Judges 14:15 - The Seventh Day - a Riddle within a Riddle
"For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? (modern day scholar who corrects the true Holy Bible) where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" I Corinthians 1:19, 20.
It is sad to see so many modern bible versions that corrupt the true words of God. It is sadder still to see so many Christians who don't seem to care about it. Many scholars today sit in judgment upon the inerrant words of the living God and tell us there are numerous scribal errors in the Hebrew Masoretic text. They don't believe any version or any particular text is now the inerrant, inspired Holy Bible. The King James Bible is the only widely used English Bible that consistently follows the Hebrew text without changing it.
There is a riddle within a riddle put forth by Samson in the 14th chapter of the book of Judges. Many modern bible versions consider the Hebrew text to be in error in numerous places and have changed the Hebrew readings based on their own lack of understanding and unbelief. Versions such as the RSV, NRSV, ESV, Holman Christian Standard, NASB, and the NIV frequently reject the Hebrew texts and follow instead the Syriac, Greek Septuagint, Latin Vulgate, or just make up their own text as they go along - and often not even in the same places.
Instead of leaning to our own understanding, let's examine the text as it stands in the Hebrew Scriptures and adopt what today would seem to be the novel approach of believing that God actually got it right. We will then offer a reasonable explantion to solve the apparent contradiction.
Samsom's riddle as put forth in Judges 14:12-18.
12."And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me WITHIN THE SEVEN DAYS OF THE FEAST, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments; 13. But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it. 14. And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not IN THREE DAYS expound the riddle. 15. And it came to pass ON THE SEVENTH DAY, that they said unto Samson's wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to take that we have? is it not so?"
In verse 15 the Hebrew text clearly says ON THE SEVENTH DAY. This is the reading of the Latin Vulgate of 425 A.D., Wycliffe's translation of 1395, Coverdale 1535, Matthew's Bible 1537, the Bishops' Bible 1568, the Geneva Bible 1599, the King James Bible, the Revised Version 1881, American Standard Version 1901, Webster's 1833 translation, Darby, Douay, Young's, the 1917 and 1936 Jewish translations, the Hebrew Names Version, the 1998 Complete Jewish Bible, Third Millenium Bible, the KJV 21, Green's Modern KJV, the Spanish Reina Valera 1960, the Italian Diodati, the French Louis Segond, and the Modern Greek Bible. The NKJV also reads "on the seventh day" but it has a footnote that says "some ancient authorities read the 4th day", thus casting doubt on the true reading.
Many modern versions change the Hebrew text from THE SEVENTH DAY to THE FOURTH DAY, and their footnotes tell us the reading of the 4th day comes from "SOME Septuagint manuscripts (they are not all the same) and the Syriac", while the Hebrew text clearly says the 7th day.
Among these versions that change the Hebrew text are the NASB, NIV, RSV, NRSV, NEB, the 2003 Holman Christian Standard, the Living Bible, New Living Translation, Bible in Basic English 1960, the 2001 English Standard Version, Today's English Version, The Message, and the New Century Version.
The first version to introduce this textual change in number was the liberal RSV of 1952. Even the Revised Version and the American Standard Version did not change the Hebrew text here. The NASB has no footnotes in this place. The NASB frequently changes the Hebrew text but doesn't tell the reader when they have done so. The NIV, ESV and Holman do have a footnote that tells us the reading of "the fourth day" comes from "some Septuagint manuscripts and the Syriac", but the Hebrew says "the seventh day".
As we continue with the rest of the passage we will show why the NASB, NIV, ESV, HCSB reading is false and offer an explanation that vindicates the Hebrew and King James reading of "the seventh day".
16. "And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou has put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee? 17. And she wept before him THE SEVEN DAYS, WHILE THEIR FEAST LASTED: and it came to pass ON THE SEVENTH DAY, that he told her, because she lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people. 18. And the men of the city said unto him ON THE SEVENTH DAY before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stonger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle."
The NASB, Holman, RSV, NRSV, ESV and NIV reading in verse 14 "on the fourth day" is clearly wrong because we are told in verse 17 that she wept before him the seven days while their feast lasted. Thus there is a clear contradiction if we follow this spurious reading. If "the fourth day" were correct, then there would only be three days left in which she could weep before him - not the full seven days which are clearly mentioned in verse seventeen. The NASB, NIV, Holman and many commentators wrongly assume the three days in which the men could not expound the riddle of verse 14 form part of the feast of the seven days.
Now, for a reasonable explanation that vindicates the inspired Hebrew text as found in the King James Bible. This explanation of the "riddle within a riddle" DOES NOT CONTRADICT any of the information provided in the text. The change made in many modern versions from the 7th day to the 4th day DOES CONTRADICT the information given in the text.
Samson proposes the riddle three days BEFORE the first seventh day mentioned in verse 15. What would "the seventh day" mean to Samson who was a Jewish Nazarite from his mother's womb? It would be the seventh day of rest mentioned in the Ten Commandments. Exodus 20:10 "But THE SEVENTH DAY is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates."
Many Bible commentators miss what is going on here and make a bunch of silly statements or else they more wisely omit any commentary about "the seventh day". However, there are a few commentators who understand what happened here. John Gill explains: "Not on the seventh day of the feast...but on the Sabbath day, as Kimchi, and Jarchi say, on the seventh day of the week, not on the seventh day of the feast...the Septuagint, Syriac and Arabic instead of the seventh read the fourth day."
A reasonable and obvious explanation is that Samson proposed the riddle to the Philistine companions three days BEFORE the first Sabbath. As an observant Jew, he rested on the Sabbath day, and then began the wedding feast which lasted seven days. Three days after Samson proposed the riddle the men knew they couldn't solve the riddle, so they approached Samson's wife with their threats on that first Sabbath day BEFORE the feast began. She then wept before him the whole 7 days of the feast, as we are clearly told in verse 17, and right before the feast ended, Samson told her the answer to the riddle.
In this way the riddle is solved without contradicting any of the information provided in the Biblical text. The inspired Hebrew text and the King James Bible reading of "on the seventh day" are shown to be correct. Modern versions like the NASB, NIV, Holman, and ESV are false witnesses and have changed God's inerrant word. Their bogus reading of "on the fourth day" doesn't solve the apparent contradiction but instead creates a new one.
The King James Bible is ALWAYS RIGHT.
"I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word." Psalm 119:158
Will Kinney