The structure of this verse makes it emphatic. The Hebrew verb rendered scraped … out and had taken (radah) forms an inclusio around it, even if this is not visible in many versions. This verb sounds like the Hebrew verb meaning “go down” (yarad), so this is another stylistic feature. There is also much verbal repetition: the Hebrew verb meaning “walk” or “go” occurs three times (rendered went on, went, and came), and the verb meaning “eat” occurs twice.

Many scholars see Samson’s acts here as a violation of the Nazirite vow, since Samson touches a dead animal and even eats what comes out of its carcass. While some argue that the vow concerned only human cadavers and not carcasses of dead animals, the biblical text seems clear in Num 6.6, which says “During the time that you are a Nazirite, you must never go close to a dead body” (Contemporary English Version). Even the honey becomes impure by being in contact with the carcass of the lion. Here the narrator goes to great lengths to describe how Samson not only carries out this forbidden act, but implicates his parents in the act as well.

He scraped it out into his hands: Samson scooped the honey out of the lion carcass into his hands. This clause begins with the Hebrew waw conjunction, but Revised Standard Version and most other versions omit it. Scraped it out may be rendered “scooped up the honey” (Contemporary English Version) or “took up some honey” (New Jerusalem Bible). Into his hands seems to indicate that he did this with his bare hands, but he may have used a stick or some other instrument. The Hebrew word for hands (kaf) is not the usual one (yad) used in this book but rather the word for “palm” of the hand. The exact significance of this variation is not known.

And went on, eating as he went renders an emphatic construction in Hebrew, which is literally “and he went to go and to eat.” In some languages the verb eating will need an object. We might say “eating the honey” or “eating it.” For this whole clause we might say “and as he went along, he ate it.” These words seem to indicate that Samson is unconcerned about having broken the Nazirite vow. He takes his time walking along enjoying his find.

And he came to his father and mother: Samson heads off to see his parents. For his father and mother, see verse 14.2. There is some confusion about where his parents were. Some scholars think they were back at home. Contemporary English Version reflects this understanding by saying “When he got back to his parents.” Others think they were in Timnah. It is best not to specify where they were by saying “When he came to his father and mother” or “When he rejoined his parents.”

And gave some to them, and they ate: Samson gave some of the honey to his parents and they ate it. This part of the story recalls Eve going to Adam and giving him the forbidden fruit to eat. In light of what follows, it can be assumed that they ate the honey in all innocence. They did not know the honey had been taken from a lion’s carcass and was therefore unclean. There are no objects in these two clauses in Hebrew, which is literally “and he gave to them and they ate,” but most versions supply objects here. For example, Contemporary English Version says “and he gave them some of the honey, and they ate it too.”

But he did not tell them …: But renders well the Hebrew waw conjunction here, since there is a contrast. Samson should have told his parents about what he had done and especially the source of the honey he brought them to eat. The expression not tell continues to be a major theme in this subsection (see verse 14.6). Samson chose to act in secret by not telling his parents what he had done because it is clear he had broken his Nazirite vow. He not only went near a dead body but touched it and took and ate something from it. He also made his parents guilty, since they ate honey that was unclean. This act of not telling leads into the drama of the riddle that follows.

That he had taken the honey from the carcass of the lion: In Hebrew the phrase from the carcass of the lion occurs at the beginning of this clause for emphasis. Many languages can imitate this by saying “But he did not tell them it was from the dead body of a lion that he had taken the honey.”

A translation model for this verse is:

• Samson scraped some of the honey into his hands and ate it, and he just continued walking along. When he got to his parents, he gave some to them and they ate it too. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the body of a dead lion.

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 .