The Meaning of Judges 15:14 Explained

Judges 15:14

KJV: And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.

YLT: He hath come unto Lehi -- and the Philistines have shouted at meeting him -- and the Spirit of Jehovah prospereth over him, and the thick bands which are on his arms are as flax which they burn with fire, and his bands are wasted from off his hands,

Darby: When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the ropes which were on his arms became as flax that has caught fire, and his bonds melted off his hands.

ASV: When he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him: and the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon him, and the ropes that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands dropped from off his hands.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

[And] when he came  unto Lehi,  the Philistines  shouted  against  him: and the Spirit  of the LORD  came mightily  upon him, and the cords  that [were] upon his arms  became as flax  that was burnt  with fire,  and his bands  loosed  from off his hands. 

What does Judges 15:14 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 15:14 mean?

[when] he came to Lehi and the Philistines came shouting against him and came mightily upon him the Spirit of Yahweh and became the ropes that [were] on his arms like flax that is burned with fire and broke loose his bonds from his hands
הוּא־ בָ֣א עַד־ לֶ֔חִי וּפִלְשִׁתִּ֖ים‪‬‪‬‪‬‪‬‪‬ הֵרִ֣יעוּ לִקְרָאת֑וֹ וַתִּצְלַ֨ח עָלָ֜יו ר֣וּחַ יְהוָ֗ה וַתִּהְיֶ֨ינָה הָעֲבֹתִ֜ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר עַל־ זְרוֹעוֹתָ֗יו כַּפִּשְׁתִּים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּעֲר֣וּ בָאֵ֔שׁ וַיִּמַּ֥סּוּ אֱסוּרָ֖יו מֵעַ֥ל יָדָֽיו

הוּא־  [when]  he 
Parse: Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
בָ֣א  came 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
לֶ֔חִי  Lehi 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: לְחִי  
Sense: a place in Judah which must have been in the Shephelah, near the border of the hill-country of Judah; site uncertain.
וּפִלְשִׁתִּ֖ים‪‬‪‬‪‬‪‬‪‬  and  the  Philistines 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, 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.
הֵרִ֣יעוּ  came  shouting 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: רוּעַ  
Sense: to shout, raise a sound, cry out, give a blast.
לִקְרָאת֑וֹ  against  him 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to encounter, befall, meet.
וַתִּצְלַ֨ח  and  came  mightily 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: צָלַח 
Sense: (Qal) to rush.
עָלָ֜יו  upon  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
ר֣וּחַ  the  Spirit 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: רוּחַ  
Sense: wind, breath, mind, spirit.
יְהוָ֗ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וַתִּהְיֶ֨ינָה  and  became 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
הָעֲבֹתִ֜ים  the  ropes 
Parse: Article, Noun, common plural
Root: עָבֹות 
Sense: cord, rope, cordage, foliage, interwoven foliage.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  that  [were] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
זְרוֹעוֹתָ֗יו  his  arms 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: זְרֹועַ  
Sense: arm, forearm, shoulder, strength.
כַּפִּשְׁתִּים֙  like  flax 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: פֵּשֶׁת  
Sense: flax, linen.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
בָּעֲר֣וּ  is  burned 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: בָּעַר 
Sense: to burn, consume, kindle, be kindled.
בָאֵ֔שׁ  with  fire 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.
וַיִּמַּ֥סּוּ  and  broke  loose 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: מָסַס  
Sense: to dissolve, melt.
אֱסוּרָ֖יו  his  bonds 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אֵסוּר  
Sense: band, bond.
יָדָֽיו  his  hands 
Parse: Noun, fdc, third person masculine singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.