Samson’s parents’ lengthy response shows their disappointment. Not only does Samson break with the traditional way of doing things—he also wants to marry a girl who is not an Israelite.

But his father and mother said to him: But, which renders the Hebrew waw conjunction, introduces a contrast here. Samson expects his parents to comply with his request, but they oppose him. Translators should try to find a way of expressing this opposition. The phrase his father and mother occurs repeatedly in this subsection to show their solidarity and mutual concern for their son (see verse 14.2). If this repetition is inappropriate, translators may say “his parents” (Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible). The general verb said may be rendered “protested” (Revised English Bible), which conveys well the parents’ disappointment and opposition.

Is there not a woman among the daughters of your kinsmen…?: This negative rhetorical question implies a positive answer. It may be rendered as a strong statement by saying “Surely there is a woman….” Is there not reflects the Hebrew, but in some languages it may be more natural to say “Surely you can find” or “Can’t you find.” Woman renders the Hebrew word ʾishshah again, which can also mean “wife” (see verse 14.2). It occurs twice in this verse and may be rendered either way. Among the daughters of your kinsmen is literally “among the daughters of your brothers.” Among the Israelites there were fixed rules concerning marriage. Israelites were not to marry outside their own people (Deut 7.3-4). At the same time, there were also strict rules against incest. The expression “among the daughters of your brothers” refers to the female Israelites whom Samson could have married. It may be rendered “among your own people.” Revised English Bible suggests “among your cousins,” but this rendering may be too specific, especially in cultures where this could be considered incest. Certainly in Israel, not all cousins could be married. So we might say more generally “from our clan” or “from our own tribe.”

Or among all our people: This phrase emphasizes what Samson’s parents have to say: Can’t you find a suitable wife among all the people of Israel? Why do you have to marry a foreigner? Or renders the Hebrew waw conjunction, which may be translated “and” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), depending on the receptor language. All our people is literally “all my people.” Almost all versions render “my” as “our.” The pronoun “my” may reflect the fact that the father seems to be the main person talking (see the comments below). The Hebrew word for people (ʿam) can point to other nations, but more often it refers to the people of Israel. Here it refers to fellow Israelites. Contemporary English Version renders this phrase and the previous one as “in our clan and even more in the rest of Israel.” We might say “from our clan and all our other people.”

That you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines: That, which renders the Hebrew particle ki, introduces a result of what precedes. Is it really true, the parents ask, that there are no marriageable young women in our clan, which would force you to go outside to the Philistines for a wife against the customs of our people? The tone here is one of bitter disappointment. Some might say “so that you feel you must marry…,” “so you’re going to marry…,” or “so you’ve decided to marry….” The auxiliary verb must does not appear in Hebrew. Revised Standard Version adds it to express well the bitter tone here. Take renders the same Hebrew verb translated “get” in verse 14.2 (see comments there). The real extent of the parents’ anger and disappointment can be seen here as they insult the ethnic group of Samson’s future wife by calling them uncircumcised. Circumcision was commonly practiced by peoples throughout the region, but not by the Philistines. In Israel circumcision was the sign of their covenant relationship with Yahweh (Gen 17.11). Calling someone uncircumcised was a serious insult. David used this same word when he spoke about the Philistine giant Goliath (verse 1 Sam 17.26). The Israelites considered the Philistines as unclean because they were not circumcised. In many cultures circumcision is known and is the mark of true male adulthood and status in the society. If this is the case, translating uncircumcised will not pose a problem. But in some languages it will not be easy to render this phrase, either because circumcision is not known or because it does not have the same connotation. In some cultures circumcision is not something that can be mentioned openly. In these languages translators will need to find a word or expression that conveys some of the negative impact of the word uncircumcised. Good News Translation says “heathen,” and New Living Translation uses “pagan.” Both these words are religious terms conveying the kind of strong negative feelings that Israelites had toward Philistines. In this passage the exact details of circumcision are not in focus, but throughout the Bible this practice plays an important role, so another possibility is to refer to it literally here and explain in a footnote or in the glossary its connotation here and other similar contexts.

Good News Translation reverses the order of the two clauses in this rhetorical question, and this is acceptable. Another possible model is “Among all our clan and all the rest of our people, can’t you find a [suitable/good] woman to marry? Why do you have to find one among the heathen Philistines?”

But Samson said to his father: Once again But renders well the Hebrew waw conjunction, since it introduces another contrast here. Samson now addresses his father alone. Normally he should listen to his father, but unexpectedly, he refuses.

Get her for me: This is the same request Samson made in verse 14.2. But in light of what the parents have said, the statement seems even more disrespectful here. In Hebrew the word order changes and the demand is briefer here, literally “Her get for me.” Samson makes it clear this is the only woman he wants. Good News Translation attempts to convey this emphasis by saying “She is the one I want you to get for me.” We may also say “It’s her [and her alone] I want. Get her for me.” Samson is being impatient and almost childish.

For she pleases me well: The Hebrew conjunction ki rendered for introduces the reason Samson wants her, but in many languages this conjunction may be omitted (Good News Translation). She pleases me well is literally “she is straight in my eyes,” which means “She’s the right one for me” (New International Version). Good News Translation‘s “I like her” seems weak here. In light of verse 14.7, it seems that Samson has only seen this woman and not yet talked to her. Nevertheless, this declaration seems quite strong. Some languages may prefer to reverse this clause and the previous one and say “She is the one for me. Get her for me.”

Translation models for this verse are:

• But his parents objected, saying, “Why do you need to look for a wife among those heathen Philistine girls? In all our clan and in all the rest of our people, surely you can find a [suitable] wife!”
But Samson replied, “Get her! She’s the right one for me!”

• But Samson’s parents protested, “Surely, you can marry one of our own. Why do you insist on marrying somebody from those uncircumcised Philistines?”
But Samson said to his father, “I said, she is the one I want. Get her for me!”

Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .