Bible Strands
Judges 14:13
But if you cannot solve it, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.” “Tell us your riddle,” they replied. “Let us hear it.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Samson addresses the Philistine companions at the midpoint of his seven-day feast, shifting from his initial offer to a conditional penalty. He speaks directly to them as the feast progresses and the riddle remains unsolved.
The words — The Hebrew phrase לֹא תוּכְלוּ לְהַגִּיד (lo tuḵəlû ləhaggîḏ) translates literally as "you will not be able to tell." The verb תוּכְלוּ (tuḵəlû) establishes the conditional inability that triggers the penalty clause.
The thread — The conditional wager structure anchors the immediate narrative sequence of Judges 14:12 and Judges 14:14, where the stakes are first proposed and later tested. This pattern of binding agreements through riddles recurs in ancient Near Eastern covenantal texts.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that the Philistines' failure to solve the riddle activates a concrete obligation. It requires the reader to track how conditional language shifts the narrative from invitation to enforced consequence.
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The Hebrew words
King James Version
But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it.