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Nach YomiJudges · שו׀טיםChapter 15

Judges 15

שו׀טים ׀ךק ט׮ו

Section: נביאים · נביאים ךאשונים | Book: Judges | Chapter: 15 of 21 | Day: 39 of 742

Date: March 22, 2026

קלאוד על הנ׮ך

Judges 15 presents the most concentrated cycle of escalating violence in the Samson narrative, a chain of retaliations that transforms a personal grievance into a national conflict. The chapter opens with Samson returning to claim his wife during the wheat harvest (bimei ketzir-chittim), only to discover that her father has given her to his companion (merea). This domestic betrayal sets in motion a sequence of tit-for-tat violence that the text narrates with almost formulaic precision: Samson burns the Philistine fields, the Philistines burn his wife and her father, Samson strikes them with a “great blow” (makkah gedolah), and the Philistines mobilize against Judah. Each act of vengeance begets the next, and the narrator seems acutely aware of the self-perpetuating logic of retribution.

The literary centerpiece of the chapter is the episode of the three hundred foxes (shualim) tied tail to tail with torches between them. This extraordinary image — part guerrilla warfare, part theatrical spectacle — has puzzled commentators for centuries. Radak offers the practical observation that foxes naturally run backward, which kept the pairs together and the torches burning. But beyond the mechanics, the scene functions symbolically: Samson fights not as a conventional military leader marshaling armies, but as a solitary figure deploying cunning and chaos. His methods mirror his liminal status — he is neither fully inside Israelite society nor fully outside it, operating in the borderlands between Israel and Philistia.

Perhaps the most theologically significant moment in the chapter is the confrontation between Samson and the three thousand men of Judah who descend to the rock of Etam to hand him over to the Philistines. Their words — “Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us?” (halo yadata ki moshlim banu pelishtim) — lay bare the depth of Israelite subjugation. This is not merely political domination; it is internalized servitude, a people who have accepted foreign rule as the natural order. Samson stands as the lone figure who refuses to accept this reality, yet even he must negotiate the terms of his own capture by his brethren. The scene echoes a recurring pattern in Judges where Israel’s greatest enemies are not foreign oppressors but the people’s own complacency and accommodation.

The climactic battle at Lehi, where the spirit of God (ruach Hashem) surges upon Samson and he slays a thousand men with the jawbone of a donkey (lechi chamor), is followed by one of the rare moments of genuine vulnerability in the Samson cycle. Overcome by thirst, he cries out to God in prayer, acknowledging that the victory was divinely granted and pleading not to die and fall into the hands of “the uncircumcised” (ha-arelim). God’s response — splitting open the hollow in the jawbone to produce a spring of water — recalls the wilderness miracles of the Exodus tradition and suggests that for all his moral ambiguity, Samson remains an instrument of divine purpose. The naming of the spring as Ein-hakkore (“Spring of the Caller”) memorializes not the military triumph but the prayer that followed it, a subtle editorial emphasis on dependence upon God over feats of strength.

The chapter’s closing verse — “He judged Israel in the days of the Philistines for twenty years” — is both a summary and a qualification. The phrase “in the days of the Philistines” (bimei pelishtim) signals, as Radak perceptively notes, that Samson’s deliverance was incomplete. Unlike earlier judges who secured lasting peace, Samson provided only temporary relief within an ongoing period of foreign domination. This incomplete redemption is characteristic of the latter half of the book of Judges, where the cycles of sin and deliverance grow increasingly fractured and the judges themselves become progressively more flawed, pointing toward the book’s final verdict that “every man did what was right in his own eyes.”

׀ךק ט׮ו · Chapter 15

׀סוק א׳ · Verse 1

Hebrew:

וַיְה֎֚י מ֎י֌֞מ֎֜ים ב֌֎ימֵ֣י קְ׊֎יך֟ח֎ט֌֎֗ים וַי֌֎׀ְקֹ֚ד שׁ֎מְשׁրוֹן אֶת֟א֎שְׁת֌וֹ֙ ב֌֎גְד֎֣י ע֎ז֌֎֔ים וַי֌ֹ֕אמֶך א֞בֹ֥א֞ה אֶל֟א֎שְׁת֌֎֖י הֶח֑֞דְך֞ה וְלֹ֜א֟נְת֞נ֥וֹ א־ב֖֮יה־ ל֞ב֜וֹא׃

English:

Some time later, in the season of the wheat harvest, Samson came to visit his wife, bringing a kid as a gift. He said, “Let me go into the chamber to my wife.” But her father would not let him go in.

Samson returns to visit his wife during wheat harvest, bringing a gift of a young goat as a gesture of reconciliation. However, her father blocks him from entering, setting the stage for the conflict that follows.

׀סוק ב׳ · Verse 2

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֣אמֶך א־ב֮֗יה־ א֞מֹրך א֞מַ֙ךְת֌֎י֙ כ֌֎י֟שׂ֞נֹ֣א שְׂנֵאת֞֔ה֌ ו֞אֶת֌ְנֶ֖נ֌֞ה לְמֵךֵעֶ֑ך֞ הֲלֹ֚א אֲחוֹת֞րה֌ הַק֌ְטַנ֌֞ה֙ טוֹב֣֞ה מ֎מ֌ֶ֔נ֌֞ה ת֌ְה֎י֟נ֥֞א לְך־֖ ת֌ַחְת֌ֶ֜יה֞׃

English:

“I was sure,” said her father, “that you had taken a dislike to her, so I gave her to your wedding companion. But her younger sister is more beautiful than she; let her become your wife instead.”

The father explains he assumed Samson hated his wife after the wedding feast incident, so he gave her to Samson's companion. He offers the younger, more beautiful sister as a substitute.

׀סוק ג׳ · Verse 3

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹրאמֶך ל֞הֶם֙ שׁ֎מְשׁ֔וֹן נ֎ק֌ֵ֥ית֎י הַ׀֌ַ֖עַם מ֎׀֌ְל֎שְׁת֌֎֑ים כ֌֎י֟עֹשֶׂ֥ה אֲנ֎֛י ע֎מ֌֖֞ם ך֞ע֞֜ה׃

English:

Thereupon Samson declared, “Now the Philistines can have no claim against me for the harm I shall do them.”

Samson declares that this time he is morally justified in harming the Philistines. The commentators agree that he views their treatment of his wife as giving him legitimate cause for retaliation.
ךש׎יRashi
נ֎קֵ֌ית֎י הַ׀ַ֌עַם. בְ֌ד֎ין אֶעֱשֶׂה ל֞הֶם ה֞ך֞ע֞ה:
At this time I am innocent. I shall be justified in inflicting injury upon them.

׀סוק ד׳ · Verse 4

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֵ֣לֶךְ שׁ֎מְשׁ֔וֹן וַי֌֎לְכ֌ֹ֖ד שְׁלֹשׁ֟מֵא֣וֹת שׁו֌ע֞ל֎֑ים וַי֌֎ק֌ַ֣ח לַ׀֌֎ד֎֗ים וַי֌ֶր׀ֶן ז־נ־ב֙ אֶל֟ז֞נ֞֔ב וַי֌֚֞שֶׂם לַ׀֌֎֥יד אֶח֛֞ד ב֌ֵין֟שְׁנֵ֥י הַז֌ְנ֞ב֖וֹת ב֌ַת֌֞֜וֶךְ׃

English:

Samson went and caught three hundred foxes. He took torches and, turning [the foxes] tail to tail, he placed a torch between each pair of tails.

Samson captures 300 foxes and ties them tail-to-tail in pairs with torches between them. Radak explains that foxes naturally run backward, which kept the pairs together and the torches burning rather than falling loose.
ךש׎יRashi
וַיֶּ׀ֶן. אֶת הַזְ֌נ֞בוֹת ז־נ־ב אֶל ז־נ־ב. וַי֎֌׀ֶן, מַשְׁמַע הו֌א עַ׊ְמוֹ ׀֞֌נ֞ה (שמות לב טו); וַיֶ֌׀ֶן, מַשְׁמַע ה֎׀ְנ֞ה אֶת אֲחֵך֎ים, וְכֵן ש֎ׁמ֌ו֌שׁ כ֞֌ל תֵ֌יב֞ה שֶׁ׀ֹ֌עַל שֶׁל֞֌ה֌ בְ֌ה׎א; (שמות א כ): וַי֎֌ךֶב ה֞ע֞ם; (איכה ב ה): וַיֶ֌ךֶב בְ֌בַת יְהו֌ד֞ה תַ֌אֲנ֎י֞֌ה; (מלכים ב כה כא): וַי֎֌גֶל יְהו֌ד֞ה מֵעַל אַדְמ֞תוֹ, ג֌֞ל֞ה; (שם ב: יח יא): וַיֶ֌גֶל מֶלֶךְ אַש֌ׁו֌ך אֶת י֎שְׂך֞אֵל אַש֌ׁו֌ך֞ה, ה֮גְל־ה:
Twisted. The tails, each into the next. וַי֎׀ֶן implies that he himself turned, וַיֶ׀ֶן that he turned, or twisted, others. This usage applies with every word whose verbal root ends with ה.1Such as ג־ל־ה ,׹־ב־ה ,×€Öž× Öž×”. "The people increased;"2Shemos, 1:20. "He increased, in the people of Yehudah, lamentation
."3Eichah, 2:5. Cf. Rashi there. "Yehudah went into exile from his homeland"4Melachim 2, 25:21.—went into exile. "The king [of Ashur] exiled Yisroel to Ashur" 5Melachim 2, 17:6.—exiled others.

׀סוק ה׳ · Verse 5

Hebrew:

וַי֌ַבְעֶך֟אֵשׁ֙ ב֌ַל֌ַ׀֌֎יד֎֔ים וַיְשַׁל֌ַ֖ח ב֌ְק֞מ֣וֹת ׀֌ְל֎שְׁת֌֎֑ים וַי֌ַבְעֵ֛ך מ֎ג֌֞ד֎֥ישׁ וְעַד֟ק֞מ֖֞ה וְעַד֟כ֌ֶ֥ךֶם ז֞֜י֎ת׃

English:

He lit the torches and turned [the foxes] loose among the standing grain of the Philistines, setting fire to stacked grain, standing grain, vineyards, [and]a[and] So Targum. olive trees.

Samson lights the torches and releases the foxes into the Philistine fields, destroying their stacked grain, standing crops, vineyards, and olive groves. The devastation to their agricultural livelihood is total.

׀סוק ו׳ · Verse 6

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹאמְך֣ו֌ ׀ְל֎שְׁת֌֎ים֮ מ֎֣י ע֣֞שׂ֞ה זֹאת֒ וַי֌ֹאמְך֗ו֌ שׁ֎מְשׁוֹן֙ חֲתַ֣ן הַת֌֎מְנ֎֔י כ֌֎֚י ל֞קַ֣ח אֶת֟א֎שְׁת֌֔וֹ וַ֜י֌֎ת֌ְנ֖֞ה֌ לְמֵךֵעֵ֑הו֌ וַי֌ַעֲל֣ו֌ ׀ְל֎שְׁת֌֎֔ים וַי֌֎שְׂךְ׀֥ו֌ אוֹת֛֞ה֌ וְאֶת֟א֞ב֎֖יה֞ ב֌֞אֵ֜שׁ׃

English:

The Philistines asked, “Who did this?” And they were told, “It was Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, who took Samson’sbSamson’s Heb. “his.” wife and gave her to his wedding companion.” Thereupon the Philistines came up and put her and her fathercher father Many mss. read “her father’s household”; cf. 14.15. to the fire.

The Philistines discover Samson is responsible and learn it stems from his father-in-law giving away his wife. In a cruel irony, they burn the wife and her father alive — the very people whose betrayal started the cycle of violence.
ךש׎יRashi
חֲתַן הַת֎֌מְנ֎י. חֲתַן הַ׀ְ֌ל֎שְׁת֎֌י אֲשֶׁך בְ֌ת֎מְנ֞ה (לעיל יד א):
The son-in-law of the Timnite. The son-in-law of the Pelishtite from Timnah.

׀סוק ז׳ · Verse 7

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹրאמֶך ל֞הֶם֙ שׁ֎מְשׁ֔וֹן א֎֜ם֟ת֌ַעֲשׂ֖ו֌ן כ֌֞זֹ֑את כ֌֎֛י א֎ם֟נ֎ק֌ַ֥מְת֌֎י ב֞כֶ֖ם וְאַחַ֥ך אֶחְד֌֞֜ל׃

English:

Samson said to them, “If that is how you act, I will not rest until I have taken revenge on you.”

Samson vows further revenge, saying the Philistines' burning of his wife only came after he had to seek justice himself. Radak explains that had they punished the wrongdoers from the start, Samson would have been satisfied, but their delayed response now demands further retribution.
ךש׎יRashi
א֎ם תַ֌עֲשׂו֌ן כ֞֌זֹאת. וְשֶׁמ֞֌א ׹ְג֮יל֮ין אַתֶ֌ם בְ֌כ֞ךְ, ל֞תֵת א֎שְׁת֌וֹ שֶׁל זֶה ל֞זֶה:
Is this the way you behave. Perhaps you are accustomed to this—shifting wives from one to another.

׀סוק ח׳ · Verse 8

Hebrew:

וַי֌ַ֚ךְ אוֹת֥֞ם שׁ֛וֹק עַל֟י֞ךֵ֖ךְ מַכ֌֣֞ה גְדוֹל֑֞ה וַי֌ֵ֣ךֶד וַי֌ֵ֔שֶׁב ב֌֎סְע֎֖יף סֶ֥לַע עֵיט֞֜ם׃ {×€}

English:

He gave them a sound and thorough thrashing.dHe gave them a sound and thorough thrashing Lit. “He smote them leg as well as thigh, a great smiting.” Then he went down and stayed in the cave of the rock of Etam.

Samson strikes the Philistines with a devastating blow, described idiomatically as 'leg upon thigh.' He then retreats to the cave at the rock of Etam, withdrawing from settled areas after his act of vengeance.
ךש׎יRashi
שׁוֹק עַל י֞ךֵךְ. (תךגום:) ׀֞֌ךְש֎ׁין ע֎ם ךַגְל֞א֎ין, ךוֹכֵב סו֌ס אֵינוֹ נ֎שְׁע֞ן עַל יְךֵכוֹ כ֎֌י א֎ם עַל שׁוֹקוֹ, ךֶגֶל אֶח֞ד נ֞תו֌ן בַ֌בַ֌ךְזֶל הַת֞֌לו֌י בַ֌מֶ֌ךְכֶ֌בֶת: ב֎֌סְע֎יף. בְ֌נ֎קְךַת סֶלַע עֵיט֞ם, וַחֲבֵךוֹ (ישעיהו נז:ה): סְע֎י׀ֵי הַסְ֌ל֞ע֎ים, (שם י:לג): מְס֞עֵף ׀ֹ֌אך֞ה:
Cavalry and infantry [lit. calf and thigh]. "Horsemen and foot soldiers."6This is Targum Yonasan’s translation. “Calf” refers to the horseman, supported by the calf, as Rashi explains, and “thigh” refers to the footsoldier, whose weight is supported by the thigh. The horseman is not supported by the thigh, but by the calf of the foot inserted into the metal stirrup hanging from the saddle. On the promontory of a crevice of the Eitam cliff. Similarly, "The promontories of the cliffs,"7Yeshaya, 2:21 "[He] shall remove its branches."8Ibid, 10:33.

׀סוק ט׳ · Verse 9

Hebrew:

וַי֌ַעֲל֣ו֌ ׀ְל֎שְׁת֌֎֔ים וַ֜י֌ַחֲנ֖ו֌ ב֌֎֜יהו֌ד֑֞ה וַי֌֎נ֌֞טְשׁ֖ו֌ ב֌ַל֌ֶ֜ח֎י׃

English:

The Philistines came up, pitched camp in Judah and spread out over Lehi.

The Philistines mobilize in force, encamping in Judah's territory and spreading out at a place called Lehi. Radak notes the place was named proleptically after the donkey jawbone event that would later occur there.
ךש׎יRashi
וַי֎֌נ֞֌טְשׁו֌. וַי֎֌תְ׀ַ֌זְ֌ךו֌: בַ֌לֶ֌ח֎י. שֵׁם מ֞קוֹם:
They fanned out. They dispersed. At Lechi. The name of a place9Not literally “cheek”.

׀סוק י׮ · Verse 10

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֜אמְךו֌֙ א֎֣ישׁ יְהו֌ד֞֔ה ל־מ־֖ה עֲל֎יתֶ֣ם ע֞לֵ֑ינו֌ וַי֌ֹאמְך֗ו֌ לֶאֱסրוֹך אֶת֟שׁ֎מְשׁוֹן֙ ע֞ל֎֔ינו֌ לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת ל֔וֹ כ֌ַאֲשֶׁ֖ך ע֥֞שׂ֞ה ל֞֜נו֌׃

English:

Those on Judah’s side asked, “Why have you come up against us?” They answered, “We have come to take Samson prisoner, and to do to him as he did to us.”

The men of Judah ask the Philistines why they have invaded, and the Philistines demand that Judah hand over Samson. Rashi highlights the tragic reality that Judah sees itself as already enslaved to the Philistines and thus obligated to comply.
ךש׎יRashi
ל־מ־ה עֲל֎יתֶם ע֞לֵינו֌. הֲלֹא עֲב֞ד֎ים אֲנַחְנו֌ ל֞כֶם: לֶאֱסוֹך אֶת ש֎ׁמְשׁוֹן. שֶׁתַ֌אַסְךו֌הו֌ וְתַסְג֎֌יךו֌הו֌ ל֞נו֌:
Why have you ascended against us. Are we not enslaved by you? To tie down Shimshon. In order that you tie him down and deliver him to us.

׀סוק י׮א · Verse 11

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֵךְד֡ו֌ שְׁלֹ֩שֶׁת֩ אֲל֞׀֎֚ים א֎֜ישׁ מ֎֜יהו֌ד֞֗ה אֶל֟סְע֎יף֮ סֶ֣לַע עֵיט֞ם֒ וַי֌ֹאמְך֣ו֌ לְשׁ֎מְשׁ֗וֹן הֲלֹրא י֞דַ֙עְת֌֞֙ כ֌֎֜י֟מֹשְׁל֎֥ים ב֌֞֙נו֌֙ ׀֌ְל֎שְׁת֌֎֔ים ו֌מַה֟ז֌ֹ֖את ע֞שׂ֎֣ית֞ ל֌֑֞נו֌ וַי֌ֹ֣אמֶך ל֞הֶ֔ם כ֌ַ֜אֲשֶׁך֙ ע֣֞שׂו֌ ל֮֔י כ֌ֵ֖ן ע֞שׂ֎֥ית֎י ל֞הֶ֜ם׃

English:

Thereupon three thousand Judahites went down to the cave of the rock of Etam, and they said to Samson, “You knew that the Philistines rule over us; why have you done this to us?” He replied, “As they did to me, so I did to them.”

Three thousand men of Judah confront Samson, rebuking him for provoking the Philistines who rule over them. Samson responds simply that he acted in kind -- they wronged him first, so he retaliated in equal measure.

׀סוק י׮ב · Verse 12

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹրאמְךו֌ לוֹ֙ לֶאֱסׇךְך֣֞ י֞ךַ֔דְנו֌ לְת֎ת֌ְך֖֞ ב֌ְיַד֟׀֌ְל֎שְׁת֌֎֑ים וַי֌ֹրאמֶך ל֞הֶם֙ שׁ֎מְשׁ֔וֹן ה֎שׁ֌֞בְע֣ו֌ ל֮֔י ׀֌ֶ֜ן֟ת֌֎׀ְג֌ְע֥ו֌ן ב֌֎֖י אַת֌ֶ֜ם׃

English:

“We have come down,” they told him, “to take you prisoner and to hand you over to the Philistines.” “But swear to me,” said Samson to them, “that you yourselves will not attack me.”

The Judahites tell Samson they have come to bind him and deliver him to the Philistines. Samson agrees to surrender on one condition: that his own brethren swear not to kill him themselves.

׀סוק י׮ג · Verse 13

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֧אמְךו֌ ל֣וֹ לֵאמֹ֗ך לֹ֚א כ֌֎֜י֟א֞סֹրך נֶאֱסׇךְך֞֙ ו֌נְתַנ֌֣ו֌ך֞ בְי־ד־֔ם וְה֞מֵ֖ת לֹ֣א נְמ֎יתֶ֑ך֞ וַי֌ַאַסְךֻ֗הו֌ ב֌֎שְׁנַ֙י֎ם֙ עֲבֹת֎֣ים חֲד֞שׁ֎֔ים וַ֜י֌ַעֲל֖ו֌הו֌ מ֎ן֟הַס֌֞֜לַע׃

English:

“We won’t,” they replied. “We will only take you prisoner and hand you over to them; we will not slay you.” So they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.

The men of Judah swear they will only bind Samson, not kill him. They tie him with two new ropes and lead him up from his hiding place in the rock of Etam to deliver him to the Philistines.
ךש׎יRashi
לֹא כ֎֌י א֞סוֹך נֶאֱס֞ךְך֞. לֹא נַהֲךוֹג אוֹתְך֞, כ֎֌י א֎ם א֞סוֹך נֶאֱס֞ךְך֞:
No! We shall merely tie you down. We shall not execute you, but merely tie you down.

׀סוק י׮ד · Verse 14

Hebrew:

הו֌א֟ב֣֞א עַד֟לֶ֔ח֎י ו֌׀ְל֎שְׁת֌֎֖ים הֵך֎֣יעו֌ ל֎קְך֞את֑וֹ וַת֌֎׊ְלַ֚ח ע֞ל֞֜יו ך֣ו֌חַ יְהֹו֞֗ה וַת֌֎הְיֶ֚ינ֞ה ה֞עֲבֹת֎֜ים אֲשֶׁ֣ך עַל֟זְךוֹעוֹת֞֗יו כ֌ַ׀֌֎שְׁת֌֎ים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ך ב֌֞עֲך֣ו֌ ב֞אֵ֔שׁ וַי֌֎מ֌ַ֥ס֌ו֌ אֱסו֌ך֖֞יו מֵעַ֥ל י֞ד֞֜יו׃

English:

When he reached Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him. Thereupon the spirit of GOD gripped him, and the ropes on his arms became like flax that catches fire; the bonds melted off his hands.

As the Philistines shout in triumph at Samson's arrival, the spirit of God surges upon him and the ropes dissolve from his arms like flax consumed by fire. This divine empowerment transforms him from bound prisoner to unstoppable force.
ךש׎יRashi
ךו֌חַ ה׳. (תךגום:) ךו֌חַ גְ֌בו֌ך֞ה מ֮ן קֳד֞ם ה׳: אֲסו֌ך֞יו. ק֎ש֌ׁו֌ך֞יו:
The spirit of Adonoy. A spirit of power, emanating from Adonoy.10This is Targum Yonasan’s translation. His bonds which tied him down.

׀סוק ט׮ו · Verse 15

Hebrew:

וַי֌֎מְ׊֥֞א לְח֎י֟חֲמ֖וֹך טְך֎י֌֑֞ה וַי֌֎שְׁלַրח י֞דוֹ֙ וַי֌֎ק֌֞חֶ֔ה֞ וַי֌ַךְￜￜב֌֖֞ה֌ אֶ֥לֶף א֎֜ישׁ׃

English:

He came upon a fresh jawbone of a donkey and he picked it up; and with it he killed a thousand men.

Samson finds a fresh, moist jawbone of a donkey and uses it to slay a thousand Philistines. The commentators note that a fresh jawbone would still be strong and firm, unlike a dry one that would shatter.
ךש׎יRashi
טְך֎י֞֌ה. לַח֞ה, וְך֞א֎ית֎י בְ֌סֵ׀ֶך ךְ׀ו֌אוֹת שֶׁק֌וֹךֵא לַלֵ֌ח֞ה שֶׁי֌וֹ׊ֵא מ֮ן הַמַ֌כ֞֌ה: ׳טְך֎י֞֌ה׳:
Moist. Wet. I saw a medical lexicon which refers to pus oozing from a wound as טְ׹֮י־ה.

׀סוק ט׮ז · Verse 16

Hebrew:

וַי֌ֹ֣אמֶך שׁ֎מְשׁ֔וֹן ב֌֎לְח֎֣י הַחֲמ֔וֹך חֲמ֖וֹך חֲמֹך֞ת֑֞י֎ם ב֌֎לְח֎֣י הַחֲמ֔וֹך ה֎כ֌ֵ֖ית֎י אֶ֥לֶף א֎֜ישׁ׃

English:

Then Samson said:“With the jaw of an ass,Mass upon mass!With the jaw of an assI have slain a thousand men.”

Samson composes a triumphant poem celebrating his victory, using a wordplay on 'chamor' (donkey) and 'chamor' (heap/mound). He declares that with a donkey's jawbone he piled the enemy in heaps upon heaps.
ךש׎יRashi
חֲמוֹך חֲמֹך֞ת֞י֎ם. ב֎֌לְח֎י הַחֲמוֹך ל֎׊ְב֌וֹך שְב־׹֮ים ךַב֎֌ים, (תךגום:) בְּלוּע֞א ד֮חמ־׹־א ךְמֵית֎נוּן דְּגוֹך֎ין:
I amassed mounds with the jawbone of a donkey, amassing numerous mounds. "With the jawbone of a donkey I hurled them into mounds."11This is Targum Yonasan’s translation.

׀סוק י׮ז · Verse 17

Hebrew:

וַ֜יְה֎י֙ כ֌ְכַל֌ֹת֣וֹ לְדַב֌ֵ֔ך וַי֌ַשְׁלֵ֥ךְ הַל֌ְח֎֖י מ֎י֌֞ד֑וֹ וַי֌֎קְך֛֞א לַמ֌֞ק֥וֹם הַה֖ו֌א ך֥֞מַת לֶ֜ח֎י׃

English:

As he finished speaking, he threw the jawbone away; hence that place was called Ramath-lehi.eRamath-lehi I.e., “Jawbone Heights.”

After his victory song, Samson throws away the jawbone and names the place Ramath-lehi ('Jawbone Heights'). The commentators explain the name derives from the Aramaic root for 'throwing,' commemorating where Samson cast aside his improvised weapon.

׀סוק י׮ח · Verse 18

Hebrew:

וַי֌֎׊ְמ֞א֮ מְאֹד֒ וַי֌֎קְך֞րא אֶל֟יְהֹו֞ה֙ וַי֌ֹאמַ֔ך אַת֌֞ה֙ נ֞תַ֣ת֌֞ בְיַ֜ד֟עַבְד֌ְך֞֔ אֶת֟הַת֌ְשׁו֌ע֥֞ה הַג֌ְדֹל֖֞ה הַז֌ֹ֑את וְעַת֌֞ה֙ א֞מ֣ו֌ת ב֌ַ׊֌֞מ֞֔א וְנ֞׀ַלְת֌֎֖י ב֌ְיַ֥ד ה֞עֲךֵל֎֜ים׃

English:

He was very thirsty and he called to GOD, “You Yourself have granted this great victory through Your servant; and must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”

Overcome by extreme thirst after his great battle, Samson cries out to God in prayer. He acknowledges that God granted the victory but pleads not to die of thirst and thereby fall back into the hands of the Philistines.

׀סוק י׮ט · Verse 19

Hebrew:

וַי֌֎בְקַ֚ע אֱלֹה֎֜ים אֶת֟הַמ֌ַכְת֌ֵ֣שׁ אֲשֶׁך֟ב֌ַל֌ֶ֗ח֎י וַי֌ֵ׊ְא֚ו֌ מ֎מ֌ֶրנ֌ו֌ מַ֙י֎ם֙ וַי֌ֵ֔שְׁת֌ְ וַת֌֥֞שׇׁב ךו֌ח֖וֹ וַי֌ֶ֑ח֎י עַל֟כ֌ֵ֣ן ׀ ק֞ך֣֞א שְׁמ֞֗ה֌ עֵրין הַק֌וֹךֵא֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ך ב֌ַל֌ֶ֔ח֎י עַ֖ד הַי֌֥וֹם הַז֌ֶ֜ה׃

English:

So God split open the hollow that is at Lehi, and the water gushed out of it; he drank, regained his strength, and revived. That is why it is called to this day “En-hakkorefEn-hakkore Understood as “The Spring of the Caller.” of Lehi.”

God miraculously splits open a hollow in the jawbone's tooth socket, causing water to gush forth. Samson drinks, revives, and names the spring Ein-hakkore ('Spring of the Caller'), commemorating God's answer to his desperate prayer.
ךש׎יRashi
אֶת הַמַ֌כְתֵ֌שׁ. ג֌ו֌מ֞֌א שֶׁהַשֵ֌ׁן יוֹשֶׁבֶת ב֞֌ה֌, עֲשׂו֌י֞ה כְ֌עֵין מַכְתֶ֌שֶׁת: עֵין הַק֌וֹךֵא. מַעְי֞ן שֶׁב֞֌א עַל יְדֵי זַעֲקַת הַק֌וֹךֵא אֶל ה׳:
The socket [lit. "the mortar"]. The socket where the tooth is set is shaped like a mortar. Ein Hakorei. "The wellspring which materialized through the cry of the one who called out to Adonoy."

׀סוק כ׳ · Verse 20

Hebrew:

וַי֌֎שְׁ׀֌ֹ֧ט אֶת֟י֎שְׂך֞אֵ֛ל ב֌֎ימֵ֥י ׀ְל֎שְׁת֌֎֖ים עֶשְׂך֎֥ים שׁ֞נ֞֜ה׃ {×€}

English:

He led Israel in the days of the Philistines for twenty years.

The chapter concludes by noting that Samson judged Israel for twenty years during the period of Philistine domination. Radak observes that his deliverance was incomplete -- he provided relief but never fully freed Israel from Philistine rule.

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