The Meaning of Judges 16:3 Explained

Judges 16:3

KJV: And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.

YLT: And Samson lieth down till the middle of the night, and riseth in the middle of the night, and layeth hold on the doors of the gate of the city, and on the two side posts, and removeth them with the bar, and putteth on his shoulders, and taketh them up unto the top of the hill, which is on the front of Hebron.

Darby: But Samson lay till midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts, and pulled them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that is before Hebron.

ASV: And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and laid hold of the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and plucked them up, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Samson  lay  till midnight,  and arose  at midnight,  and took  the doors  of the gate  of the city,  and the two  posts,  and went away  with them, bar  and all, and put  [them] upon his shoulders,  and carried them up  to the top  of an hill  that [is] before  Hebron. 

What does Judges 16:3 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 16:3 mean?

And lay [low] Samson until that midnight then he arose at midnight and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two gateposts and pulled them up up along bar and all and put [them] on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that upon faces Hebron -
וַיִּשְׁכַּ֣ב שִׁמְשׁוֹן֮ עַד־ חֲצִ֣י הַלַּיְלָה֒ וַיָּ֣קָם ׀ בַּחֲצִ֣י הַלַּ֗יְלָה וַיֶּאֱחֹ֞ז בְּדַלְת֤וֹת שַֽׁעַר־ הָעִיר֙ וּבִשְׁתֵּ֣י הַמְּזוּז֔וֹת וַיִּסָּעֵם֙ עִֽם־ הַבְּרִ֔יחַ וַיָּ֖שֶׂם עַל־ כְּתֵפָ֑יו וַֽיַּעֲלֵם֙ אֶל־ רֹ֣אשׁ הָהָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־ פְּנֵ֥י חֶבְרֽוֹן פ

וַיִּשְׁכַּ֣ב  And  lay  [low] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁכַב  
Sense: to lie down.
שִׁמְשׁוֹן֮  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.
עַד־  until 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
חֲצִ֣י  that 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: חֲצִי 
Sense: half.
הַלַּיְלָה֒  midnight 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: לַיִל 
Sense: night.
וַיָּ֣קָם ׀  then  he  arose 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
בַּחֲצִ֣י  at 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: חֲצִי 
Sense: half.
הַלַּ֗יְלָה  midnight 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: לַיִל 
Sense: night.
וַיֶּאֱחֹ֞ז  and  took  hold 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָחוּז 
Sense: grasp, take hold, seize, take possession.
בְּדַלְת֤וֹת  of  the  doors 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: דַּל 
Sense: door, gate.
שַֽׁעַר־  of  the  gate 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שַׁעַר  
Sense: gate.
הָעִיר֙  of  the  city 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
וּבִשְׁתֵּ֣י  and  the  two 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Number, fdc
Root: שְׁנַיִם  
Sense: two.
הַמְּזוּז֔וֹת  gateposts 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: מְזוּזָה  
Sense: doorpost, gatepost.
וַיִּסָּעֵם֙  and  pulled  them  up 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine plural
Root: נָסַע  
Sense: to pull out, pull up, set out, journey, remove, set forward, depart.
עִֽם־  up  along 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עִם  
Sense: with.
הַבְּרִ֔יחַ  bar  and  all 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בְּרִיחַ  
Sense: bar.
וַיָּ֖שֶׂם  and  put  [them] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
כְּתֵפָ֑יו  his  shoulders 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: כָּתֵף  
Sense: shoulder, shoulder-blade, side, slope.
וַֽיַּעֲלֵם֙  and  carried  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine plural
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
רֹ֣אשׁ  the  top 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
הָהָ֔ר  of  the  hill 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: הַר  
Sense: hill, mountain, hill country, mount.
אֲשֶׁ֖ר  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
עַל־  upon 
Parse: Preposition
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.
פְּנֵ֥י  faces 
Parse: Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
חֶבְרֽוֹן  Hebron 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶבְרֹון 
Sense: a city in south Judah approx 20 south of Jerusalem and approx 20 miles (30 km) north of Beersheba and near where Abraham built an altar.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation

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