Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Judges 14:2 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 2. 2And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse turns sight into a demand that his parents obtain her as wife.
Read It With
- Judges 14:1–9
Read Judges 14:1–9 together. This verse turns sight into a demand that his parents obtain her as wife. Samson's sight and marriage demand, parental objection, narrator's purpose aside, descent to Timnah, lion encounter, Spirit-enabled tearing, secrecy, return, carcass honey, and silent sharing form one opening sequence; verse 10 begins the feast.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The narrator's providential aside explains how conflict will open without converting Samson's objectifying demand, secrecy, or contact with death into moral models. Within that movement, turns sight into a demand that his parents obtain her as wife.
Read Judges 14:1–9 together
Why these verses belong together: Samson's sight and marriage demand, parental objection, narrator's purpose aside, descent to Timnah, lion encounter, Spirit-enabled tearing, secrecy, return, carcass honey, and silent sharing form one opening sequence; verse 10 begins the feast.
Verse 1. 1 And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.
Verse 2. 2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.
Verse 3. 3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.
Verse 4. 4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.
Verse 5. 5 Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him.
Verse 6. 6 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.
Verse 7. 7 And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.
Verse 8. 8 And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion.
Verse 9. 9 And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion.
Follow the Context
- Samson reduces the woman to what he sees and demands a marriage his parents question.
- The narrator discloses a divine purpose against Philistine domination that the parents cannot see.
- Spirit-enabled strength kills a lion; Samson later handles honey from its carcass and hides the source from his parents.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
Divine purpose does not approve objectifying or coercing a woman.
Ancient ethnic labels cannot stigmatize modern communities or mixed marriages.
Spirit-given strength does not make secrecy and carcass contact exemplary.
What Remains True
Turns sight into a demand that his parents obtain her as wife. A good outcome within providence does not erase harmful motives, objectification, or secrecy in the human agent.
How It Can Shape Life
- Because Judges 14:2 turns sight into a demand that his parents obtain her as wife, require free consent and full personhood in relationships, and do not excuse a powerful person's behavior because conflict later serves a larger cause.
Teach It Back
Explain Judges 14:2's precise role in Judges 14:1–9. Include the scene's ancient covenant setting, one material uncertainty, the affected people, and one conclusion or violent imitation the context does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Judges 14:1–9 — Samson desires, his parents object, and a hidden purpose advancesSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
Readers debate providence, marriage custom, Nazirite scope, and whether Samson is comic antihero or tragic deliverer. Confidence is high that the narrator distinguishes divine purpose from the parents' and Samson's limited viewpoints.
The pronoun 'he sought an occasion' can refer to the LORD, as most translations take it, though some discuss Samson. The relation between Nazirite rules and carcass contact is also debated because chapter 13 names selected obligations.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: Judges 14:1–9, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Judges
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording, morphology, names, clause relationships, repeated terms, wordplays, and translation control.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Judg.xml, 14:1–9
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Judges with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, textual, poetic, geographical, social, and uncertainty notes.
Exact location: NET Bible Judges PDF, printed pp. 476-478, translation and notes on 14:1–9
Open source ↗