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Judges 15:5

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Then he lit the torches and released the foxes into the standing grain of the Philistines, burning up the piles of grain and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves.

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Commentaries

Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.

Matthew Henry Bible Commentaryv. 5

Samson, when he courted an alliance with the Philistines, did but seek an occasion against them, Jdg 14:4. Now here we have a further account of the occasions he took to weaken them, and to avenge, not his own, but Israel's quarrels, upon them. Everything here is surprising; if any thing be thought incredible, because impossible, it must be remembered that with God nothing is impossible, and it was by the Spirit of the Lord coming upon him that he was both directed to and strengthened for those unusual ways of making war. I. From the perfidiousness of his wife and her father, he took occasion to burn their corn (Jdg 15:1-5). II. From the Philistines' barbarous cruelty to his wife and her father, he took occasion to smite them with a great slaughter (Jdg 15:6-8). III. From the treachery of his countrymen, who delivered him bound to the Philistines, he took occasion to kill 1000 of them with the jaw-bone of an ass (Jdg 15:9-17). IV. From the distress he was then in for want of water, God took occasion to show him favour in a seasonable supply (Jdg 15:18-20).

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Original language

The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).

Strong's Concordancev. 5

בָּעַר (bâʻar, H1197) — to kindle, i.e. consume (by fire or by eating); to be(-come) brutish לַפִּיד (lappîyd, H3940) — a flambeau, lamp or flame אֵשׁ (ʼêsh, H784) — fire (literally or figuratively) שָׁלַח (shâlach, H7971) — to send away, for, or out (in a great variety of applications) קָמָה (qâmâh, H7054) — something that rises, i.e. a stalk of grain פְּלִשְׁתִּי (Pᵉlishtîy, H6430) — a Pelishtite or inhabitant of Pelesheth גָּדִישׁ (gâdîysh, H1430) — a stack of sheaves; by analogy, a tomb כֶּרֶם (kerem, H3754) — a garden or vineyard זַיִת (zayith, H2132) — an olive (as yielding illuminating oil), the tree, the branch or the berry

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Cross-references

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II Samuel 14:30rank 2

Then Absalom said to his servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire!” And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.

Exodus 22:6rank 2

If a fire breaks out and spreads to thornbushes so that it consumes stacked or standing grain, or the whole field, the one who started the fire must make full restitution.

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