The Meaning of Judges 14:12 Explained

Judges 14:12

KJV: And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments:

YLT: And Samson saith to them, 'Let me, I pray you, put forth to you a riddle; if ye certainly declare it to me in the seven days of the banquet, and have found it out, then I have given to you thirty linen shirts, and thirty changes of garments;

Darby: And Samson said to them, "Let me now put a riddle to you; if you can tell me what it is, within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty festal garments;

ASV: And Samson said unto them, Let me now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can declare it unto me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of raiment;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Samson  said  unto them, I will now put forth  a riddle  unto you: if ye can certainly  declare  it me within the seven  days  of the feast,  and find [it] out,  then I will give  you thirty  sheets  and thirty  change  of garments: 

What does Judges 14:12 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 14:1-14 - A Self-Willed Youth
Timnath lay just across the frontier, in the Philistine country. It was a bad match and the beginning of life-trouble. Young people cannot be too careful as to their first love-match. Pray over it before you let your heart go. Take the advice of parents and friends. Whatever you do, marry only "in the Lord." For a Christian to marry one who is destitute of the divine life, is not only to set Christ's law at defiance, but to incur the misery of perpetual discord. It is impossible to have perfect fellowship with one who is not agreed with you in your deepest nature, 1 Corinthians 7:39.
This young lion, on the path between the vineyards, seems to have been the means of awakening Samson to claim that divine strength which had awaited his appeal but until that moment had been undiscovered. May it not be that lions have been allowed to roar at you, that you might be driven back upon God, and compelled to avail yourself of those infinite resources which reside in the ever-living Savior? [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 14

1  Samson desires a wife of the Philistines
6  In his journey he kills a lion
8  In a second journey he finds honey in the carcass
10  Samson's marriage feast
12  His riddle by his wife is made known
19  He strikes down thirty Philistines
20  His wife is married to another

What do the individual words in Judges 14:12 mean?

And said to them Samson let me pose I pray to you a riddle if correctly you can solve and explain it to me [within the] seven days of the feast and then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לָהֶם֙ שִׁמְשׁ֔וֹן אָחֽוּדָה־ נָּ֥א לָכֶ֖ם חִידָ֑ה אִם־ הַגֵּ֣ד תַּגִּידוּ֩ אוֹתָ֨הּ לִ֜י שִׁבְעַ֨ת יְמֵ֤י הַמִּשְׁתֶּה֙ וּמְצָאתֶ֔ם וְנָתַתִּ֤י לָכֶם֙ שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים סְדִינִ֔ים וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֖ים חֲלִפֹ֥ת בְּגָדִֽים

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לָהֶם֙  to  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
שִׁמְשׁ֔וֹן  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.
אָחֽוּדָה־  let  me  pose 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect Cohortative, first person common singular
Root: חוּד  
Sense: (Qal) to propose a riddle, propound a riddle.
נָּ֥א  I  pray 
Parse: Interjection
Root: נָא  
Sense: I (we) pray, now, please.
לָכֶ֖ם  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural
חִידָ֑ה  a  riddle 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: חִידָה  
Sense: riddle, difficult question, parable, enigmatic saying or question, perplexing saying or question.
הַגֵּ֣ד  correctly 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Infinitive absolute
Root: נָגַד  
Sense: to be conspicuous, tell, make known.
תַּגִּידוּ֩  you  can  solve  and  explain 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: נָגַד  
Sense: to be conspicuous, tell, make known.
לִ֜י  to  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
שִׁבְעַ֨ת  [within  the]  seven 
Parse: Number, masculine singular construct
Root: שֶׁבַע  
Sense: seven (cardinal number).
יְמֵ֤י  days 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
הַמִּשְׁתֶּה֙  of  the  feast 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִשְׁתֶּה  
Sense: feast, drink, banquet.
וְנָתַתִּ֤י  then  I  will  give 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים  thirty 
Parse: Number, common plural
Root: שְׁלֹשִׁים  
Sense: thirty, thirtieth.
סְדִינִ֔ים  linen  garments 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: סָדִין  
Sense: linen wrapper.
וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֖ים  and  thirty 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Number, common plural
Root: שְׁלֹשִׁים  
Sense: thirty, thirtieth.
חֲלִפֹ֥ת  changes 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: חֲלִיפָה  
Sense: a change, change (of garments), replacement.
בְּגָדִֽים  of  clothing 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: בֶּגֶד 
Sense: treachery, deceit.