Judges 15:2

“I was sure that you thoroughly hated her,” said her father, “so I gave her to one of the men who accompanied you. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her instead.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Samson’s father-in-law addresses Samson at the doorway during the wheat harvest, explaining that he gave Samson’s wife to an accompanying man because he assumed Samson thoroughly hated her. He then offers his younger daughter as a replacement bride.

The words — אָמַ֙רְתִּי (a.Mar.ti) literally means "I thought" or "I was sure," and שְׂנֵאתָ֔/הּ (se.ne.Ta/h) means "you hated her," which the father uses to justify his unilateral decision.

The thread — The father’s admission that he handed the wife to one of the accompanying men directly recalls the earlier record in Judges 14:20, while the proposal to swap brides mirrors the familial exchange pattern noted in Genesis 38:14.

Why it lands — The text reports the father’s assumption and subsequent action before drawing any moral conclusion, leaving the reader to evaluate the validity of his reasoning. It asks readers to distinguish between projected motives and stated boundaries when assessing broken relationships.

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

וַיֹּ֣אמֶרva/i.Yo.merand/ he said אָבִ֗יהָ'a.Vi./hafather/ her אָמֹ֤ר'a.Morcertainly <to think>אָמַ֙רְתִּי֙'a.Mar.tiI thought כִּי־ki-that שָׂנֹ֣אsa.No'certainly <to hate>שְׂנֵאתָ֔הּse.ne.Ta/hyou hated/ her וָאֶתְּנֶ֖נָּהva./'et.te.Ne./nahand/ I gave/ her לְמֵרֵעֶ֑ךָle./me.re.'E./khato/ companion/ your הֲלֹ֨אha./Lo'¿/ not אֲחֹתָ֤הּ'a.cho.Ta/h[is] sister/ her הַקְּטַנָּה֙ha./ke.ta.Nah<the>/ young טוֹבָ֣הto.Vahgood מִמֶּ֔נָּהmi.Me./nahmore than/ her תְּהִי־te.hi-let her belong נָ֥אna'pleaseלְךָ֖le./Khato <the>/ youתַּחְתֶּֽיהָ׃tach.Tei./hain place of/ her

King James Version

And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.

Cross-references

Judges 14:20 and his wife was given to one of the men who had accompanied him.
Genesis 38:14 she removed her widow’s garments, covered her face with a veil to disguise herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that although Shelah had grown up, she had not been given to him as a wife.
Judges 14:16 Then Samson’s wife came to him, weeping, and said, “You hate me! You do not really love me! You have posed to my people a riddle, but have not explained it to me.” “Look,” he said, “I have not even explained it to my father or mother, so why should I explain it to you?”
Acts 26:9 So then, I too was convinced that I ought to do all I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.