Teks -- Judges 14:14 (NET)

14:14 He said to them, “Out of the one who eats came something to eat; out of the strong one came something sweet.” They could not solve the riddle for three days.

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per frasa)

JFB: Jdg 14:12-18 - I will now put forth a riddle

Riddles are a favorite Oriental amusement at festive entertainments of this nature, and rewards are offered to those who give the solution. Samson's riddle related to honey in the lion's carcass. The prize he offered was thirty sindinim, or shirts, and thirty changes of garments, probably woolen. Three days were passed in vain attempts to unravel the enigma. The festive week was fast drawing to a close when they secretly enlisted the services of the newly married wife, who having got the secret, revealed it to her friends.

Clarke: Jdg 14:14 - And he said unto there

And he said unto there - Thus he states or proposes his riddle: -

Out of the eater came forth meat

And out of the strong came forth sweetness

Instead of strong, the Syriac and Arabic have bitter. I have no doubt that the riddle was in poetry; and perhaps the two hemistichs above preserve its order. This was scarcely a fair riddle; for unless the fact to which it refers were known, there is no rule of interpretation by which it could be found out. We learn from the Scholiast, on Aristophanes, Vesp. v. 20, that it was a custom among the ancient Greeks to propose at their festivals, what were called γριφοι, griphoi , riddles, enigmas, or very obscure sayings, both curious and difficult, and to give a recompense to those who found them out, which generally consisted in either a festive crown, or a goblet full of wine. Those who failed to solve them were condemned to drink a large portion of fresh water, or of wine mingled with a sea-water, which they were compelled to take down at one draught, without drawing their breath, their hands being tied behind their backs. Sometimes they gave the crown to the deity in honor of whom the festival was made: and if none could solve the riddle, the reward was given to him who proposed it. Of these enigmas proposed at entertainments etc., we have numerous examples in Athenaeus, Deipnosoph, lib. x., c. 15, p. 142, edit. Argentorat., and some of them very like this of Samson for example: -

Διδους τις ουκ εδωκεν, ουδ ’ εχων εχει;

"Who gives, and does not give

Who has not, and yet has?

This may be spoken of an enigma and its proposer: he gives it, but he does not give the sense; the other has it, but has not the meaning

Εστι φυσις θηλεια βρεφη σοζους ’ ὑπο κολποις

Αυτης· ταυτα δ ’ αφωνα βοην ἱστησι γεγωνον.

Και δια ποντιον οιδμα, και ηπειρου δια πασης,

Οἱς εθελει θνητων· τοις δ ’ ου παρεουσις ακουειν

Εξεστι· κωφην δ ’ ακοης αισθησιν εχουσιν.

"There is a feminine Nature, fostering her children in her bosom; who, although they are dumb, send forth a distinct voice over every nation of the earth, and every sea, to whom soever they please. It is possible for those who are absent to hear, and for those who are deaf to hear also.

The relator brings in Sappho interpreting it thus: -

Θηλεια μεν ουν εστι φυσις, επιστολη.

Βρεφη δ ’ εν αυτῃ περιφερει τα γραμματα

Αφωνα δ ’ οντα ταυτα τοις πορῥω λαλει,

Οἱς βουλεθ· ἑτερος δ ’ αν τυχῃ τις πλησιον

Ἑστως αναγινωσκοντος, ουκ ακουσεται.

"The Nature, which is feminine, signifies an epistle; and her children whom she bears are alphabetical characters: and these, being dumb, speak and give counsel to any, even at a distance; though he who stands nigh to him who is silently reading, hears no voice.

Here is another, attributed by the same author to Theodectes: -

Της φυσεως ὁσα γαια φερει τροφος, ουδ ’ ὁσα ποντος,

Ουτε βροτοισιν εχει γυιων αυξησιν ὁμοιαν.

Αλλ ’ εν μεν γενεσει πρωτοσπορῳ εστι μεγιστη,

Εν δε μεσαις ακμαις μικρα, γηρᾳ δε προς αυτῳ

Μορφῃ και μεγεθει μειζων παλιν εστιν ἁπαντων.

"Neither does the nourishing earth so bear by nature, nor the sea, nor is there among mortals a like increase of parts; for at the period of its birth it is greatest, but in its middle age it is small, and in its old age it is again greater in form and size than all.

This is spoken of a shadow. At the rising of the sun in the east, the shadow of an object is projected illimitably across the earth towards the west; at noon, if the sun be vertical to that place, the shadow of the object is entirely lost; at sunsetting, the shadow is projected towards the east, as it was in the morning towards the west

Here is another, from the same author: -

Εισι κασιγνηται διτται, ὡν ἡ μια τικτει

Την ἑπεραν, αυτη δε τεκους ’ ὑπο τησδε τεκνουται.

"There are two sisters, the one of whom begets the other, and she who is begotten produces her who begat her.

Day and night solve this enigma

The following I have taken from Theognis: -

Ηδη γαρ με κεκληκε θαλαττιος οικαδε νεκρος

Τεθνηκως, ζωῳ φθεγγομενος στοματι.

Theogn. Gnom., in fine

"A dead seaman calls me to his house; And, although he be dead, he speaks with a living mouth.

This dead seaman is a conch or large shellfish, of which the poet was about to eat. The mouth by which it spoke signifies its being used as a horn; as it is well known to produce, when opened at the spiral end and blown, a very powerful sound.

Defender: Jdg 14:14 - riddle

The word translated "riddle" is rendered in various other ways in other passages ("dark saying," "hard question," etc.)."

TSK: Jdg 14:14 - Out of the eater // they could

Out of the eater : Gen 3:15; Deu 8:15, Deu 8:16; 1Ki 17:6; 2Ch 20:2, 2Ch 20:25; Isa 53:10-12; Rom 5:3-5; Rom 8:37; 2Co 4:17, 2Co 12:9, 2Co 12:10; Phi 1:12-20; Heb 2:14, Heb 2:15, Heb 12:10, Heb 12:11; Jam 1:2-4; 1Pe 2:24

they could : Pro 24:7; Mat 13:11; Act 8:31

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per Ayat)

Poole: Jdg 14:14

i.e. Out of that strong and devouring creature, the lion, came forth sweet meat, to wit, honey; withal it is covertly implied, that the Philistines, though now they had strength on their side, and dominion over Israel, whom they did devour upon all occasions, yet at last they should become meat to the Israelites.

Haydock: Jdg 14:14 - Sweetness

Sweetness. The explication of the ancient riddles frequently depended on the knowledge of something that had taken place. Our riddle-makers follow other rules. In a spiritual sense, the Philistines might be considered as those strong ones who had domineered over Israel, but would shortly afford them the spoils of a glorious victory. Jesus rises triumphant from the grave, and, after he has been persecuted and torn in pieces, becomes the food of Christians. (St. Augustine, &c.) (Calmet)

Gill: Jdg 14:14 - 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

And he said unto them, out of the eater came forth meat,.... Out of a devouring eater, such as the lion is, came forth honey, or that was taken out of it, which Samson, and his father and mother, ate of, and which was the common food of some persons, as of John the Baptist:

and out of the strong came forth sweetness: not only out of that which was strong in body while alive, but of a strong and ill scent, as the carcass of a dead lion is, and out of that came forth honey, than which nothing is sweeter. Josephus ^m expresses it,"that which devours all things furnishes out pleasant food, when that itself is altogether unpleasant:"

and they could not in three days expound the riddle; so long they laboured to find it out, but then began to despair of it.