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With a donkey&#8217s jawbone I have killed a thousand men.&#8221<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/judges/15.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />Then Samson said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, I’ve piled them in heaps! With the jawbone of a donkey, I’ve killed a thousand men!”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/judges/15.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />And Samson said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone of a donkey have I struck down a thousand men.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/judges/15.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />Then Samson said: “With the jawbone of a donkey I have piled them into heaps. With the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/judges/15.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/judges/15.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />Then Samson said: “With the jawbone of a donkey, Heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men!”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/judges/15.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />And Samson said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, Heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of a donkey I have killed a thousand men.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/judges/15.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />Then Samson said, &#8220With the jawbone of a donkey, Heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of a donkey I have killed a thousand men.&#8221<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/judges/15.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />Then Samson said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, Heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of a donkey I have killed a thousand men.” <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/judges/15.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />Then Samson said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, Heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of a donkey I have struck down 1,000 men.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/judges/15.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />Then Samson said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, Heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of a donkey I have struck down a thousand men.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/judges/15.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Then Samson said: With the jawbone of a donkey I have piled them in heaps. With the jawbone of a donkey I have killed a thousand men.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/judges/15.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Then Samson said: With the jawbone of a donkey I have piled them in a heap. With the jawbone of a donkey I have killed 1,000 men. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/judges/15.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of an ass have I smitten a thousand men.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/judges/15.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />After the fighting was over, he made up this poem about what he had done to the Philistines: I used a donkey's jawbone to kill a thousand men; I beat them with this jawbone over and over again. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/judges/15.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone of an ass have I smitten a thousand men.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/judges/15.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Then Samson said, "With a jawbone from a donkey, I've made two piles of them. With a jawbone from a donkey, I've killed a thousand men."<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/judges/15.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />So Samson sang, "With the jawbone of a donkey I killed a thousand men; With the jawbone of a donkey I piled them up in piles." <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/judges/15.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />Then Samson declared, "With a jawbone from the donkey— here a heap, there a pair of heaps— with the jawbone of the donkey I've killed 1,000 men."<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/judges/15.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />Then Samson said: ?With the jawbone of a donkey I have piled them into heaps. With the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men.?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/judges/15.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />Samson then said, "With the jawbone of a donkey I have left them in heaps; with the jawbone of a donkey I have struck down a thousand men!" <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/judges/15.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />Samson said, "With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps on heaps; with the jawbone of a donkey I have struck a thousand men."<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/judges/15.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />And Samson said, With the jaw-bone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/judges/15.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />Samson said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps on heaps; with the jawbone of a donkey I have struck a thousand men.” <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/judges/15.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />And Samson says, “With the jawbone of a donkey, heap on heaps—I have struck down one thousand men with the jawbone of a donkey!”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/judges/15.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> And Samson saith, 'With a jaw-bone of the ass -- an ass upon asses -- with a jaw-bone of the ass I have smitten a thousand men.'<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/judges/15.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />And Samson will say, With the jaw-bone of the ass, a heap, two heaps, with the jaw-bone of the ass I struck a thousand men.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/judges/15.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />And he said: With the jawbone of an ass, with the jaw of the colt of asses I have destroyed them, and have slain a thousand men. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/judges/15.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />And he said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, with the jaw of the colt of a donkey, I have destroyed them, and I have struck down a thousand men.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/judges/15.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />Then Samson said, “With the jawbone of an ass I have piled them in a heap; With the jawbone of an ass I have slain a thousand men.” <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/judges/15.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />And Samson said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men.”<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/judges/15.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass I have made heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone of an ass I have slain a thousand men.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/judges/15.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />And Samson said: “With the jaw of a donkey, heaps in a heap of them, with the jaw of a donkey I have killed one thousand men!”<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/judges/15.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />And Samson said: With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of an ass have I smitten a thousand men.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/judges/15.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />And Sampson said, With the jaw-bone of an ass I have utterly destroyed them, for with the jaw-bone of an ass I have smitten a thousand men.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/judges/15-16.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AjzBiIYY2Dc?start=4627" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/judges/15.htm">Samson's Revenge</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">15</span>He found the fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and struck down a thousand men. <span class="reftext">16</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/8123.htm" title="8123: šim·šō·wn (N-proper-ms) -- A deliverer of Isr. From shemesh; sunlight; Shimshon, an Israelite.">Then Samson</a> <a href="/hebrew/559.htm" title="559: way·yō·mer (Conj-w:: V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms) -- To utter, say. A primitive root; to say.">said:</a> <a href="/hebrew/3895.htm" title="3895: bil·ḥî (Prep-b:: N-fsc) -- Jaw, cheek. From an unused root meaning to be soft; the cheek; hence, the jaw-bone.">“With the jawbone</a> <a href="/hebrew/2543.htm" title="2543: ha·ḥă·mō·wr (Art:: N-ms) -- A male ass. Or chamor; from chamar; a male ass.">of a donkey</a> <a href="/hebrew/2565.htm" title="2565: ḥă·mō·wr (N-ms) -- A heap. From chamar; a heap.">I have piled them</a> <a href="/hebrew/2565.htm" title="2565: ḥă·mō·rā·ṯā·yim (N-md) -- A heap. From chamar; a heap.">into heaps.</a> <a href="/hebrew/3895.htm" title="3895: bil·ḥî (Prep-b:: N-fsc) -- Jaw, cheek. From an unused root meaning to be soft; the cheek; hence, the jaw-bone.">With the jawbone</a> <a href="/hebrew/2543.htm" title="2543: ha·ḥă·mō·wr (Art:: N-ms) -- A male ass. Or chamor; from chamar; a male ass.">of a donkey</a> <a href="/hebrew/5221.htm" title="5221: hik·kê·ṯî (V-Hifil-Perf-1cs) -- To smite. A primitive root; to strike.">I have slain</a> <a href="/hebrew/505.htm" title="505: ’e·lep̄ (Number-msc) -- A thousand. Prop, the same as 'eleph; hence a thousand.">a thousand</a> <a href="/hebrew/376.htm" title="376: ’îš (N-ms) -- Man. Contracted for 'enowsh; a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term.">men.”</a> </span><span class="reftext">17</span>And when Samson had finished speaking, he cast the jawbone from his hand; and he named that place Ramath-lehi.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_samuel/17-49.htm">1 Samuel 17:49-51</a></span><br />Then David reached into his bag, took out a stone, and slung it, striking the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. / Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. / David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine’s sword and pulled it from its sheath and killed him, and he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hebrews/11-32.htm">Hebrews 11:32-34</a></span><br />And what more shall I say? Time will not allow me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, / who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, / quenched the raging fire, and escaped the edge of the sword; who gained strength from weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/joshua/23-10.htm">Joshua 23:10</a></span><br />One of you can put a thousand to flight, because the LORD your God fights for you, just as He promised.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_samuel/14-6.htm">1 Samuel 14:6</a></span><br />Jonathan said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the outpost of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will work on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_samuel/14-13.htm">1 Samuel 14:13-14</a></span><br />So Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer behind him. And the Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and finished them off. / In that first assault, Jonathan and his armor-bearer struck down about twenty men in about half an acre of land.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_samuel/23-8.htm">2 Samuel 23:8</a></span><br />These are the names of David’s mighty men: Josheb-basshebeth the Tahchemonite was chief of the Three. He wielded his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed at one time.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_chronicles/11-11.htm">1 Chronicles 11:11</a></span><br />This is the list of David’s mighty men: Jashobeam son of Hachmoni was chief of the officers; he wielded his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed at one time.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_samuel/17-36.htm">1 Samuel 17:36-37</a></span><br />Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” / David added, “The LORD, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” “Go,” said Saul, “and may the LORD be with you.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_corinthians/10-4.htm">2 Corinthians 10:4</a></span><br />The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the flesh. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/18-34.htm">Psalm 18:34</a></span><br />He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/144-1.htm">Psalm 144:1</a></span><br />Of David. Blessed be the LORD, my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_samuel/17-45.htm">1 Samuel 17:45-47</a></span><br />But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. / This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand. This day I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the creatures of the earth. Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. / And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_samuel/17-50.htm">1 Samuel 17:50</a></span><br />Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_samuel/18-7.htm">1 Samuel 18:7</a></span><br />And as the women danced, they sang out: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_samuel/21-15.htm">2 Samuel 21:15-22</a></span><br />Once again the Philistines waged war against Israel, and David and his servants went down and fought against the Philistines. But David became exhausted. / Then Ishbi-benob, a descendant of Rapha, whose bronze spear weighed three hundred shekels and who was bearing a new sword, resolved to kill David. / But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid, struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You must never again go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel may not be extinguished.” ...</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps on heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.</p><p class="hdg">with the jaw-bone.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/judges/15-15.htm">Ass</a> <a href="/genesis/49-11.htm">Ass's</a> <a href="/judges/9-24.htm">Blood</a> <a href="/judges/15-8.htm">Destruction</a> <a href="/judges/15-15.htm">Donkey</a> <a href="/judges/12-14.htm">Donkeys</a> <a href="/numbers/22-28.htm">Donkey's</a> <a href="/numbers/11-32.htm">Heaps</a> <a href="/proverbs/30-14.htm">Jaw</a> <a href="/judges/15-15.htm">Jawbone</a> <a href="/judges/15-15.htm">Jaw-Bone</a> <a href="/judges/15-15.htm">Killed</a> <a href="/judges/15-15.htm">Mouth-Bone</a> <a href="/judges/11-16.htm">Red</a> <a href="/judges/15-12.htm">Samson</a> <a href="/judges/9-45.htm">Slain</a> <a href="/judges/6-16.htm">Smitten</a> <a href="/judges/15-15.htm">Struck</a> <a href="/judges/15-15.htm">Thousand</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/judges/19-28.htm">Ass</a> <a href="/2_kings/6-25.htm">Ass's</a> <a href="/1_samuel/14-32.htm">Blood</a> <a href="/1_samuel/4-10.htm">Destruction</a> <a href="/judges/19-28.htm">Donkey</a> <a href="/judges/19-3.htm">Donkeys</a> <a href="/2_kings/6-25.htm">Donkey's</a> <a href="/2_kings/10-8.htm">Heaps</a> <a href="/judges/15-19.htm">Jaw</a> <a href="/judges/15-17.htm">Jawbone</a> <a href="/judges/15-17.htm">Jaw-Bone</a> <a href="/judges/16-30.htm">Killed</a> <a href="/judges/15-17.htm">Mouth-Bone</a> <a href="/1_samuel/16-12.htm">Red</a> <a href="/judges/15-19.htm">Samson</a> <a href="/judges/16-24.htm">Slain</a> <a href="/judges/20-32.htm">Smitten</a> <a href="/judges/18-27.htm">Struck</a> <a href="/judges/16-27.htm">Thousand</a><div class="vheading2">Judges 15</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/judges/15-1.htm">Samson is denied his wife</a></span><br><span class="reftext">3. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/judges/15-3.htm">He burns the Philistines' corn with foxes and firebrands</a></span><br><span class="reftext">6. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/judges/15-6.htm">His wife and her father are burnt by the Philistines</a></span><br><span class="reftext">8. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/judges/15-8.htm">Samson smites them hip and thigh</a></span><br><span class="reftext">9. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/judges/15-9.htm">He is bound by the men of Judah, and delivered to the Philistines</a></span><br><span class="reftext">14. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/judges/15-14.htm">He kills them with a jawbone</a></span><br><span class="reftext">18. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/judges/15-18.htm">God makes the fountain En-hakkore for him in Lehi</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/judges/15.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/judges/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/judges/15.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>Then Samson said:</b><br>This phrase introduces a declaration by Samson, a judge of Israel known for his extraordinary strength. His words often reflect his impulsive and vengeful nature, as seen throughout his narrative in the Book of Judges. Samson's actions and statements are frequently direct responses to personal grievances, highlighting the cycle of retribution prevalent in the period of the Judges.<p><b>With the jawbone of a donkey:</b><br>The jawbone of a donkey is an unconventional weapon, emphasizing the theme of God using the weak or unexpected to achieve His purposes. This reflects the broader biblical motif where God empowers individuals with seemingly inadequate resources, as seen with David and his sling (1 Samuel 17) or Gideon and his small army (Judges 7). The use of a donkey's jawbone also underscores the improvisational nature of Samson's battles, relying on what is immediately available.<p><b>I have piled them into heaps:</b><br>This phrase suggests a significant victory, with the imagery of heaps indicating a large number of defeated foes. It reflects the hyperbolic language often used in ancient Near Eastern literature to describe military triumphs. The piling of bodies can also symbolize the completeness of the victory and the overwhelming power granted to Samson by God.<p><b>With the jawbone of a donkey:</b><br>The repetition of this phrase emphasizes the miraculous nature of the victory. It serves to remind the reader of the unlikely means by which God delivers His people. This repetition also highlights the personal nature of Samson's strength, which is both a divine gift and a source of personal pride, often leading to his downfall.<p><b>I have slain a thousand men:</b><br>This statement underscores the magnitude of the victory and the supernatural strength bestowed upon Samson. The number "thousand" is often used in the Bible to signify completeness or a large quantity, rather than a precise count. This victory serves as a testament to God's power working through Samson, despite his personal flaws. It also foreshadows the ultimate deliverance that God provides through Jesus Christ, who conquers sin and death, not through physical might, but through sacrifice and resurrection.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/s/samson.htm">Samson</a></b><br>A judge of Israel known for his extraordinary strength, which was a gift from God. His life is marked by feats of strength and a complex relationship with the Philistines.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/p/philistines.htm">Philistines</a></b><br>A group of people who were enemies of Israel during the time of the Judges. They often oppressed the Israelites, leading to conflicts like the one described in this passage.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/j/jawbone_of_a_donkey.htm">Jawbone of a Donkey</a></b><br>The unconventional weapon used by Samson to defeat a large number of Philistines. This highlights God's ability to use unexpected means to achieve His purposes.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/l/lehi.htm">Lehi</a></b><br>The place where this event occurred. The name "Lehi" means "jawbone," which is fitting given the context of the battle.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/b/battle.htm">Battle</a></b><br>The event where Samson, empowered by the Spirit of the Lord, defeats a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey, demonstrating God's deliverance through His chosen judge.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/g/god's_strength_in_weakness.htm">God's Strength in Weakness</a></b><br>Samson's victory with a simple jawbone reminds us that God often uses the weak and foolish things of the world to confound the strong and wise. We should rely on God's strength rather than our own.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/d/divine_empowerment.htm">Divine Empowerment</a></b><br>The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson, enabling him to achieve what was humanly impossible. As believers, we should seek the Holy Spirit's empowerment in our daily lives.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/u/unconventional_means.htm">Unconventional Means</a></b><br>God can use unexpected and unconventional means to accomplish His purposes. We should remain open to God's leading, even when it defies our expectations.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/f/faith_and_obedience.htm">Faith and Obedience</a></b><br>Samson's account encourages us to act in faith and obedience, trusting that God can use us despite our imperfections.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/c/consequences_of_disobedience.htm">Consequences of Disobedience</a></b><br>While Samson was used by God, his life also serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of disobedience and personal failings.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_judges_15.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Judges 15</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/samson's_strength_source.htm">What was the source of Samson's strength?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/do_judges_15's_supernatural_events_align.htm">How do these supernatural elements in Judges 15 align or conflict with other biblical passages or historical sources describing similar events?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_did_a_jawbone_defeat_1,000_men.htm">In Judges 15:15, how can using a donkey's jawbone account for a victory over 1,000 armed men without breaking or becoming ineffective?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_is_god's_mercy_reconciled_with_wrath.htm">How do we reconcile the warning in 1 Thessalonians 2:16 about 'wrath to the uttermost' with a merciful God found elsewhere in the Bible?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/judges/15.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(16) <span class= "bld">And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass.</span>--Here we once more find ourselves in very primitive regions of poetry and paronomasia. Samson's exultation over his extraordinary achievement finds vent in a sort of punning couplet, which turns entirely on the identity of sound between <span class= "ital">chamor, </span>a heap, and <span class= "ital">chamor, </span>an ass, and the play of <span class= "ital">meaning </span>between <span class= "ital">aleph, </span>a thousand, and <span class= "ital">aleph, </span>an ox. In the Hebrew the couplet runs:--<p>"Bi-lechi <span class= "ital">ha-chamor chamor chamorathaim.</span><p>Bi-lechi <span class= "ital">ha-chamor </span>hicceythi <span class= "ital">eleph </span>eesh."<p>Literally, with some attempt, however clumsy, to keep up the play of words,<p>"<span class= "ital">With jaw of the ass, a </span>(<span class= "ital">m</span>)<span class= "ital">ass two </span>(<span class= "ital">m</span>)<span class= "ital"> asses,<p>With jaw of the ass I smote an ox-load of men."</span><p>The versions are, of course, unable to preserve these rough paronomasias, which are characteristic of the age. It would be quite a mistake to infer that they show any levity of spirit in Samson. On the contrary, such peculiarities of expression often arise out of deep emotion. When John of Gaunt begins his dying speech to Richard II. with--<p>"Old Gaunt, indeed! and gaunt in being old," &c.,<p>the king asks:--<p>"Can sick men play so nicely with their names?"<p>and the dying prince makes the striking answer:--<p>"No; misery makes sport to mock herself." . . . <div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/judges/15.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 16.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And Samson said</span>, etc. The exploit gave birth to one of Sam son's punning, enigmatical, sayings: "With <span class="accented">the jawbone of the ass</span>, <span class="accented">one heap</span>, <span class="accented">two heads</span> of slain." <span class="accented">Hamor</span>, an ass, means also <span class="accented">an heap</span>. If one were to imitate the passage in English, supposing that the jaw of a sheep had been the implement, it might run something like this - By <span class="accented">the jaw of a sheep they fell heap upon heap.</span> A Latin imitation is, <span class="accented">Maxilla cervi</span>, <span class="accented">acervum acervos</span> (Bochart). He adds, as if in explanation, <span class="accented">With the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.</span> So the women sang, <span class="accented">Saul hath slain his thousands</span>, <span class="accented">and David his ten thousands</span> (<a href="/1_samuel/18-7.htm">1 Samuel 18:7</a>), And a Latin song is quoted, in which Aurelian is made to say after the Sarmatic war - "Mille Sarmatas, mille Frances, Semel et semel occidimus, Mille Persas quaerimus" (Bp. Patrick on <a href="/judges/15.htm">Judges 15</a>.). <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/judges/15-16.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">Then Samson</span><br /><span class="heb">שִׁמְשׁ֔וֹן</span> <span class="translit">(šim·šō·wn)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - proper - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_8123.htm">Strong's 8123: </a> </span><span class="str2">Samson -- a deliverer of Israel</span><br /><br /><span class="word">said:</span><br /><span class="heb">וַיֹּ֣אמֶר</span> <span class="translit">(way·yō·mer)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_559.htm">Strong's 559: </a> </span><span class="str2">To utter, say</span><br /><br /><span class="word">“With the jawbone</span><br /><span class="heb">בִּלְחִ֣י</span> <span class="translit">(bil·ḥî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3895.htm">Strong's 3895: </a> </span><span class="str2">The cheek, the jaw-bone</span><br /><br /><span class="word">of a donkey</span><br /><span class="heb">הַחֲמ֔וֹר</span> <span class="translit">(ha·ḥă·mō·wr)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2543.htm">Strong's 2543: </a> </span><span class="str2">A male ass</span><br /><br /><span class="word">I have piled them</span><br /><span class="heb">חֲמ֖וֹר</span> <span class="translit">(ḥă·mō·wr)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2563.htm">Strong's 2563: </a> </span><span class="str2">A bubbling up, of water, a wave, of earth, mire, clay, a heap, a chomer, dry measure</span><br /><br /><span class="word">into heaps.</span><br /><span class="heb">חֲמֹרָתָ֑יִם</span> <span class="translit">(ḥă·mō·rā·ṯā·yim)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - md<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2563.htm">Strong's 2563: </a> </span><span class="str2">A bubbling up, of water, a wave, of earth, mire, clay, a heap, a chomer, dry measure</span><br /><br /><span class="word">With the jawbone</span><br /><span class="heb">בִּלְחִ֣י</span> <span class="translit">(bil·ḥî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3895.htm">Strong's 3895: </a> </span><span class="str2">The cheek, the jaw-bone</span><br /><br /><span class="word">of a donkey</span><br /><span class="heb">הַחֲמ֔וֹר</span> <span class="translit">(ha·ḥă·mō·wr)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2543.htm">Strong's 2543: </a> </span><span class="str2">A male ass</span><br /><br /><span class="word">I have slain</span><br /><span class="heb">הִכֵּ֖יתִי</span> <span class="translit">(hik·kê·ṯî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Hifil - Perfect - first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5221.htm">Strong's 5221: </a> </span><span class="str2">To strike</span><br /><br /><span class="word">a thousand</span><br /><span class="heb">אֶ֥לֶף</span> <span class="translit">(’e·lep̄)</span><br /><span class="parse">Number - masculine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_505.htm">Strong's 505: </a> </span><span class="str2">A thousand</span><br /><br /><span class="word">men.”</span><br /><span class="heb">אִֽישׁ׃</span> <span class="translit">(’îš)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_376.htm">Strong's 376: </a> </span><span class="str2">A man as an individual, a male person</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/judges/15-16.htm">Judges 15:16 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/judges/15-16.htm">Judges 15:16 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/judges/15-16.htm">Judges 15:16 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/judges/15-16.htm">Judges 15:16 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/judges/15-16.htm">Judges 15:16 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/judges/15-16.htm">Judges 15:16 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/judges/15-16.htm">Judges 15:16 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/judges/15-16.htm">Judges 15:16 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/judges/15-16.htm">Judges 15:16 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/judges/15-16.htm">Judges 15:16 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/judges/15-16.htm">OT History: Judges 15:16 Samson said With the jawbone (Jd Judg. Jdg) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/judges/15-15.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Judges 15:15"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Judges 15:15" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/judges/15-17.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Judges 15:17"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Judges 15:17" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>