Judges 15:16-20

Judges 15:16

And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.

 

The slaughter of the Philistines in this manner was probably so swift that the bodies of the slain men were in heaps or piles and were not yet buried.  Samson looked at this field of carnage and spoke that he killed a thousand men with just the jawbone of an ass.  He was not bragging but stated a fact that with only a jawbone he killed a thousand.  A jaw bone could not be compared to the metal instruments of war such as swords, spears, or even chariot wheels fit with sharp, protruding knife like extensions.

 

Judges 15:17

And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place Ramath-lehi.

 

Once Samson had finished the slaughter and then had finished speaking about it, he then threw away the jawbone and renamed that place “Ramath-lehi” which means “elevation of the jawbone.”  No doubt he named it that for two reasons: 1) because it was the place where he slew a thousand Philistines with just a jawbone; 2) because the killing was so swift the bodies of the deceased were in heaps or piles as if they were elevated.

 

Judges 15:18

And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?

 

Then after this great one man battle he became very thirsty and since there were no pools of drinking water close to where he was, he called on the Lord and acknowledges the fact that it was the Lord who gave him the victory over the Philistines.  Now he was fearful that if he did not get something to drink, he would die and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised.  The term “uncircumcised” was used throughout the Old Testament as a reference to those who were not in covenant with God.  This is what David called Goliath.  And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?  (1 Samuel 17:26, KJV)  Samson knew that if he died then the Philistines would make sport with his body and claim it as their victory over him.  The Philistines did that on the death of King Saul.  9 And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people.  10 And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.  (1 Samuel 31:9-10, KJV)

 

Judges 15:19

But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof En-hakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day.

 

This is not pointing to the actual jawbone which Samson had in his hand.  If you remember, he had cast it away from himself.  What is in view here is the place called Lehi where God made water to come out of a rock which was divinely cut out or divided.  Making water come out of a rock was something God did in the Old Testament.  15 He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.  16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.  (Psalm 78:15-16, KJV)  Once Samson had his fill of the water, his flesh revived and he named the place “En-hakkore” which means “the fountain of him who prayed” and was located in Lehi which you remember meant “jawbone.”

 

Judges 15:20

And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

 

The total reign of Samson as Judge of Israel was twenty years.  They were not completely destroyed as they were still around giving Israel grief unto the time of the prophet Zechariah which was about 520 B.C. which puts it about 600 years later after Judges.  Samson was the twelfth judge of Israel.  Even though he did not completely destroy them, he did them much damage to the point they eventually lost their rule over Israel.

Back