Judges 16:23

Judges 16:23

Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.

a. ASV: And the lords of the Philistines gathered them together to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice; for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.

b. YLT: And the princes of the Philistines have been gathered together to sacrifice a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice; and they say, 'Our god hath given into our hand Samson our enemy.'

c. Amplified Bible Classic: Then the Philistine lords gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, for they said, Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hands.

d. Septuagint:  And the chiefs of the Philistines met to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon, and to make merry; and they said, God has given into our hand our enemy Sampson.

e. Rubin Edition Early Prophets Joshua & Judges: The governors of the Philistines gathered to make a great sacrifice unto their god Dagon, and for a celebration. They said, “Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.

1. “Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god…”

a. [Then the] lords [Strong: 5633 çeren, seh'-ren; from an unused root of uncertain meaning; an axle; figuratively, a peer:—lord, plate.]

b. [of the] Philistines [Strong: 6430 Pᵉlishtîy, pel-ish-tee'; patrial from H6429; a Pelishtite or inhabitant of Pelesheth:—Philistine.]

c. gathered them together [Strong: 622 'acaph aw-saf' a primitive root; to gather for any purpose; hence, to receive, take away, i.e. remove (destroy, leave behind, put up, restore, etc.):--assemble, bring, consume, destroy, felch, gather (in, together, up again), X generally, get (him), lose, put all together, receive, recover (another from leprosy), (be) rereward, X surely, take (away, into, up), X utterly, withdraw.]

d.  [for to] offer [Strong: 2076 zâbach, zaw-bakh'; a primitive root; to slaughter an animal (usually in sacrifice):—kill, offer, (do) sacrifice, slay.]

e. [a] great [Strong: 1419 gâdôwl, gaw-dole'; or גָּדֹל gâdôl; (shortened) from H1431; great (in any sense); hence, older; also insolent:— aloud, elder(-est), exceeding(-ly), far, (man of) great (man, matter, thing,-er,-ness), high, long, loud, mighty, more, much, noble, proud thing, × sore, (×) very.]

f. sacrifice [Strong: 2077 zebach, zeh'-bakh; from H2076; properly, a slaughter, i.e. the flesh of an animal; by implication, a sacrifice (the victim or the act):—offer(-ing), sacrifice.]

g. [unto] Dagon  Dâgôwn, daw-gohn'; from H1709; the fish-god; Dagon, a Philistine deity:—Dagon.] [Gesenius: Dagon, an idol of the Philistines, worshipped at Ashdod; with

the head and hands of a man, and the rest of his body that of a fish.]

i. [their] god [Strong: 430 ʼĕlôhîym, el-o-heem'; plural of H433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:—angels, × exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), × (very) great, judges, × mighty.]

2. “...and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.”

a. [and to] rejoice [Strong: 8057 simchâh, sim-khaw'; from H8056; blithesomeness or glee, (religious or festival):—× exceeding(-ly), gladness, joy(-fulness), mirth, pleasure, rejoice(-ing).]

b. [for they] said [Strong: 559 ʼâmar, aw-mar'; a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude):—answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, × desire, determine, ×expressly, × indeed, × intend, name, × plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), × still, × suppose, talk, tell, term, × that is, × think, use (speech), utter, × verily, × yet.]

c. [Our] god [Strong: 430 ʼĕlôhîym, el-o-heem'; plural of H433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:—angels, × exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), × (very) great, judges, × mighty.]

d. [hath] delivered [Strong: 5414 nâthan, naw-than'; a primitive root; to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.):—add, apply, appoint, ascribe, assign, × avenge, × be (healed), bestow, bring (forth, hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, × doubtless, × without fail, fasten, frame, × get, give (forth, over, up), grant, hang (up), × have, × indeed, lay (unto charge, up), (give) leave, lend, let (out), lie, lift up, make, O that, occupy, offer, ordain, pay, perform, place, pour, print, × pull, put (forth), recompense, render, requite, restore, send (out), set (forth), shew, shoot forth (up), sing, slander, strike, (sub-) mit, suffer, × surely, × take, thrust, trade, turn, utter, weep, willingly, withdraw, would (to) God, yield.]

e. Samson [Strong: 8123 Shimshown shim-shone' from 8121; sunlight; Shimshon, an Israelite:--Samson.]

f. [our] enemy [Strong: 341 ʼôyêb, o-yabe'; or (fully) אוֹיֵב ʼôwyêb; active participle of H340; hating; an adversary:—enemy, foe.]

g. [into our] hands [Strong: 3027 yâd, yawd; a primitive word; a hand (the open one [indicating power, means, direction, etc.], in distinction from 3709, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great variety of applications, both literally and figuratively, both proximate and remote [as follows]:—( be) able, × about, armholes, at, axletree, because of, beside, border, × bounty, broad, (broken-) handed, × by, charge, coast, consecrate, creditor, custody, debt, dominion, × enough, fellowship, force, × from, hand(-staves, -y work), × he, himself, × in, labour, large, ledge, (left-) handed, means, × mine, ministry, near, × of, × order, ordinance, × our, parts, pain, power, ×presumptuously, service, side, sore, state, stay, draw with strength, stroke, swear, terror, × thee, × by them, × themselves, × thine own, × thou, through, × throwing, thumb, times, × to, × under, × us, × wait on, (way-) side, where, wide, × with (him, me, you), work, yield, × yourselves.]

1). The Philistines were very serious worshippers of their false god. They honored their gods by fastening and parading the souvenirs of their battles on and in their temples.

a). 1 Samuel 31:8-10 And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa.

31:9 And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people.

31:10 And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan.

b). 1 Chronicles 10:8-10 And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen in mount Gilboa.

10:9 And when they had stripped him, they took his head, and his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry tidings unto their idols, and to the people.

10:10 And they put his armour in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.