Then the Philistines went up and camped in Judah, and spread out in Lehi.
Parallel translations
- WEB Then the Philistines went up, encamped in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi.
- KJV Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi.
- BSB Then the Philistines went up, camped in Judah, and deployed themselves near the town of Lehi.
- NKJV Now the Philistines went up, encamped in Judah, and deployed themselves against Lehi.
- NLT The Philistines retaliated by setting up camp in Judah and spreading out near the town of Lehi.
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
The Philistines invade Judah and deploy at Lehi to capture Samson. The conflict now spills onto Israelite soil.
Overview
The Philistine military presence in Judah shows how thoroughly they dominated Israel at this time. Rather than rallying behind their deliverer, the men of Judah will treat Samson as a problem to be handed over. The scene exposes Israel's spiritual weakness: a people so accustomed to oppression that they no longer desire deliverance.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Judg 15:19But God split the hollow place that is in Lehi, and water came out of it. When he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived. Therefore its name was called En Hakkore, which is in Lehi, to this day.
- Judg 15:17When he had finished speaking, he threw the jawbone out of his hand; and that place was called Ramath Lehi.
- Judg 15:14When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him. Then Yahweh’s Spirit came mightily on him, and the ropes that were on his arms became as flax that was burned with fire, and his bands dropped from off his hands.
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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 15:9 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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