MPV Commentary

3. Samson declared his intention to take revenge on the Philistines, saying he would be more blameless than they were in their wicked actions.

4-5. He went and caught three hundred jackals, a type of animal that roams in packs and is common in the mountains of Palestine. To set them ablaze, Samson took firebrands – slow-burning torches that would ignite fiercely when blown by the wind. He tied two jackals together, with a firebrand between them, and released each pair down from the hills into the Philistine plain at nightfall. The resulting fires would spread rapidly, causing widespread destruction.

6. As news of this outrage spread, the Philistines became enraged and rushed to Samson's wife's house, burning her and her father with fire. This was a fitting retribution for her betrayal of her husband, which had led to his capture by the Philistines (Jud 14:15).

7. Samson vowed to take revenge on the Philistines, despite their role in avenging his personal wrongs. As a judge appointed by God to deliver Israel, he still had work to do.

8. He attacked them mercilessly, using the phrase "smote them hip and thigh" to describe the severity of the slaughter. Then Samson went down from the hilltop and took up residence in the cave or cavern of Etam.