Judges 15:2

And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
father	אָבִ֗יהָ 'a.Vi.ha	H1	father · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine singular
said	וַיֹּ֣אמֶר vai.Yo.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
verily	אָמֹ֤ר 'a.Mor	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · verb, qal infinitive absolute
thought	אָמַ֙רְתִּי֙ 'a.Mar.ti	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · verb, qal perfect, 1st person common singular
utterly	שָׂנֹ֣א sa.No'	H8130	to hate (personally) · verb, qal infinitive absolute
hated	שְׂנֵאתָ֔הּ se.ne.Tah	H8130	to hate (personally) · verb, qal perfect, 2nd person masculine singular + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine singular
gave	וָאֶתְּנֶ֖נָּה va.'et.te.Ne.nah	H5414	to give · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 1st person common singular + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine singular
companion	לְמֵרֵעֶ֑ךָ le.me.re.'E.kha	H4828	a friend · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
younger	הַקְּטַנָּה֙ ha.ke.ta.Nah	H6996	abbreviated · definite article + adjective, feminine singular absolute
sister	אֲחֹתָ֤הּ 'a.cho.Tah	H269	a sister (used very widely (like brother) · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine singular
fairer	טוֹבָ֣ה to.Vah	H2896	good (as an adjective) in the widest sense · adjective, feminine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Judges 14:20 But Samson’s wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.
Genesis 38:14 And she put her widow’s garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the w…
Judges 14:16 And Samson’s wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my…
Acts 26:9 I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Judges 15:1-8

Here is, I. Samson's return to his wife, whom he had left in displeasure; not hearing perhaps that she was given to another, when time had a little cooled his resentments, he came back to her, visited her with a kid, Jdg 15:1. The value of the present was inconsiderable, but it was intended as a token of reconciliation, and perhaps was then so used, when those that had been at variance were brought together again; he sent this, that he might sup with her in her apartments, and she with him, on his provision, and so they might be friends again. It was generously done of Samson, though he was the party offended and the superior relation, to whom therefore she was bound in duty to sue for peace…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Judges 15:2

her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her--This allegation was a mere sham, a flimsy pretext to excuse his refusal of admittance. The proposal he made of a marriage with her younger sister was but an insult to Samson, and one which it was unlawful for an Israelite to accept (Lev 18:18).

John Gill on Judges 15:2

And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her,.... Not only thought so, but said so, and had said it over and over again; for the words are, "saying I said" (t), affirmed it confidently and constantly, that "in hating thou hast hated her" (u), with an implacable hatred, that there was no hope of any reconciliation: therefore I gave her to thy companion; this he said to excuse his daughter, and soften his resentment, that it was not his daughter's doing, but his, and that he had disposed of her not to anybody, but to a companion of Samson's; and what follows seems to be said with the same view, for he might be in some fear of Samson, knowing him to be a man of spiri…

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Keil & Delitzsch on Judges 15:1-2

Further Acts of Samson. - Jdg 15:1-8. His Revenge upon the Philistines. - Jdg 15:1. Some time after, Samson visited his wife in the time of the wheat harvest with a kid-a customary present at that time (Gen 38:17)-and wished to go into the chamber (the women's apartment) to her; but her father would not allow him, and said, "I thought thou hatedst her, and therefore gave her to thy friend (Jdg 14:20): behold her younger sister is fairer than she; let her be thine in her stead."

The Church Fathers

Then follow the words "Samson was angry because a friend married his wife." This friend prefigured all heretics. It is a great mystery, my brothers. Heretics who divide the church have wanted to marry the wife of the Lord and carry her away. By departing from the church and the Gospels, they attempt through adulterous wickedness to seize the church, that is, the body of Christ, as their portion. For this reason that faithful servant and friend of the Lord's bride says, "I betrothed you to one spouse, that I might present you a chaste virgin to Christ." Moreover, through the zeal of faith and a rebuke he touches the person of his wicked companion: "And I fear lest, as the serpent seduced Eve, so your minds may be corrupted from the truth which is in Christ Jesus." Who are the companions, that is, the heretical deserters who want to seize the Lord's spouse, unless Donatus, Arius, Manichaeus, and other vessels of error and perdition?
— Caesarius of Arles, SERMON 118.4

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Samson · Wife of, estranged — Wife of, estranged

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).