Judges 16:25

And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
hearts	לִבָּ֔ם li.Bam	H3820	the heart · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
merry	טוֹב ṭôwb	H2896	good (as an adjective) in the widest sense
said	וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ vai.Yo.me.Ru	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
Call	קִרְא֥וּ kir.'U	H7121	to call out to (i.e. properly · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine plural
Samson	לְשִׁמְשׁ֖וֹן le.shim.Shon	H8123	Shimshon · preposition + proper noun, a man's name
sport	וִישַֽׂחֶק vi.sa.chek-	H7832	to laugh (in pleasure or detraction) · conjunction + verb, piel, 3rd person masculine singular
called	וַיִּקְרְא֨וּ vai.yik.re.'U	H7121	to call out to (i.e. properly · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
Samson	לְשִׁמְשׁ֜וֹן le.shim.Shon	H8123	Shimshon · preposition + proper noun, a man's name
prison	הָאֲסוּרִ֗ים ha.'a.si.rim	H631	to yoke or hitch · definite article + verb, qal passive participle, masculine plural absolute
house	מִבֵּ֣ית mi.Beit	H1004	a house (in the greatest variation of applications · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
them	לִפְנֵיהֶ֔ם lif.nei.Hem	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
sport	וַיְצַחֵק֙ vay.tza.Chek	H6711	to laugh outright (in merriment or scorn) · conjunction + verb, piel sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
set	וַיַּעֲמִ֥ידוּ vai.ya.'a.Mi.du	H5975	to stand · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
pillars	הָעַמּוּדִֽים ha.'a.mu.Dim	H5982	a column (as standing) · definite article + noun, common masculine plural 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 9:27 And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god,…
Judges 19:6 And they sat down, and did eat and drink both of them together: for the damsel’s father had said unto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and…
2 Samuel 13:28 Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon; the…
Psalms 35:15-16 But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew…
Hebrews 11:36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
Judges 18:20 And the priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.
Judges 19:9 And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father in law, the damsel’s father, said unto him, Behold, n…
1 Kings 20:12 And it came to pass, when Ben-hadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, that he said unto his servant…

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Judges 16:22–end

Though the last stage of Samson's life was inglorious, and one could wish there were a veil drawn over it, yet this account here given of his death may be allowed to lessen, though it does not quite roll away, the reproach of it; for there was honour in his death. No doubt he greatly repented of his sin, the dishonour he had by it done to God and his forfeiture of the honour God had put upon him; for that God was reconciled to him appears, 1. By the return of the sign of his Nazariteship (Jdg 16:22): His hair began to grow again, as when he was shaven, that is, to be as thick and as long as when it was cut off. It is probable that their general thanksgiving to Dagon was not long deferred, be…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Judges 16:23

THEIR FEAST TO DAGON. (Jdg 16:23-25) the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon--It was a common practice in heathen nations, on the return of their solemn religious festivals, to bring forth their war prisoners from their places of confinement or slavery; and, in heaping on them every species of indignity, they would offer their grateful tribute to the gods by whose aid they had triumphed over their enemies. Dagon was a sea idol, usually represented as having the head and upper parts human, while the rest of the body resembled a fish.

John Gill on Judges 16:25

And it came to pass when their hearts were merry,.... With wine, for which Gaza is famous in many writers (w); with eating and drinking, dancing, and music; for it was usual for the Heathens to feast in their temples, and especially no doubt they would on such an occasion as this: and they said, call for Samson, that he may make us sport; by which it seems that what is before said, "when the people saw him", Judges 16:24 is said by anticipation; for as yet he was not in the temple, but in the prison; and therefore a motion was made by some of the great personages, that he might be fetched from thence, and they might have some diversion with him: and they called for Samson out of the prison…

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Dictionary and topics

Dagon — Little fish; diminutive from dag = a fish, the fish-god; the national god of the Philistines (Judg. 16:23). This idol had the body of a fish with the head and hands of a man. It was an…
Gaza — Called also Azzah, which is its Hebrew name (Deut. 2:23; 1 Kings 4:24; Jer. 25:20), strong, a city on the Mediterranean shore, remarkable for its early importance as the chief centre of a great…
Prison — The first occasion on which we read of a prison is in the history of Joseph in Egypt. Then Potiphar, “Joseph’s master, took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were…
Amusements And Pleasures, Worldly · Formed a part of idolatrous worship — Formed a part of idolatrous worship
Amusements And Worldly Pleasures · Formed a part of idolatrous worship — Formed a part of idolatrous worship
Gaza · .Sam — .Sam
Samson · his enemies — his enemies

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).

Judges 16:25

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Judges 16:22–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Judges 16:23

John Gill on Judges 16:25

Dictionary and topics

Judges 16:25

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Judges 16:22–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Judges 16:23

John Gill on Judges 16:25

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Judges 16:22–end

Rashi on Judges 16:25