, and to rejoice with him. It ſeems it was the cuſtom of thoſe times at Wedding-Feaſts (eſpecially for the exerciſe of their wits †See 1 King. 10.1. Queen of Sheba come to prove Solomon with hard Queſtions., and to get the maſtery) to try one another in reſolving of dark and intricate queſtions and riddles. Samſon accordingly on the firſt day of his Wedding-Feaſt propounds to his companions a riddle, agreeing with them that if they could within the ſeven days of the Feaſt find out the meaning of it, he would give them thirty ſhirts, and thirty changes of garments, that is, upper Veſtments, which they often changed, putting them on and off according to their occaſions. But if they could not within that time declare it, they ſhould give him as many. This being agreed on on both ſides, he propounded his riddle to them, which was this, Out of the eater came forth meat *The more unexſpectedly good comes to us out of evil the more thankful to God ſhould we be for it., and out of the ſtrong came forth ſweetneſs. They tried their wits in vain for the three firſt days of the Feaſt, and could not find it out. On the fourth day they began to deal under-hand with his wife, earneſtly preſſing her to get out of him the meaning of it; but when the ſeventh day was come, deſpairing to find it out themſelves they came again to his wife and threatned to burn her and her fathers houſe, if ſhe did not with her importunity wring it out of him. This they ſpake to terrifie her that ſhe might be the more importunate with her husband. What (ſay they) haſt thou, thy father, and friends under ſhew of love and friendſhip to us invited us to your Feaſt, that you may make a prey of us and take what we have? If we cannot find out the meaning of this riddle, we ſhall pay dear for our coming hither. Theſe men were to loſe every one of them but only one Shirt, and one upper garment, if they could not ſolve the riddle, but if Samſon loſt, he alone was to pay thirty of them. And yet they pretend they ſhould be undone if they failed of ſolving the Riddle. Samſons wife with all blandiſhments and importunity ſought to get it out of him, and added tears to her importunity, nay plainly told him 'twas a ſign he did not love her in concealing ſo pertinaciouſly from her ſuch a ſmall thing. He told her he had not acquainted his own Parents with it, whom he ought moſt to reverence, and of whoſe piety and care of him, and faithfulneſs to him he had had ſo long experience; and therefore ſhe need not wonder if he concealed it from her, with whom he had been but a little while acquainted, and had ſmall knowledg as yet of her fidelity, and ſecreſie. But though ſhe preſt him with great importunity to reveal it to her, all the days of the Feaſt from the day that his companions began firſt to imploy her, (which was the fourth day) yet on the laſt day ſhe plyed him with ſuch intolerable importunity, and with ſuch a flood of tears, that he could conceal it no longer from her, but told her the meaning of it, and ſhe preſently told it to the young men. So Samſons companions (that were choſen out of the City to accompany him at his Wedding-feaſt) came to him on the ſeventh day before the Sun was ſet, and told him they could expound this riddle. What is ſweeter (ſay they) than honey, and what is ſtronger than a Lion? He tells them that if they had not plowed with his heifer, and made uſe of the help of his wife, they had never by their own wit found it out. So the Spirit of the Lord coming upon him, and inciting him to go down to Aſhkalon, he there ſlew thirty men of the Philiſtines, and gave their ſhirts and upper garments to thoſe that had expounded the riddle. What Samſon did in this matter, he did undoubtedly by the ſpecial motion of the Spirit of God, and therefore he made no ſcruple, though a Nazarite, to take the garments off the dead bodies of theſe ſlain men, with which he paid his forfeiture. But being inwardly and heartily vexed at the fraud of his Companions, and the treachery of his wife, he left them both, and return'd to his Fathers houſe.
Judges, Ch. 14. from 1. to 20.