One day Samson went down to Timnah, where he saw a young Philistine woman.
Parallel translations
- WEB Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines.
- KJV And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.
- NKJV Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines.
- NASB Then Samson went down to Timnah, and he saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines.
- NLT One day when Samson was in Timnah, one of the Philistine women caught his eye.
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
Samson goes to Timnah and sees a Philistine woman. His attraction to a pagan woman begins his troubled story.
Overview
Samson's visit to Philistine territory and his interest in one of their women immediately raises concern, since Israel was not to intermarry with such peoples. His drive by sight foreshadows the impulsive, fleshly pattern that will mark his life. Even so, God will sovereignly work through these flawed choices for His purposes.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Josh 15:10The border curled westward from Baalah to Mount Seir, ran along the northern slope of Mount Jearim (that is, Chesalon), went down to Beth-shemesh, and crossed to Timnah.
- Josh 19:43Elon, Timnah, Ekron,
- 1 Jn 2:16For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.
- Ps 119:37Turn my eyes away from worthless things; revive me with Your word.
- Job 31:1“I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I gaze with desire at a virgin?
- Gen 6:2the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they took as wives whomever they chose.
- 2 Sam 11:2One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman.
- Gen 34:1–2Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land.
- Gen 38:12–13After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 14:1 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.