But his wife replied, “If the LORD had intended to kill us, He would not have accepted the burnt offering and the grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things or spoken to us this way.”
Parallel translations
- WEB But his wife said to him, “If Yahweh were pleased to kill us, he wouldn’t have received a burnt offering and a meal offering at our hand, and he wouldn’t he have shown us all these things, nor would he have told us such things as these at this time.”
- KJV But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these.
- NKJV But his wife said to him, “If the Lord had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have told us such things as these at this time.”
- NASB But his wife said to him, “If the Lord had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have let us hear things like this at this time.”
- NLT But his wife said, “If the Lord were going to kill us, he wouldn’t have accepted our burnt offering and grain offering. He wouldn’t have appeared to us and told us this wonderful thing and done these miracles.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Manoah's wife reasons that God would not have accepted their offering or made these promises if He meant to kill them. Her faith calms her husband's fear.
Overview
Her sound, faith-filled logic shows remarkable spiritual insight: God's gracious acceptance signals His good intentions. She rightly trusts the kindness implied in God's revealed promise. Her reasoning beautifully illustrates how faith reads God's acceptance of a sacrifice as assurance of His favor, a truth fulfilled in Christ's accepted offering for us.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Ps 25:14The LORD confides in those who fear Him, and reveals His covenant to them.
- 1 Cor 12:21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you.” Nor can the head say to the feet, “I do not need you.”
- Ps 86:17Show me a sign of Your goodness, that my enemies may see and be ashamed; for You, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
- John 15:15No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you.
- John 14:20On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.
- Prov 3:32for the LORD detests the perverse, but He is a friend to the upright.
- Eccl 4:9–10Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.
- Ps 27:13Still I am certain to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
- Gen 4:4–5while Abel brought the best portions of the firstborn of his flock. And the LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
- John 14:23Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
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Christ at the center
Israel's cycle of sin and rescue through flawed deliverers cries out for a Savior who never fails — the true and final Judge and Deliverer who saves his people not for a season but forever.
How Judges 13:23 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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