9 And the Philistines go up, and encamp in Judah, and are spread out in Lehi, 10 and the men of Judah say, 'Why have ye come up against us?' and they say, 'To bind Samson we have come up, to do to him as he hath done to us.' 11 And three thousand men of Judah go down unto the cleft of the rock Etam, and say to Samson, 'Hast thou now known that the Philistines are rulers over us? and what 'is' this thou hast done to us?' And he saith to them, 'As they did to me, so I did to them.' 12 And they say to him, 'To bind thee we have come down—to give thee into the hand of the Philistines.' And Samson saith to them, 'Swear to me, lest ye fall upon me yourselves.' 13 And they speak to him, saying, No, but we certainly bind thee, and have given thee into their hand, and we certainly do not put thee to death;' and they bind him with two thick bands, new ones, and bring him up from the rock. 14 He hath come unto Lehi—and the Philistines have shouted at meeting him—and the Spirit of Jehovah prospereth over him, and the thick bands which 'are' on his arms are as flax which they burn with fire, and his bands are wasted from off his hands, 15 and he findeth a fresh jaw-bone of an ass, and putteth forth his hand and taketh it, and smiteth with it—a thousand men. 16 And Samson saith, 'With a jaw-bone of the ass—an ass upon asses—with a jaw-bone of the ass I have smitten a thousand men.' 17 And it cometh to pass when he finisheth speaking, that he casteth away the jaw-bone out of his hand, and calleth that place Ramath-Lehi;
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Judges 15:9-17
Commentary on Judges 15:9-17
(Read Judges 15:9-17)
Sin dispirits men, it hides from their eyes the things that belong to their peace. The Israelites blamed Samson for what he had done against the Philistines, as if he had done them a great injury. Thus our Lord Jesus did many good works, and for those the Jews were ready to stone him. When the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson, his cords were loosed: where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, and those are free indeed who are thus set free. Thus Christ triumphed over the powers of darkness that shouted against him, as if they had him in their power. Samson made great destruction among the Philistines. To take the bone of an ass for this, was to do wonders by the foolish things of the world, that the excellency of the power might be of God, not of man. This victory was not in the weapon, was not in the arm; but it was in the Spirit of God, which moved the weapon by the arm. We can do all things through Him that strengtheneth us. Seest thou a poor Christian, who is enabled to overcome a temptation by weak, feeble counsel, there is the Philistine vanquished by a sorry jaw-bone.