Bible Strands
Judges 16:8
So the lords of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him up with them.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Philistine rulers deliver seven undried bowstrings to Delilah following Samson’s conditional warning that he would lose his strength if bound with them. She then uses these materials to restrain him while the conspirators wait in ambush.
The words — יְתָרִים לַחִים (ye.ta.Rim la.Chim) literally translates to “fresh cords,” emphasizing the raw, undried state of the bowstrings that Samson specified. This precise terminology highlights the deliberate fulfillment of his stated condition.
The thread — The narrative echoes the warning in Ecclesiastes 7:26 about a woman whose heart is a net and whose hands are chains, framing Delilah’s actions as the mechanism of entrapment. The subsequent breaking of the cords in Judges 16:9 confirms the temporary nature of this physical restraint.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that external restraints fail when the source of strength remains concealed. It requires the reader to observe how compliance with a stated condition does not guarantee the intended outcome.
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
King James Version
Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
Cross-references
- Ecclesiastes 7:26 And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared.