The Meaning of Judges 15:11 Explained

Judges 15:11

KJV: Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.

YLT: And three thousand men of Judah go down unto the cleft of the rock Etam, and say to Samson, 'Hast thou now known that the Philistines are rulers over us? and what is this thou hast done to us?' And he saith to them, 'As they did to me, so I did to them.'

Darby: Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, "Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?" And he said to them, "As they did to me, so have I done to them."

ASV: Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what then is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then three  thousand  men  of Judah  went  to the top  of the rock  Etam,  and said  to Samson,  Knowest  thou not that the Philistines  [are] rulers  over us? what [is] this [that] thou hast done  unto us? And he said  unto them, As they did  unto me, so have I done  unto them. 

What does Judges 15:11 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 15:9-20 - Mighty Against The Foe
To how low a depth had the men of Judah descended, that they should hand over their champion to their hereditary foes? The northern tribes that arose at the call of Gideon rebuked such cowardly treachery. There are things worse than defeat or death. To forfeit honor, to shirk duty, to fail in the supreme call of friendship and loyalty-these are the crimes that belittle the soul and court disgrace. What shall it profit, though we gain the whole world, if we lose our souls?
How inspiring is the thought that on us also the Spirit of the Lord may come mightily! There is no limit to his gracious and irresistible operations, save that imposed by the narrowness of our faith. Notice how the Apostle piles up his words in Ephesians 1:19. Whatever the cords of evil habits, woven through long years, and however entangling your circumstances, God's indwelling power can set you free. Yes, and that is not all: At the place where you have won your victories, there shall arise that fountain of water which is fed from the throne of God; and the soul, exhausted by its effort, shall drink and be revived. Lord, cause us so to drink! [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 15

1  Samson is denied his wife
3  He burns the Philistines' corn with foxes and firebrands
6  His wife and her father are burnt by the Philistines
8  Samson smites them hip and thigh
9  He is bound by the men of Judah, and delivered to the Philistines
14  He kills them with a jawbone
18  God makes the fountain En-hakkore for him in Lehi

What do the individual words in Judges 15:11 mean?

And went down three thousand men of Judah to the cleft of the rock of Etam and said to Samson do not you know that rule over us the Philistines and what [is] this you have done to us and he said to them as they did to me so I have done to them
וַיֵּרְד֡וּ שְׁלֹשֶׁת֩ אֲלָפִ֨ים אִ֜ישׁ מִֽיהוּדָ֗ה אֶל־ סְעִיף֮ סֶ֣לַע עֵיטָם֒ וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ לְשִׁמְשׁ֗וֹן הֲלֹ֤א יָדַ֙עְתָּ֙ כִּֽי־ מֹשְׁלִ֥ים בָּ֙נוּ֙ פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים וּמַה־ זֹּ֖את עָשִׂ֣יתָ לָּ֑נוּ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֔ם כַּאֲשֶׁר֙ עָ֣שׂוּ לִ֔י כֵּ֖ן עָשִׂ֥יתִי לָהֶֽם

וַיֵּרְד֡וּ  And  went  down 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יָרַד  
Sense: to go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down.
שְׁלֹשֶׁת֩  three 
Parse: Number, masculine singular construct
Root: מִשְׁלֹשׁ 
Sense: three, triad.
אֲלָפִ֨ים  thousand 
Parse: Number, masculine plural
Root: אֶלֶף 
Sense: a thousand.
אִ֜ישׁ  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
מִֽיהוּדָ֗ה  of  Judah 
Parse: Preposition-m, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
סְעִיף֮  the  cleft 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: סָעִיף 
Sense: cleft, branch.
סֶ֣לַע  of  the  rock 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: סֶלַע  
Sense: crag, cliff, rock.
עֵיטָם֒  of  Etam 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: עֵיטָם  
Sense: a village of the tribe of Simeon.
וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לְשִׁמְשׁ֗וֹן  to  Samson 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שִׁמְשֹׁון  
Sense: a Danite, son of Manoah, a Nazarite for life, and a judge of Israel for 20 years.
הֲלֹ֤א  do  not 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יָדַ֙עְתָּ֙  you  know 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
כִּֽי־  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
מֹשְׁלִ֥ים  rule 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: מָשַׁל  
Sense: to rule, have dominion, reign.
בָּ֙נוּ֙  over  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים  the  Philistines 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: פְּלִשְׁתִּי  
Sense: an inhabitant of Philistia; descendants of Mizraim who immigrated from Caphtor (Crete?) to the western seacoast of Canaan.
וּמַה־  and  what  [is] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
זֹּ֖את  this 
Parse: Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
עָשִׂ֣יתָ  you  have  done 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
לָּ֑נוּ  to  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר  and  he  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לָהֶ֔ם  to  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
עָ֣שׂוּ  they  did 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
לִ֔י  to  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
כֵּ֖ן  so 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֵּן 
Sense: so, therefore, thus.
עָשִׂ֥יתִי  I  have  done 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
לָהֶֽם  to  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural