Judges 14:14

WEB

He said to them, "Out of the eater came forth food. Out of the strong came forth sweetness." They couldn't in three days declare the riddle.

KJV

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.

Commentary

And he said unto them, out of the eater came forth meat,.... Out of a devouring eater, such as the lion is, came forth honey, or that was taken out of it, whi ch Samson, and his father and mother, ate of, and which was the common food of some persons, as of John the Baptist: and out of the strong came forth sweetness: not only out of that which was strong in body while alive, but of a strong and ill scent, as the carcass of a dead lion is, and out of that came forth honey, than which nothing is sweeter. Josephus (m) expresses it,"that which devours all things furnishes out pleasant food, when that itself is altogether unpleasant:" and they could not in three days expound the riddle; so long they laboured to find it out, but then began to despair of it. (m) Antiqu. l. 5. c. 8. sect. 6.