Judges 14:1-20

14:3 | Samson’s parents were astounded that their son would break the law of Moses, which absolutely forbade an Israelite to marry a foreigner (Deut. 7:1-4). Another possible translation of she pleases me well is “she looks good to me,” anticipating the time when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes (17:6) rather than “what is right and good in the sight of the LORD” (Deut. 6:18).

14:4 | How could Samson’s disobedience be of the LORD? The best way to understand this is that the Lord did not want Samson to marry the Philistine girl but used Samson’s disobedience for His glory. God is never responsible for evil acts, but He is so wise that He uses evil acts to accomplish His good purposes.

14:6-10 | Hiding the truth is often a sign of disobedience. Samson did not tell his father and mother about these things because his actions clearly violated the Nazirite vow (Lev. 11:27; Num. 6:6), as did the feast he gave, which in Hebrew refers to a drinking party.

14:10-20 | Samson had a motive for vengeance against the Philistines: They solved his riddle by seducing his wife, and he had to pay them what he had promised. So under the power of the Spirit of the LORD, he killed 30 Philistines – who were the enemies of God – and plundered what he needed to pay his debt.