JDG 14:18 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ οἱ ἄνδρες τῆς πόλεως ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ πρὸ τοῦ ἀνατεῖλαι τὸν ἥλιον, τί γλυκύτερον μέλιτος, καὶ τί ἰσχυρότερον λέοντος; καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Σαμψὼν, εἰ μὴ ἠροτριάσατε ἐν τῇ δαμάλει μου, οὐκ ἂν ἔγνωτε τὸ πρόβλημά μου.
(Kai eipan autōi hoi andres taʸs poleōs en taʸ haʸmera taʸ hebdomaʸ pro tou anateilai ton haʸlion, ti glukuteron melitos, kai ti isⱪuroteron leontos; kai eipen autois Sampsōn, ei maʸ aʸrotriasate en taʸ damalei mou, ouk an egnōte to problaʸma mou. )

BrTr And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day, before sunrise, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? and Sampson said to them, If ye had not ploughed with my heifer, ye would not have known my riddle.

ULT Then the men of the city said to him before the sun went down on the seventh day,
⇔ “What is sweeter than honey?
⇔ and what is stronger than a lion?”
¶ So he said to them,
⇔ “If you had not plowed with my heifer,
⇔ you would not have found out my riddle.”

UST So before sunset on the seventh day, the young men came to Samson and said to him,
⇔ “Nothing is sweeter than honey;
⇔ Nothing is as strong as a lion.”
¶ Samson replied, “People use their own animals to plow their fields. My bride is like a young heifer that you have used, but she does not belong to you!
⇔ If you had not forced her to ask me,
⇔ you would not have learned the answer!”

BSB § Before sunset on the seventh day, the men of the city said to Samson:
⇔ “What is sweeter than honey?
⇔ And what is stronger than a lion?”
§ So he said to them:
⇔ “If you had not plowed with my heifer,
⇔ you would not have solved my riddle!”

OEB No OEB JDG book available

WEBBE The men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, “What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?”
¶ He said to them,
⇔ “If you hadn’t ploughed with my heifer,
⇔ you wouldn’t have found out my riddle.”

WMBB (Same as above)

NET On the seventh day, before the sun set, the men of the city said to him,
⇔ “What is sweeter than honey?
⇔ What is stronger than a lion?”
¶ He said to them,
⇔ “If you had not plowed with my heifer,
⇔ you would not have solved my riddle!”

LSV And the men of the city say to him on the seventh day, before the sun goes in: “What [is] sweeter than honey? And what [is] stronger than a lion?” And he says to them: “Unless you had plowed with my heifer,
You had not found out my riddle.”

FBV Before the sun set on the seventh day, the men of the town came to Samson and said, “What's sweeter than honey? What's stronger than a lion?”
¶ “If you hadn't used my cow to plough with, you wouldn't have found out the meaning of my riddle,” Samson replied.

T4T So, before sunset on the seventh day, the young men came to Samson and said to him,
⇔ “What/Nothing is sweeter than honey [RHQ].
⇔ What/Nothing is stronger than a lion [RHQ]!”
¶ Samson replied, “You should not force a heifer to plow a field [MET].
⇔ Similarly, if you had not forced my bride to ask me about the riddle [MET],
⇔ you would not have known the answer to my riddle!”

LEB • The men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down,“What is sweeter than honey? • What is stronger than a lion?”
¶ And he said to them, • “If you had not plowed with my heifer, • you would not have found out my riddle.”

BBE Then on the seventh day, before he went into the bride's room, the men of the town said to him, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said to them, If you had not been ploughing with my cow you would not have got the answer to my question.

Moff No Moff JDG book available

JPS 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 stronger than a lion? And he said unto them: If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.

ASV 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 stronger than a lion? And he said unto them,
⇔ If ye had not plowed with my heifer,
⇔ Ye had not found out my riddle.

DRA And they on the seventh day before the sun went down said to him: What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said to them: If you had not ploughed with my heifer, you had not found out my riddle.

YLT And the men of the city say to him on the seventh day, before the sun goeth in: — 'What [is] sweeter than honey? And what stronger than a lion?' And he saith to them: 'Unless ye had ploughed with my heifer, Ye had not found out my riddle.'

Drby And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey, And what stronger than a lion? And he said to them, If ye had not ploughed with my heifer, Ye had not found out my riddle.

RV 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 stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.

Wbstr And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said to them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.

KJB-1769 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 stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.
(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 stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye/you_all had not plowed with my heifer, ye/you_all had not found out my riddle. )

KJB-1611 And the men of the city said vnto him on the seuenth day before the sunne went downe, What is sweeter then honie? and what is stronger then a Lion? And he said vnto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, yee had not found out my riddle.
(And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter then honey? and what is stronger then a Lion? And he said unto them, If ye/you_all had not plowed with my heifer, ye/you_all had not found out my riddle.)

Bshps And the men of the citie sayd vnto him the seuenth day, before the sunne went downe: What is sweeter then hony? and what is stronger then a Lion? Then sayd he vnto them: Yf ye had not plowed with my heyffer, ye had not founde out my riddle.
(And the men of the city said unto him the seventh day, before the sun went down: What is sweeter then honey? and what is stronger then a Lion? Then said he unto them: If ye/you_all had not plowed with my heyffer, ye/you_all had not found out my riddle.)

Gnva And the men of ye citie sayde vnto him the seuenth day before the Sunne went downe, What is sweeter then honie? and what is stronger then a lyon? Then sayd hee vnto them, If yee had not plowed with my heiffer, yee had not found out my riddle.
(And the men of ye/you_all city said unto him the seventh day before the Sun went down, What is sweeter then honey? and what is stronger then a lyon? Then said he unto them, If ye/you_all had not plowed with my heiffer, ye/you_all had not found out my riddle. )

Cvdl Then sayde the men of the cite vnto him vpon the seuenth daye oreuer the Sonne wente downe: What is sweter then hony? What is strouger then the lyon? But he sayde vnto the: Yf ye had not plowed wt my calfe, ye shulde not haue founde out my ryddle.
(Then said the men of the cite unto him upon the seventh day oreuer the Son went down: What is sweter then honey? What is strouger then the lyon? But he said unto them: If ye/you_all had not plowed with my calfe, ye/you_all should not have found out my ryddle.)

Wyc And thei seiden to hym in the seuenthe dai bifor the goyng doun of the sunne, What is swettere than hony, and what is strengere than a lioun? And he seide to hem, If ye hadden not erid in my cow calf, `that is, my wijf, ye hadden not founde my proposicioun.
(And they said to him in the seventh day before the going down of the sunne, What is swettere than honey, and what is strengere than a lioun? And he said to them, If ye/you_all had not erid in my cow calf, `that is, my wife, ye/you_all had not found my proposicioun.)

Luth Da sprachen die Männer der Stadt zu ihm am siebenten Tage, ehe die Sonne unterging: Was ist süßer denn Honig? Was ist stärker denn der Löwe? Aber er sprach zu ihnen: Wenn ihr nicht hättet mit meinem Kalbe gepflüget, ihr hättet mein Rätsel nicht getroffen.
(So said the men the/of_the city to him in/at/on_the siebenten days, before the sun unterging: What is süßer because Honig? What is stronger because the/of_the Löwe? But he spoke to to_them: When you/their/her not hättet with my Kalbe gepflüget, you/their/her hättet my Rätsel not getroffen.)

ClVg Et illi dixerunt ei die septimo ante solis occubitum: [Quid dulcius melle, et quid fortius leone?] Qui ait ad eos: [Si non arassetis in vitula mea, non invenissetis propositionem meam.]
(And illi dixerunt to_him day septimo before solis occubitum: [Quid dulcius melle, and quid fortius leone?] Who he_said to them: [When/But_if not/no arassetis in vitula mea, not/no invenissetis propositionem meam.] )

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / go

came in

(Some words not found in UHB: and=they_said to=him/it men_of the=city in_the=day the=seventh in/on/at/with,before went_down the,sun, what? sweeter than,honey and,what stronger than,lion and=he/it_said to/for=them if_~_not plowed in/on/at/with,heifer,my not found_out riddle,my )

In a context such as this, your language might say “went” instead of came. Alternate translation: “went down”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

What {is} sweeter than honey? And what {is} stronger than a lion?

The Philistine young men are using the question form to give the answer to Samson’s riddle triumphantly. If a speaker of your language would not use the question form for that purpose, you could translate this as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “Nothing is sweeter than honey, and nothing is stronger than a lion!”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

If you had not plowed with my heifer

Samson is speaking as if the Philistine young men had literally plowed with a heifer that he owned. He is using the heifer to represent his wife, with the suggestion that they had no business using her in the way they did. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “If you had not gotten the answer from my wife”

Parallel JDG 14:18