The Meaning of Judges 14:14 Explained

Judges 14:14

KJV: And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.

YLT: And he saith to them: 'Out of the eater came forth meat, And out of the strong came forth sweetness;' and they were not able to declare the riddle in three days.

Darby: And he said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet." And they could not in three days tell what the riddle was.

ASV: And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth food, And out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days declare the riddle.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And he said  unto them, Out of the eater  came forth  meat,  and out of the strong  came forth  sweetness.  And they could  not in three  days  expound  the riddle. 

What does Judges 14:14 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 14:14 mean?

So he said to them Out of the eater came something to eat and out of the strong something sweet And not they could explain the riddle three for days
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֗ם מֵהָֽאֹכֵל֙ יָצָ֣א מַאֲכָ֔ל וּמֵעַ֖ז מָת֑וֹק וְלֹ֥א יָכְל֛וּ לְהַגִּ֥יד הַחִידָ֖ה שְׁלֹ֥שֶׁת יָמִֽים

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר  So  he  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לָהֶ֗ם  to  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
מֵהָֽאֹכֵל֙  Out  of  the  eater 
Parse: Preposition-m, Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
יָצָ֣א  came 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
מַאֲכָ֔ל  something  to  eat 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַאֲכָל  
Sense: food, fruit, meat.
וּמֵעַ֖ז  and  out  of  the  strong 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: עַז 
Sense: strong, mighty, fierce.
מָת֑וֹק  something  sweet 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: מָתֹוק  
Sense: sweet.
וְלֹ֥א  And  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יָכְל֛וּ  they  could 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: יָכֹל  
Sense: to prevail, overcome, endure, have power, be able.
לְהַגִּ֥יד  explain 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: נָגַד  
Sense: to be conspicuous, tell, make known.
הַחִידָ֖ה  the  riddle 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חִידָה  
Sense: riddle, difficult question, parable, enigmatic saying or question, perplexing saying or question.
שְׁלֹ֥שֶׁת  three 
Parse: Number, masculine singular construct
Root: מִשְׁלֹשׁ 
Sense: three, triad.
יָמִֽים  for  days 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.