Judges 15:11

Jdg 15:11 Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines [are] rulers over us? what [is] this [that] thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.

Ver. 11. As they did unto me.] He pleadeth ius talionis, for his own defence. This would not have held good if Samson had been a private person, and the wrong had been done to himself only, {Pro 20:22; Pro 24:19; Pro 17:13 Rom 12:17; Rom 12:19} though tallying of injuries is by carnal people held but justice, and counted manhood; whereas indeed it is doghood rather. But public revenge is justly exercised by the magistrate; who yet must not rashly make war, but remember what was once gravely spoken by our Henry VII: If we princes should take every occasion that is offered, the world should never be quiet, but wearied with continual brawls.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Jdg 15:11-12. What hast thou done unto us? — Thou hast by these actions punished, not them only, but us, who are sure to smart for it. We are come down to bind thee — Why not rather to fight under thy banner? Because sin dispirits men, nay, infatuates them, and hides from their eyes the things that belong to their peace. That we may deliver thee to the Philistines — This shows how dastardly the tribe of Judah was grown, and how much they stood in fear of the Philistines, that they should so readily give up a person of such extraordinary strength and courage, and who was so capable of annoying their enemies. But they seem not to have considered him as a judge or deliverer appointed for them by God, but as a mere private man, who acted of his own will, and who had rashly stirred up the anger of the Philistines, with whom they were afraid to contend: and Samson, to make them easy, and that no damage might come upon them, consented that they should deliver him bound to the Philistines; knowing that his strength would be sufficient to break whatever cords they should bind him with. Swear unto me — Not that he feared them, or could not as easily have conquered them as he did the host of the Philistines: but because he would be free from all temptation of doing them harm, though it were in his own defence.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Such was their gross ignorance, that they judged God’s great benefits to be a plague unto them.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 11. Three thousand men of Judah went] It appears evidently from this that Samson was strongly posted, and they thought that no less than three thousand men were necessary to reduce him.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(11) Went to the top of the rock Etam.—Rather, went down to the cave of the rock Etam. They would easily gain information as to Samson’s hiding-place.

What is this that thou hast done unto us?—The abject condition into which the Lion Tribe had sunk can best be estimated by this reproach against the national hero, and still more by their baseness in betraying him. He finds no sympathy. There are no patriots in search of heroes. What might not this 3,000 have achieved if they had been like Gideon’s 300?

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Then three thousand of Judah went up to the top of the rock of Etam,.... Or "went down" (g); that is, into the cave of the rock of Etam, as the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions; and so it is taken by David de Pomis (h) for a cave dug in the rock: this was a large number that went to take one man; the reason is, they knew his great strength:

and said to Samson, knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? and therefore it must be a very unwise thing to disoblige and provoke them, when it lay in their power to oppress them yet more and more, to increase their tribute, and make their burdens heavier, and even take away their lives:

what is this that thou hast done unto us? they ask not what he had done to them, but unto us; though they mean that, but express themselves thus, because what he had done to the Philistines was the occasion of their coming up against them, and so eventually it was doing them ill:

and he said unto them, as they did unto me, so have I done to them; they had done him ill, and therefore he did ill to them; they had burnt his wife and her father with fire, and he had slain many of them; at least this was what he thought fit to say in his own vindication; otherwise what he did was not in a way of private revenge, but on account of the injury done to the people of Israel, he taking what was done to them as done to himself, the chief magistrate and judge of Israel.

(g) "et descenderunt", Pagninus, Montanus; "descenderunt ergo", V. L. Tigurine version. (h) Tzemach David, fol. 112. 3.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The dispirited men of Judah were prepared to give up their champion, in order to conciliate their masters. This shows how hard was the task of the Judge, whose office it was to restore his countrymen to freedom and independence.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

What is this that thou hast done unto us? thou hast by these actions punished not them, as thou intendest; but us, who being under their dominion, are sure to smart for it.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

11. Went to the top of the rock — Hebrew, went down, that is, from the higher hill country of Judah.

Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us — The lion of Judah was cowed by the presence of the enemy; and so utterly humbled and subdued by the Philistines were the leaders of this tribe that they readily became instruments in their hands to capture and deliver up to them their nation’s great champion.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Men of Judah. It is rather three thousand men went down from Judah, showing that the rock Etam was below. The top. It should be the cleft, as in ver. 8. Knowest thou not, etc. The language of these cowardly men shows how completely the Philistine yoke was fastened upon the necks of Judah. The history gives no account of the Philistine conquest; except the brief allusion in Jud_1:10:6, 7; but Samson"s story brings to light the existence of it. The abject state to which they were reduced is shown By their complaint of Samson, What is this that thou hast done unto us?" instead of hailing him as a deliverer. As they did unto me, etc. It is instructive to read Samson"s defence of himself in the very words used by the Philistines in ver. 10. "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." There is no end to rendering "evil for evil."

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Unto us - Thou hast by these actions punished not them only, but us, who are sure to smart for it.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

three thousand men of Judah

"3,000 men of Judah" (See: Numbers)

cave in the cliff of Etam

See how you translated this phrase in Judges 15:8.

Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What is this you have done to us?

The men of Judah ask Samson these questions to rebuke him. This questions may be written as a statements. AT: "You know that the Philistines are rulers over us but you act like they are not. What you have done has caused us great harm." (See: Rhetorical Question)

They did to me, and so I have done to them

Samson is referring to how they killed his wife and how he killed them in revenge. This can be stated clearly. AT: "They killed my wife, so I killed them" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

translationWords

Judah

Samson

Philistines

rule

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.