The Meaning of Judges 16:2 Explained

Judges 16:2

KJV: And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.

YLT: it is told to the Gazathites, saying, 'Samson hath come in hither;' and they go round and lay wait for him all the night at the gate of the city, and keep themselves silent all the night, saying, 'Till the light of the morning -- then we have slain him.'

Darby: The Gazites were told, "Samson has come here," and they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. They kept quiet all night, saying, "Let us wait till the light of the morning; then we will kill him."

ASV: And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, Let be till morning light, then we will kill him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

[And it was told] the Gazites,  saying,  Samson  is come  hither. And they compassed [him] in,  and laid wait  for him all night  in the gate  of the city,  and were quiet  all the night,  saying,  In the morning,  when it is day,  we shall kill  him. 

What does Judges 16:2 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 16:1-14 - Playing With The Enemy
Three women, one after another, brought Samson down. If only a noble woman could have influenced him, as Deborah did Barak, how different his record would have been. Let those who are eminent in spiritual capacity guard against the swing of their nature to the opposite, sensual side.
It is clear that Samson's strength was not wholly accounted for by huge stature nor massive muscles, else Delilah would not have needed to ask his secret; and he lost his strength, not merely because the razor deprived him of his hitherto unshorn locks, which lay in glossy ringlets at the feet of his temptress, but because he had yielded to her seductive wiles. We should have supposed that one or two experiences of her shameful treachery would have sufficed to put him on his guard and lead hip to flee from the spot, as did Joseph, Genesis 39:12. But Samson lingered, as the moth which seems unable to resist the fascination of the flame, although already it has singed its wings, Proverbs 1:10-19. There is always a way of escape, but we must take it with instant eagerness, Genesis 19:17-22. [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 16

1  Samson at Gaza escapes, and carries away the gates of the city
4  Delilah corrupted by the Philistines, entices Samson
6  Thrice she is deceived
15  At last she overcomes him
21  The Philistines take him, and put out his eyes
22  His strength renewing, he pulls down the house upon the Philistines and dies

What do the individual words in Judges 16:2 mean?

[the Gazites [When were told] has come Samson here And they surrounded [the place] and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city and they were quiet night saying when it is daylight in the morning and we will kill him
לַֽעַזָּתִ֣ים ׀ לֵאמֹ֗ר בָּ֤א שִׁמְשׁוֹן֙ הֵ֔נָּה וַיָּסֹ֛בּוּ וַיֶּאֶרְבוּ־ ל֥וֹ כָל־ הַלַּ֖יְלָה בְּשַׁ֣עַר הָעִ֑יר וַיִּתְחָרְשׁ֤וּ הַלַּ֙יְלָה֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר עַד־ א֥וֹר הַבֹּ֖קֶר וַהֲרְגְנֻֽהוּ‪‬

לַֽעַזָּתִ֣ים ׀  [the  Gazites 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: עַזָּתִי  
Sense: an inhabitant of the city of Gaza.
לֵאמֹ֗ר  [When  were  told] 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
בָּ֤א  has  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
שִׁמְשׁוֹן֙  Samson 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שִׁמְשֹׁון  
Sense: a Danite, son of Manoah, a Nazarite for life, and a judge of Israel for 20 years.
הֵ֔נָּה  here 
Parse: Adverb
Root: הֵנָּה  
Sense: here, there, now, hither.
וַיָּסֹ֛בּוּ  And  they  surrounded  [the  place] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: סָבַב  
Sense: to turn, turn about or around or aside or back or towards, go about or arou nd, surround, encircle, change direction.
וַיֶּאֶרְבוּ־  and  lay  in  wait 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָרַב  
Sense: to lie in wait, ambush, lurk.
ל֥וֹ  for  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
הַלַּ֖יְלָה  night 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: לַיִל 
Sense: night.
בְּשַׁ֣עַר  at  the  gate 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שַׁעַר  
Sense: gate.
הָעִ֑יר  of  the  city 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
וַיִּתְחָרְשׁ֤וּ  and  they  were  quiet 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: חָרַשׁ 
Sense: to cut in, plough, engrave, devise.
הַלַּ֙יְלָה֙  night 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: לַיִל 
Sense: night.
לֵאמֹ֔ר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
א֥וֹר  it  is  daylight 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: אֹור  
Sense: light.
הַבֹּ֖קֶר  in  the  morning 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֹּקֶר 
Sense: morning, break of day.
וַהֲרְגְנֻֽהוּ‪‬  and  we  will  kill  him 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common plural, third person masculine singular
Root: הָרַג  
Sense: to kill, slay, murder, destroy, murderer, slayer, out of hand.