The Lion, the Riddle, and the Warrior

Judges Chapter 14, the Strange and the Spectacular

Verses: 20

Is It Read At Synagogue?: No.

Famous Quotes/Phrases: I don’t know how famous it is, but the fact that the main plot of this chapter hinges on a riddle parallels occurrences in other mythologies — Greek mythology, for example.

Basic Plot: The stories of Samson’s adult life are some of the wildest the Hebrew Bible has to offer. We read that he finds, in the region of Timnah, a Philistine woman that he wishes to marry. The text tells us that God has infused Samson with the motivation to infiltrate the Philistines, yet he doesn’t mention this to his skeptical parents. On his next trip to Timnah, a lion attacks Samson, but he tears the lion apart with his bare hands.

One year later, Samson goes to Timnah to marry the woman, and discovers that the lion’s skeleton, still lying on the road, has been infiltrated by a swarm of bees. Samson eats the honey from these bees, which inspires him to tell a riddle to the Philistines at his wedding feast: “Out of the eater came something to eat, out of the strong came something sweet.” He bets the assembled Philistines 30 sets of linen tunics and other clothes that they can’t guess the answer.

Completely stumped, the men demand Samson’s bride to coax the answer from him, threatening to kill her and her parents if she’s unable. She eventually succeeds, but Samson responds by killing 30 men in Ashkelon and giving his victims’ clothing to those who had answered the riddle.

What’s Strange: Where to start? Samson’s life is filled with superhuman feats of strength, righteous rage, and unhinged behavior. Very little of what he does seems predictable. But the one common theme is how Samson has a soft spot for the women he desires. “All of his troubles — but also all his heroic deeds — stem from … fall[ing] in love easily, and, it seems, purely on a physical basis,” writes Phillip Lopate in his essay on the book of Judges in Congregation: Contemporary Writers Read the Jewish Bible (David Rosenberg, ed.). “For all his strength, he seems not to engender [the womens’] full respect, much less their obedience. They know how to play on his guilt with tears and reproaches, to twist him around their fingers.” The narrative from this chapter only foreshadows a more famous example that we’ll read about soon.

What’s Spectacular: Having watched many of the movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I’ve thought about where Samson fit in among the likes of Iron Man, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, etc. Perhaps he’s most similar to the Incredible Hulk, but while both characters are marked by anger and overwhelming strength, the Hulk has an intellectual and softer side in the form of Bruce Banner. Samson, though unquestionably devoted to God, seems highly unsophisticated. Thor might be a better comparison, though at least Thor has a sense of humor that Samson lacks.

Of course, Samson doesn’t necessarily need to fit into the MCU for us to find him compelling. It’s stunning enough to encounter an Israelite leader who seems larger than life. There’s no question that Samson is super … but we’ll have to see, over the next two chapters, whether he earns the title of superhero.

Shabbat Shalom!