Judges 15:4
New International Version
So he went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails,

New Living Translation
Then he went out and caught 300 foxes. He tied their tails together in pairs, and he fastened a torch to each pair of tails.

English Standard Version
So Samson went and caught 300 foxes and took torches. And he turned them tail to tail and put a torch between each pair of tails.

Berean Standard Bible
Then Samson went out and caught three hundred foxes. And he took torches, turned the foxes tail-to-tail, and fastened a torch between each pair of tails.

King James Bible
And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails.

New King James Version
Then Samson went and caught three hundred foxes; and he took torches, turned the foxes tail to tail, and put a torch between each pair of tails.

New American Standard Bible
And Samson went and caught three hundred jackals, and took torches, and turned the jackals tail to tail and put one torch in the middle between two tails.

NASB 1995
Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turned the foxes tail to tail and put one torch in the middle between two tails.

NASB 1977
And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turned the foxes tail to tail, and put one torch in the middle between two tails.

Legacy Standard Bible
So Samson went and caught 300 foxes and took torches and turned the foxes tail to tail and put one torch in the middle between two tails.

Amplified Bible
So Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches and turning the foxes tail to tail, he put a torch between each pair of tails.

Christian Standard Bible
So he went out and caught three hundred foxes. He took torches, turned the foxes tail-to-tail, and put a torch between each pair of tails.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So he went out and caught 300 foxes. He took torches, turned the foxes tail-to-tail, and put a torch between each pair of tails.

American Standard Version
And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between every two tails.

Contemporary English Version
Samson went out and caught 300 foxes and tied them together in pairs with oil-soaked rags around their tails.

English Revised Version
And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between every two tails.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So Samson caught 300 foxes. He tied them together in pairs by their tails. Then he fastened a torch between their tails.

Good News Translation
So he went and caught three hundred foxes. Two at a time, he tied their tails together and put torches in the knots.

International Standard Version
So Samson went out, caught 300 foxes, grabbed some torches, tied the foxes together in pairs at their tails, and fastened a torch between each pair of tails.

Majority Standard Bible
Then Samson went out and caught three hundred foxes. And he took torches, turned the foxes tail-to-tail, and fastened a torch between each pair of tails.

NET Bible
Samson went and captured three hundred jackals and got some torches. He tied the jackals in pairs by their tails and then tied a torch to each pair.

New Heart English Bible
Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turned tail to tail, and put a torch in the midst between every two tails.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took fire-brands, and turned tail to tail, and put a fire-brand in the midst between two tails.

World English Bible
Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turned tail to tail, and put a torch in the middle between every two tails.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And Samson goes and catches three hundred foxes, and takes torches, and turns tail to tail, and puts a torch between the two tails, in the midst,

Young's Literal Translation
And Samson goeth and catcheth three hundred foxes, and taketh torches, and turneth tail unto tail, and putteth a torch between the two tails, in the midst,

Smith's Literal Translation
And Samson will go and will take three hundred foxes, and will take torches, and will turn tail to tail, and will put one torch between two tails in the midst.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he went and caught three hundred foxes, and coupled them tail to tail, and fastened torches between the tails.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he went out and caught three hundred foxes. And he joined them tail to tail. And he tied torches between the tails.

New American Bible
So Samson went and caught three hundred jackals, and turning them tail to tail, he took some torches and tied one between each pair of tails.

New Revised Standard Version
So Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took some torches; and he turned the foxes tail to tail, and put a torch between each pair of tails.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
So Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches and tied tail to tail, two foxes together; and he tied a torch between each pair of foxes, between two tails.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And went on Samson and he caught three hundred foxes and he took torches and tied on their tails two foxes as one and he tied one torch between two foxes, between two of their tails
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turned tail to tail, and put a torch in the midst between every two tails.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Sampson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turned tail to tail, and put a torch between two tails, and fastened it.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Samson's Revenge
3Samson said to them, “This time I will be blameless in doing harm to the Philistines.” 4Then Samson went out and caught three hundred foxes. And he took torches, turned the foxes tail-to-tail, and fastened a torch between each pair of tails. 5Then he lit the torches and released the foxes into the standing grain of the Philistines, burning up the piles of grain and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves.…

Cross References
Judges 14:6
and the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as one would tear a young goat. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done.

Judges 16:3
But Samson lay there only until midnight, when he got up, took hold of the doors of the city gate and both gateposts, and pulled them out, bar and all. Then he put them on his shoulders and took them to the top of the mountain overlooking Hebron.

1 Samuel 11:6-7
When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he burned with great anger. / He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent them by messengers throughout the land of Israel, proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not march behind Saul and Samuel.” Then the terror of the LORD fell upon the people, and they came out together as one man.

1 Samuel 17:34-36
David replied, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep, and whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, / I went after it, struck it down, and delivered the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it. / Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”

1 Kings 19:19-21
So Elijah departed and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve teams of oxen, and he was with the twelfth team. Elijah passed by him and threw his cloak around him. / So Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, and then I will follow you.” “Go on back,” Elijah replied, “for what have I done to you?” / So Elisha turned back from him, took his pair of oxen, and slaughtered them. Using the oxen’s equipment for fuel, he cooked the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow and serve Elijah.

2 Kings 2:23-24
From there, Elisha went up to Bethel, and as he was walking up the road, a group of boys came out of the city and jeered at him, chanting, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” / Then he turned around, looked at them, and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Suddenly two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.

Proverbs 26:18-19
Like a madman shooting firebrands and deadly arrows, / so is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I was only joking!”

Isaiah 7:18-19
On that day the LORD will whistle to the flies at the farthest streams of the Nile and to the bees in the land of Assyria. / And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines and clefts of the rocks, in all the thornbushes and watering holes.

Jeremiah 12:9
Is not My inheritance to Me like a speckled bird of prey with other birds of prey circling against her? Go, gather all the beasts of the field; bring them to devour her.

Amos 3:12
This is what the LORD says: “As the shepherd snatches from the mouth of the lion two legs or a piece of an ear, so the Israelites dwelling in Samaria will be rescued having just the corner of a bed or the cushion of a couch.

Matthew 3:4
John wore a garment of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

Matthew 10:16
Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

Matthew 12:29
Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.

Mark 1:6
John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

Luke 10:3
Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.


Treasury of Scripture

And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the middle between two tails.

caught three.

Judges 20:10
And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel.

Ezekiel 13:9
And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

Ruth 2:15,16
And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not: …

Psalm 63:10
They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.

Song of Solomon 2:15
Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.

Lamentations 5:18
Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it.

firebrands or touches

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Catcheth Caught Hundred Middle Midst Pair Pairs Putteth Samson Stick Sticks Tail Tails Three Tied Torch Torches Turned Turneth
Judges 15
1. Samson is denied his wife
3. He burns the Philistines' corn with foxes and firebrands
6. His wife and her father are burnt by the Philistines
8. Samson smites them hip and thigh
9. He is bound by the men of Judah, and delivered to the Philistines
14. He kills them with a jawbone
18. God makes the fountain En-hakkore for him in Lehi














Then Samson went out
The phrase indicates a decisive action taken by Samson, a judge of Israel known for his extraordinary strength. The Hebrew root for "went out" (יָצָא, yatsa) often implies a purposeful departure, suggesting Samson's intent to execute a plan. Historically, this action follows a personal affront by the Philistines, highlighting the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Philistines during this period.

and caught three hundred foxes
The Hebrew word for "foxes" (שׁוּעָלִים, shu'alim) can also be translated as "jackals," which were more common in the region. The number "three hundred" signifies a substantial effort and reflects Samson's resourcefulness and determination. This act of catching such a large number of animals underscores the miraculous nature of Samson's strength and cunning, as well as the divine empowerment he received to deliver Israel from its oppressors.

He took torches
The use of "torches" (לַפִּידִים, lappidim) is significant in the context of ancient warfare and sabotage. Torches were often used in military strategies to cause destruction. Samson's choice of torches indicates a strategic plan to inflict economic damage on the Philistines by targeting their grain fields, which were vital for their sustenance and economy.

turned the foxes tail to tail
This phrase describes a unique and ingenious method employed by Samson. By tying the animals tail to tail, Samson ensured that their movements would be erratic and uncontrollable, maximizing the destruction they would cause. This tactic reflects Samson's cleverness and his ability to use available resources to achieve his objectives.

and fastened a torch between each pair of tails
The act of fastening a torch between each pair of tails ensured that the fire would spread as the animals ran through the fields. This method of destruction was both symbolic and practical. Symbolically, it represented the chaos and judgment that would come upon the Philistines. Practically, it was an effective way to destroy their crops, which would have been ripe for harvest, thus crippling their food supply and economy.

(4) Caught three hundred foxes.--Rather, three hundred jackals. The word Shualim is used for both; but it would be difficult to catch three hundred foxes, whereas the jackals are still heard howling in herds about these very regions at night. They must have been still more common in Palestine in ancient days, and hence we find such names as "the land of Shual" (1Samuel 13:17), Hazar-shual ("jackal's enclosure," Joshua 15:28), Shalim (1Samuel 11:4), Shaalabbin ("place of foxes or jackals," Joshua 19:42). There would be no difficulty in trapping them; nor is it said that they were all let loose at once.

Turned tail to tail.--This implies that he tied the tails together (LXX., suned?sen; Vulag.,junxit).

Put a firebrand in the midst.--The firebrands were pieces of resinous wood, like Gideon's torches (Judges 7:20), which were loosely trailed between the tails of the jackals. The object of tying two together was to impede their motion a little, so that they might not dart away so violently as to extinguish the torch. . . .

Verse 4. - Foxes. The word here rendered fox (shu'al, in Persian shagal, which is etymologically the same word as jackal) includes the jackal, which is as common in Palestine as the fox. Here, and in Psalm 63:10, the gregarious jackals, the canis aureus, are undoubtedly meant. Caught. The Hebrew word means especially caught in nets or snares. See Amos 3:5 (have taken nothing at all); Psalm 35:8 (let his net catch himself); Jeremiah 18:22; Isaiah 8:14 (taken), etc. And it is in this sense that the A.V. uses the word caught. A clever sportsman, as no doubt Samson was, would have no difficulty whatever in netting or snaring 300 jackals, which always move in packs, and would be attracted by the vineyards of Thimnathah, for which their partiality is well known (see Judges 14:5, note). The writer of the additional article Fox in Smith's 'Dictionary of the Bible,' states that he had tried the experiment of throwing grapes to the foxes, jackals, and wolves in the Zoological Gardens. The wolves would not touch them, the others ate them with avidity. Took firebrands, etc. Many cavils have been directed against the truth of this account, but without the slightest reason. The terrified animals, with the burning torches and the blazing straw behind them, would necessarily run forwards. Samson would, of course, start the couples at numerous different points, and no doubt have a number of Hebrews to assist him. To the present day the corn-fields in that part of the Shephelah extend continuously for twenty or thirty miles.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then Samson
שִׁמְשׁ֔וֹן (šim·šō·wn)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 8123: Samson -- a deliverer of Israel

went out
וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ (way·yê·leḵ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

and caught
וַיִּלְכֹּ֖ד (way·yil·kōḏ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3920: To catch, to capture, occupy, to choose, to cohere

three
שְׁלֹשׁ־ (šə·lōš-)
Number - feminine singular construct
Strong's 7969: Three, third, thrice

hundred
מֵא֣וֹת (mê·’ō·wṯ)
Number - feminine plural
Strong's 3967: A hundred

foxes.
שׁוּעָלִ֑ים (šū·‘ā·lîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 7776: Fox, perhaps jackal

And he took
וַיִּקַּ֣ח (way·yiq·qaḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

torches,
לַפִּדִ֗ים (lap·pi·ḏîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3940: A flambeau, lamp, flame

turned
וַיֶּ֤פֶן (way·ye·p̄en)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6437: To turn, to face, appear, look

the foxes tail-to-tail,
זָנָב֙ (zā·nāḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2180: Tail, end, stump

and fastened
וַיָּ֨שֶׂם (way·yā·śem)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7760: Put -- to put, place, set

a
אֶחָ֛ד (’e·ḥāḏ)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

torch
לַפִּ֥יד (lap·pîḏ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3940: A flambeau, lamp, flame

between
בֵּין־ (bên-)
Preposition
Strong's 996: An interval, space between

each pair
שְׁנֵ֥י (šə·nê)
Number - mdc
Strong's 8147: Two (a cardinal number)

of tails.
הַזְּנָב֖וֹת (haz·zə·nā·ḇō·wṯ)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2180: Tail, end, stump


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OT History: Judges 15:4 Samson went and caught three hundred foxes (Jd Judg. Jdg)
Judges 15:3
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