Editing Samson (section)

===Marriage to a Philistine===
{{see also|Samson's riddle}}
When he is a young adult, Samson leaves the hills of his people to see the cities of [[Philistia]]. He falls in love with a Philistine woman from [[Timnah]], whom he decides to marry, ignoring the objections of his parents over the fact that she is not an Israelite.<ref name="ppp"/><ref name= "qqq"/><ref name="wqa">{{Bibleref|Judges|14|HE}}</ref> In the development of the narrative, the intended marriage is shown to be part of God's plan to strike at the Philistines.<ref name="qqq"/>

According to the biblical account, Samson is repeatedly seized by the "[[Holy Spirit|Spirit of the Lord]]," who blesses him with immense strength. The first instance of this is seen when Samson is on his way to ask for the Philistine woman's hand in marriage, when he is attacked by a [[lion]]. He simply grabs it and rips it apart, as the spirit of God divinely empowers him. However, Samson keeps it a secret, not even mentioning the miracle to his parents.<ref name= "qqq" /><ref>[http://biblehub.com/judges/14-6.htm Judges 14:6], Bible hub.</ref><ref name= "chb">{{cite book|title=Chronicle of the Old Testament Kings: the Reign-By-Reign Record of the Rulers of Ancient Israel|last= Rogerson|first=John W.|year=1999|publisher=Thames & Hudson|location=London |isbn=0500050953|page=[https://archive.org/details/chronicleofoldte00john/page/59 59]|url=https://archive.org/details/chronicleofoldte00john/page/59}}</ref> He arrives at the Philistine's house and becomes betrothed to her. He returns home, then comes back to Timnah some time later for the wedding. On his way, Samson sees that bees have nested in the carcass of the lion and [[Bugonia|made honey]].<ref name= "qqq"/><ref name="chb"/> He eats a handful of the honey and gives some to his parents.<ref name="qqq"/>

At the wedding feast, [[Samson's riddle|Samson tells a riddle]] to his thirty groomsmen (all Philistines). If they can solve it, he will give them thirty pieces of fine linen and garments, but if they cannot they must give him thirty pieces of fine linen and garments.<ref name="ppp"/><ref name= "qqq" />  The riddle is a veiled account of two encounters with the lion, at which only he was present:<ref name="qqq" /><ref name= "chb"/>

<poem style="margin-left: 2em;">Out of the eater came something to eat.
Out of the strong came something sweet.<ref>{{bibleverse|Judges|14:14|HE}}</ref></poem>

The Philistines are infuriated by the riddle.<ref name="qqq"/> The thirty groomsmen tell Samson's new wife that they will burn her and her father's household if she did not discover the answer to the riddle and tell it to them.<ref name= "qqq" /><ref name="chb" /> At the urgent and tearful imploring of his bride, Samson gives her the solution, and she passes it on to the thirty groomsmen.<ref name="ppp" /><ref name= "qqq"/>

[[File:Tissot Samson Slays a Thousand Men.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.2|''Samson Slays a Thousand Men with the Jawbone of an Ass'' ({{Circa|1896}}–1902) by [[James Tissot]]]]

Before sunset on the seventh day, they say to him,
<poem style="margin-left: 2em;">What is sweeter than honey?
and what is stronger than a lion?</poem>
Samson replies,
<poem style="margin-left: 2em;">If you had not plowed with my heifer,
you would not have solved my riddle.<ref>{{bibleverse |Judges|14:18|HE}}</ref></poem>

Samson then travels to [[Ashkelon]] (a distance of roughly 30 miles) where he strikes down thirty Philistines for their garments; he then returns and gives those garments to his thirty groomsmen.<ref name= "ppp" /><ref name= "chb"/><ref name= "ooo">{{wwbible |Old Testament, 318}}</ref> In a rage, Samson returns to his father's house. The family of his bride instead give her to one of the groomsmen as wife.<ref name="ppp"/><ref name= "chb" /> Some time later, Samson returns to Timnah to visit his wife, unaware that she is now married to one of his former groomsmen. But her father refuses to allow Samson to see her, offering to give Samson a younger sister instead.<ref name= "ppp" />

Samson goes out, gathers 300 foxes, and ties them together in pairs by their tails. He then attaches a burning torch to each pair of foxes' tails and turns them loose in the grain fields and olive groves of the Philistines.<ref>{{Bibleref|Judges|15|HE}}</ref> The Philistines learn why Samson burned their crops and burn Samson's wife and father-in-law to death in retribution.<ref name="ppp"/><ref name="chc">{{cite book|title= Chronicle of the Old Testament Kings: The Reign-By-Reign Record of the Rulers of Ancient Israel |last= Rogerson |first= John W. |year=1999|publisher=Thames & Hudson|location= London|isbn=0500050953 |page= [https://archive.org/details/chronicleofoldte00john/page/61 61]|url= https://archive.org/details/chronicleofoldte00john/page/61}}</ref>

In revenge, Samson slaughters many Philistines, saying, "I have done to them what they did to me."<ref name="ppp"/> Samson then takes refuge in a cave in the [[rock of Etam]].<ref name= "ppp">{{cite JewishEncyclopedia |article= Samson |url= http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=122&letter=S&search=Samson}}</ref><ref name="iii" /> An army of Philistines go to the [[tribe of Judah]] and demand that 3,000 men of Judah deliver them Samson.<ref name= "ppp" /><ref name="iii" /> With Samson's consent, given on the condition that the Judahites would not kill him themselves, they tie him with two new ropes and are about to hand him over to the Philistines when he breaks free of the ropes.<ref name= "chc" /><ref name="iii" /> Using the [[Jawbone club|jawbone of an ass]], he slays 1,000 Philistines.<ref name="chc"/><ref name="iii" /><ref name="igb">{{cite book |title= The Illustrated Guide to the Bible|last= Porter|first=J. R. |year= 2000|publisher= Barnes & Noble Books|location= New York|isbn= 0760722781|page= 75}}</ref>