Judges 15:12

But they said to him, “We have come down to arrest you and hand you over to the Philistines.” Samson replied, “Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Three thousand men of Judah confront Samson at the rock of Etam to state their mission to arrest him and deliver him to the Philistines. Samson responds by demanding an oath that they will not personally execute him.

The words — The Hebrew לֶ/אֱסָרְ/ךָ֣ (le./'e.sa.re./Kha) means "to bind you," while לְ/תִתְּ/ךָ֖ (le./ti.te./Kha) translates literally to "to give you," marking the tribe's intent to surrender him into enemy custody.

The thread — The sequence of binding and handing over runs parallel to Matthew 27:2, where Jesus is bound and delivered to Pilate, and is immediately qualified by Judges 15:13, where the men clarify they will only tie him securely rather than kill him themselves.

Why it lands — The text records tribal leaders negotiating the terms of Samson's surrender to avoid personal bloodshed, forcing a reader to note how local political survival temporarily overrides the demand for direct execution.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וַיֹּ֤אמְרוּva/i.Yo.me.ruand/ they saidלוֹ֙l/oto <the>/ himלֶאֱסָרְךָ֣le./'e.sa.re./Khato/ bind/ you יָרַ֔דְנוּya.Rad.nuwe have come down לְתִתְּךָ֖le./ti.te./Khato/ give/ you בְּיַד־be./yad-in/ [the] hand of פְּלִשְׁתִּ֑יםpe.lish.Tim[the] Philistines וַיֹּ֤אמֶרva/i.Yo.merand/ he saidלָהֶם֙la./Hemto <the>/ themשִׁמְשׁ֔וֹןshim.ShonSamson הִשָּׁבְע֣וּhi.sha.ve.'Uswearלִ֔יL/ito <the>/ meפֶּֽן־pen-lest תִּפְגְּע֥וּןtif.ge.'U/nyou should fall/ !בִּ֖יb/ion <the>/ meאַתֶּֽם׃'a.Temyou

King James Version

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.

Cross-references

Matthew 27:2 They bound Him, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate the governor.
Judges 8:21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Get up and kill us yourself, for as the man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments from the necks of their camels.
1 Kings 2:25 So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died.
1 Kings 2:34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up, struck down Joab, and killed him. He was buried at his own home in the wilderness.
Acts 7:25 He assumed his brothers would understand that God was using him to deliver them, but they did not.

People named

Samson