Judges 16:5

Contemporary English Version

The Philistine rulers went to Delilah and said, "Trick Samson into telling you what makes him so strong and what can make him weak. Then we can tie him up so he can't get away. If you find out his secret, we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The Philistine leaders went to her and said, “Persuade him to tell you where his great strength comes from, so we can overpower him, tie him up, and make him helpless. Each of us will then give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”

Hebrew Names Version
The lords of the Pelishtim came up to her, and said to her, Entice him, and see in which his great strength lies, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will each give you of us eleven hundred [pieces] of silver.

King James Version
And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.

Lexham English Bible
And the rulers of the Philistines came up to her and said, "Entice him and find out what makes his strength so great, and how we can overpower him, so that we may bind him up in order to subdue him; each of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.

English Standard Version
And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, "Seduce him, and see where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to humble him. And we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver."

New Century Version
The Philistine rulers went to Delilah and said, "Find out what makes Samson so strong. Trick him into telling you how we can overpower him and capture him and tie him up. If you do this, each one of us will give you twenty-eight pounds of silver."

New English Translation
The rulers of the Philistines went up to visit her and said to her, "Trick him! Find out what makes him so strong and how we can subdue him and humiliate him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred silver pieces."

Amplified Bible
So the [five] lords (governors) of the Philistines came to her and said to her, "Persuade him, and see where his great strength lies and [find out] how we may overpower him so that we may bind him to subdue him. And each of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver."

New American Standard Bible
So the governors of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, "Entice him, and see where his great strength lies and how we can overpower him so that we may bind him to humble him. Then we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver."

Geneva Bible (1587)
Vnto whome came the princes of the Philistims, and said vnto her, Entise him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what meane we may ouercome him, that we may binde him, and punish him, and euery one of vs shall giue thee eleuen hundreth shekels of siluer.

Legacy Standard Bible
Toe kom die vorste van die Filistyne na haar op en sê vir haar: Haal hom oor en vind uit waardeur sy krag so groot is, en waardeur ons hom kan oorweldig en hom kan bind om hom te bedwing; dan sal ons jou elkeen elf honderd sikkels silwer gee.

Complete Jewish Bible
The chiefs of the P'lishtim went up to her and said, "Coax him into telling you where his great strength comes from and how we can overcome him, so that we can tie him up and subdue him. If you do, each of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver."

Darby Translation
And the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, Persuade him, and see in what his great strength is, and with what we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to overpower him; and we will each give thee eleven hundred silver-pieces.

Easy-to-Read Version
The rulers of the Philistines went to Delilah and said, "We want to know what makes Samson so strong. Try to trick him into telling you his secret. Then we will know how to capture him and tie him up. Then we will be able to control him. If you do this, each one of us will give you 28 pounds of silver."

George Lamsa Translation
And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lies, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to disgrace him; and we will give you every one of us thirteen hundred pieces of silver.

Good News Translation
The five Philistine kings went to her and said, "Trick Samson into telling you why he is so strong and how we can overpower him, tie him up, and make him helpless. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver."

Literal Translation
And the Philistine rulers came to her and said to her, Entice him, and see in what lies his great strength, and by what we may prevail against him, so that we may bind him, to afflict him.And we will surely each give to you elevenhundred pieces of silver.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
vnto whom the prynces of the Philistynes came vp, and sayde vnto her: Persuade him, and loke wherin he hath soch greate stregth, & how we maye ouercome him, yt we mighte bynde him & subdue him, so wyll we geue the euery man a M. and an C. syluerlinges.

American Standard Version
And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.

Bible in Basic English
And the chiefs of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, Make use of your power over him and see what is the secret of his great strength, and how we may get the better of him, and put bands on him, so that we may make him feeble; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Unto whom came the lordes of the Philistines, and sayde vnto her: Perswade him, and see wherin his great strength lyeth, and by what meanes we may ouercome him, that we may bynde him, and punishe hym: and euery one of vs shall geue thee a leuen hundred siluer lynges.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her: 'Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.'

King James Version (1611)
And the lords of the Philistines came vp vnto her, and said vnto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what meanes we may preuaile against him, that we may bind him, to afflict him: and we will giue thee euery one of vs, eleuen hundreth pieces of siluer.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the princess of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, Beguile him, and see wherein his great strength is, and wherewith we shall prevail against him, and bind him to humble him; and we will give thee each eleven hundred pieces of silver.

English Revised Version
And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.

Berean Standard Bible
The lords of the Philistines went to her and said, "Entice him and find out the source of his great strength and how we can overpower him to tie him up and subdue him. Then each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the princes of Filisteis camen to hir, and seiden, Disseyue thou hym, and lerne thou of hym, in what thing he hath so greet strengthe, and how we mowen ouercome hym, and turmente hym boundun; that if thou doist, we schulen yyue to thee ech man a thousynde and an hundrid platis of siluer.

Young's Literal Translation
and the princes of the Philistines come up unto her, and say to her, `Entice him, and see wherein his great power [is], and wherein we are able for him -- and we have bound him to afflict him, and we -- we give to thee, each one, eleven hundred silverlings.'

Update Bible Version
And the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lies, and how we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will each give you eleven hundred [pieces] of silver.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the lords of the Philistines came to her, and said to her, Entice him, and see in what his great strength [lieth], and by what [means] we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred [pieces] of silver.

World English Bible
The lords of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, Entice him, and see in which his great strength lies, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will each give you of us eleven hundred [pieces] of silver.

New King James Version
And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, "Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver."

New Living Translation
The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, "Entice Samson to tell you what makes him so strong and how he can be overpowered and tied up securely. Then each of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver."

New Life Bible
The leaders of the Philistines came to her, saying, "Tempt Samson to tell you the secret of his powerful strength. Find out how we can get power over him so we can tie him and hold him. Then we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver."

New Revised Standard
The lords of the Philistines came to her and said to her, "Coax him, and find out what makes his strength so great, and how we may overpower him, so that we may bind him in order to subdue him; and we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said to her - Entice him, and see wherein lieth his great strength, and wherewith we may prevail against him, and bind him, to humble him, - and, we, will give thee, every man, eleven hundred pieces of silver.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the princes of the Philistines came to her, and sald: Deceive him, and learn of him wherein his great strength lieth, and how we may be able to overcome him, to bind and afflict him: which if thou shalt do, we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.

Revised Standard Version
And the lords of the Philistines came to her and said to her, "Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to subdue him; and we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
The lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, "Entice him, and see where his great strength lies and how we may overpower him that we may bind him to afflict him. Then we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver."

Contextual Overview

⁴ Some time later, Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in Sorek Valley. ⁵ The Philistine rulers went to Delilah and said, "Trick Samson into telling you what makes him so strong and what can make him weak. Then we can tie him up so he can't get away. If you find out his secret, we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver." ⁶ The next time Samson was at Delilah's house, she asked, "Samson, what makes you so strong? How can I tie you up so you can't get away? Come on, you can tell me." ⁷ Samson answered, "If someone ties me up with seven new bowstrings that have never been dried, it will make me just as weak as anyone else." ⁸The Philistine rulers gave seven new bowstrings to Delilah. They also told some of their soldiers to go to Delilah's house and hide in the room where Samson and Delilah were. If the bowstrings made Samson weak, they would be able to capture him. Delilah tied up Samson with the bowstrings and shouted, "Samson, the Philistines are attacking!" Samson snapped the bowstrings, as though they were pieces of scorched string. The Philistines had not found out why Samson was so strong. ¹⁰ "You lied and made me look like a fool," Delilah said. "Now tell me. How can I really tie you up?" ¹¹ Samson answered, "Use some new ropes. If I'm tied up with ropes that have never been used, I'll be just as weak as anyone else." ¹² Delilah got new ropes and again had some Philistines hide in the room. Then she tied up Samson's arms and shouted, "Samson, the Philistines are attacking!" Samson snapped the ropes as if they were threads. ¹³ "You're still lying and making a fool of me," Delilah said. "Tell me how I can tie you up!" "My hair is in seven braids," Samson replied. "If you weave my braids into the threads on a loom and nail the loom to a wall, then I will be as weak as anyone else." ¹⁴ While Samson was asleep, Delilah wove his braids into the threads on a loom and nailed the loom to a wall. Then she shouted, "Samson, the Philistines are attacking!" Samson woke up and pulled the loom free from its posts in the ground and from the nails in the wall. Then he pulled his hair free from the woven cloth.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the lords: Judges 3:3, Joshua 13:3, 1 Samuel 29:6

Entice: Judges 14:15, Proverbs 2:16-19, Proverbs 5:3-11, Proverbs 6:24-26, Proverbs 7:21-27, 1 Corinthians 6:15-18

afflict: or, humble

we will: Judges 17:2, Genesis 33:16, Numbers 22:17, Numbers 22:18, Micah 7:3, Matthew 26:15, 1 Timothy 6:9, 1 Timothy 6:10

Reciprocal: Judges 16:18 - brought money 1 Samuel 6:16 - the five Job 31:9 - If mine Micah 7:5 - keep 1 Corinthians 2:4 - not

Cross-References

Genesis 16:12
But your son will live far from his relatives; he will be like a wild donkey, fighting everyone, and everyone fighting him."

Genesis 16:15
Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to their son, and he named him Ishmael.

Genesis 31:53
My father Nahor, your grandfather Abraham, and their ancestors all worshiped the same God, and he will make sure that we each keep the agreement. Then Jacob made a promise in the name of the fearsome God his father Isaac had worshiped.

Exodus 5:21
Then the men said, "We hope the Lord will punish both of you for making the king and his officials hate us. Now they even have an excuse to kill us."

Psalms 7:8
Our Lord , judge the nations! Judge me and show that I am honest and innocent.

Psalms 35:23
Fight to defend me, Lord God,

Psalms 43:1
Show that I am right, God! Defend me against everyone who doesn't know you; rescue me from each of those deceitful liars.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her,.... Having heard that Samson kept company with her, she being a noted strumpet, like Lais among the Grecians. These were in number five, as appears from Judges 3:3 and had under them five principalities, into which Palestine was divided; and these, if not united in their government, which possibly might be the case at this time, yet were united against their common enemy Samson; and being great personages, it is thought by some they came not themselves to this harlot's house, but sent a deputation of five persons in their names, though the text is very express here and after: they are said to come up to her, because their country lay on the shore of the sea, and lower than Judea:

and said unto her, entice him; persuade him with soothing and flattering words; take an opportunity when in an amorous mood to improve her interest in his affections:

and see wherein his great strength lieth; for it might not appear by the size of his body, or from his natural constitution, and in the common actions of life, but only at certain times, and as it should seem when he pleased; and he might have been heard to say that it was a secret he kept to himself, and no man knew it; or they might suspect something of magic in the case, that he carried something about with him, which, if it could be gotten from him, would deprive him of his strength:

and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him; to humble him, bring him low, and reduce him to the common condition of men; they did not propose to kill him, which they might think she would not agree to, and so reject their proposal at once, but at most to distress him, and to chastise him with mockings and scourgings, bonds and imprisonment, for the mischief he had indeed done them, and prevent him from doing more:

and we will give thee, everyone of us, eleven hundred [pieces] of silver or shekels; it may seem strange that they should promise each 1100: some think their principalities offered each 1000 shekels, and the princes themselves one hundred; but Abarbinel supposes that this was, on some account or another, in those times an usual sum or computation, since the same is mentioned in the following chapter; though it may be observed that these five several sums put together make a round number, 5500 pieces of silver; which, taking them to be shekels, according to Waserus d: they amounted to 1375 rix dollars, and of Helvetian money 3666 pounds, and a little more, and of our money near seven hundred pounds sterling; a considerable bribe, and very tempting to a person of such a character, and which she readily embraced, as appears by what follows.

d De Antiquis Numis, l. 2. c. 5.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And the lords of the Philistines - See Judges 3:3 note.

His great strength lieth - Rather, “wherein his strength is great.”

Eleven hundred pieces of silver - The greatness of the bribe offered to Delilah, 5,500 shekels of silver, nearly two talents (Exodus 38:24, note), shows the importance attached to Samson’s capture.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 16:5. See wherein his great strength lieth] They saw that his stature was not remarkable: and that, nevertheless, he had most extraordinary strength; therefore they supposed that it was the effect of some charm or amulet. The lords of the Philistines were the five following: Gaza, Gath, Askelon, Ekron, and Ashdod. All these considered Samson as a public enemy; and they promised this bad woman a large sum of money if she would obtain from him the important secret wherein his strength lay, that, depriving him of this supernatural power, they might be able to reduce him to bondage.