7 Samson said to them, "Since you act like this , I will surely e take revenge on you, but after that I will quit ." 8 He struck them ruthlessly e e with a great slaughter ; and he went down and lived in the cleft of the rock of Etam .
9 Then the Philistines went up and camped in Judah , and spread out in Lehi . 10 The men of Judah said , "Why have you come up against us?" And they said , "We have come up to bind Samson in order to do to him as he did to us." 11 Then 3,000 e men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam and said to Samson , "Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?" And he said to them, "As they did to me, so I have done to them." 12 They said to him, "We have come down to bind you so that we may give you into the hands of the Philistines ." And Samson said to them, "Swear to me that you will not kill me." 13 So they said to him, "No , but we will bind you fast and give you into their hands ; yet surely we will not kill you." Then they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock . 14 When he came to Lehi , the Philistines shouted as they met him. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily so that the ropes that were on his arms were as flax that is burned with fire , and his bonds dropped from his hands . 15 He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey , so he reached e out and took it and killed a thousand men with it. 16 Then Samson said , "With the jawbone of a donkey , Heaps upon heaps , With the jawbone of a donkey I have killed a thousand men ." 17 When he had finished speaking , he threw the jawbone from his hand ; and he named that place Ramath-lehi .
18 Then he became very thirsty , and he called to the Lord and said , "You have given this great deliverance by the hand of Your servant , and now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised ?" 19 But God split the hollow place that is in Lehi so that water came out of it. When he drank , his strength returned and he revived . Therefore e he named e it En-hakkore , which is in Lehi to this day .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Judges 15:7-19
Commentary on Judges 15:1-8
(Read Judges 15:1-8)
When there are differences between relations, let those be reckoned the wisest and best, who are most forward to forgive or forget, and most willing to stoop and yield for the sake of peace. In the means which Samson employed, we must look at the power of God supplying them, and making them successful, to mortify the pride and punish the wickedness of the Philistines. The Philistines threatened Samson's wife that they would burn her and her father's house. She, to save herself and oblige her countrymen, betrayed her husband; and the very thing that she feared, and by sin sought to avoid, came upon her! She, and her father's house, were burnt with fire, and by her countrymen, whom she thought to oblige by the wrong she did to her husband. The mischief we seek to escape by any unlawful practices, we often pull down upon our own heads.
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.
Commentary on Judges 15:18-20
(Read Judges 15:18-20)
So little notice did the men of Judah take of their deliverer, that he was ready to perish for want of a draught of water. Thus are the greatest slights often put upon those who do the greatest services. Samson prayed to God in this distress. Those that forget to attend God their praises, may be compelled to attend him with their prayers. Past experiences of God's power and goodness, are excellent pleas in prayer for further mercy. He pleads his being exposed to God's enemies; our best pleas are taken from God's glory. The Lord sent him seasonable relief. The place of this action was, from the jaw-bone, called Lehi. And in the place thus called, God caused a fountain suddenly and seasonably to open, close by Samson. We should be more thankful for the mercy of water, did we consider how ill we can spare it. Israel submitted to him whom they had betrayed. God was with him; henceforward they were directed by him as their judge.