Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 15:2
And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: [is] not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.
I gave her – In marriage. Samson had probably not heard of this before. Samsons father had paid the dowry for the older sister; her father therefore offers her sister in her room. The fear of Samson probably also influenced him.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 2. Thou hadst utterly hated her] As he was conscious she had given him great cause so to do.
Her younger sister] The father appears to have been perfectly sincere in this offer.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her, because thou didst desert her in great wrath: but this was not sufficient cause; for he should have endeavoured a reconciliation, or waited for it; and not have disposed of another mans wife without his consent; which is not only against the law of God, but of nature also.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
2. her father said, I verily thoughtthat thou hadst utterly hated herThis allegation was a meresham, a flimsy pretext to excuse his refusal of admittance. Theproposal he made of a marriage with her younger sister was but aninsult to Samson, and one which it was unlawful for an Israelite toaccept (Le 18:18).
Jud15:3-8. HE BURNSTHE PHILISTINES’CORN.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her,…. Not only thought so, but said so, and had said it over and over again; for the words are, “saying I said” t, affirmed it confidently and constantly, that “in hating thou hast hated her” u, with an implacable hatred, that there was no hope of any reconciliation:
therefore I gave her to thy companion; this he said to excuse his daughter, and soften his resentment, that it was not his daughter’s doing, but his, and that he had disposed of her not to anybody, but to a companion of Samson’s; and what follows seems to be said with the same view, for he might be in some fear of Samson, knowing him to be a man of spirit and strength:
is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her; that is, to wife; and two things he observes to recommend her, her youth and beauty, in which she was preferable to her sister. Such incestuous marriages were common with the old Canaanites, and it seems still continued; but were condemned by the law of God, and not allowed an Israelite, which Samson knew full well, and therefore listened not to the proposal; see Le 18:3.
t “dicendo dixi”, Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator. u “odiendo odires eam”, Pagninus, Montanus; so Piscator.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(2) Verily thought . . . utterly hated.In the emphatic simplicity of the Hebrew style it is, Saying I said that hating, thou hatest her. As Samson had left his wife in anger immediately after the wedding feast, the father might have reasonably supposed that he meant finally to desert her.
I gave her.This must mean I have betrothed her, for otherwise she would not have still been living in her fathers house. But if the father had been an honourable man he could not under these circumstances have done less than restore the dowry which Manoah had given for her.
To thy companion.See on Jdg. 14:20.
Her younger sister.The father sought in this way to repair the wrong he had inflicted, and to offer some equivalent for the dower which he had wrongly appropriated.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2. Utterly hated her He surely had reason for so thinking, but to give her to that treacherous companion, who had so basely misused the confidence and responsibility reposed in him as friend of the bridegroom, was only to make matters worse, and to drive Samson to some other fearful act of retaliation. Under such circumstances, to propose to him her younger sister was to add insult to abuse, and render Samson more blameless than the Philistines (Jdg 15:3) in the fiery destruction which speedily visited their fields and vineyards.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘ And her father said, “I genuinely thought that you utterly hated her, therefore I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister fairer than she? Take her, I pray you, in her place.” ’
The father was not antagonistic to Samson, indeed was probably a little afraid of him, and pressed on him his offer of her more beautiful younger sister to replace what he had lost. He would probably also have ensured that Samson did not lose by it financially by providing equal dowry and gifts. Furthermore he may have drawn attention to the fact that the man she had been married to had been ‘the friend of the bridegroom’, drawing attention to why the marriage to him had taken place as a stand in for the bridegroom who had walked out. But he had failed to realise Samson’s genuine affection for his elder daughter. Furthermore as Samson considered that he was married to the elder sister, marriage to the younger was not permissible.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jdg 15:2 And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: [is] not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.
Ver. 2. I verily thought. ] But he should have made sure of that; which because he did not, it cost him and his daughter their lives.
“ Differ: habent parvae commoda magna morae. ”
Is not her younger sister fairer?
“ Forma bonum fragile est. ” – Ovid.
Take her, I pray thee, instead of her. ] This man made nothing of incest: the Pope frequently dispenseth with it, Lege nimirum canina: but Samson abhorred the motion, according to Lev 18:18 .
a Sallust.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
I verily: Jdg 14:16, Jdg 14:20, Act 26:9
I gave: Jdg 14:20, Gen 38:14
take her: Heb. let her be thine
Reciprocal: Deu 22:13 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jdg 15:2. That thou hadst utterly hated her Because thou didst desert her: but this was no sufficient cause; for he should have endeavoured to effect a reconciliation, and not have disposed of another mans wife without his consent. Is not her younger sister fairer than she? The marrying of a sister while the other was alive was expressly forbidden by the law of Moses: see Lev 18:18. And therefore this offer might probably irritate Samson the more.