And he said to them: In this context the general verb said may be rendered “replied” (New International Version) or “answered.”

Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet: These two lines are Samson’s riddle. The parallel structure of this riddle is typical of Hebrew poetry. It is important for the translator to put these two lines in a format that shows it is poetry, usually by indenting them. They read literally as follows:

From one who eats came out a thing to eat.
From the strong one came out a sweet thing.

The Hebrew verb yatsaʾ meaning “come out” is used in both lines. This verb occurs frequently in the book, especially in the last three chapters (see comments on verse 1.24). The Hebrew preposition meaning “from,” which is rendered Out of, also occurs in both lines. The eater is parallel to the strong, and something to eat parallels something sweet. In Hebrew there is a clear play on words in the first line as well, since the eater provides something to eat. The Hebrew participle for the eater and the noun for something to eat come from the same root.

It is hard to know if the Philistines could have solved this riddle on their own. It is possible that lions and honey were linked in a folk tradition. However, their link to the Hebrew verb for eat (ʾakal) seems clear (see Jer 2.30, where this word is rendered “devoured”). Hebrew gives another small clue that lions and honey were linked, since the word for “lion” (ʾari) sounds like the word for “honeycomb” (yaʿar). However, the text does not say if Hebrew was used as a means of communication between Samson and the Philistines. It is possible that Samson is making fun of the “uncivilized” Philistines by using a complex Hebrew riddle.

The translation of this riddle may not be easy, but in most languages there is a fixed form, or at least a general poetic form, for presenting riddles like this one. Revised Standard Version uses rhyme at the end of the two lines to follow English poetic style. In many languages riddles have a very special structure. Sometimes they are introduced by special words that have no known meaning. As translators render Samson’s words, they should try to imitate the style for telling riddles in the receptor language. However, it may be impossible to convey the play on words here.

Out of the eater came something to eat follows the Hebrew word order, but this may not be possible in all languages. This line may be reversed by saying “Something to eat came out of the eater.” All languages will have ways to render the eater and something to eat, but translators must take care to use the same verb in both phrases. Possible models for this line are “The one who eats provides something to eat” and “In the one who eats, one finds something to eat.”

Out of the strong came something sweet is strictly parallel to the previous line. Strong renders a Hebrew adjective that refers to physical rather than moral strength. Sweet renders another Hebrew adjective, referring to the sweet taste of food. This line may be translated “The strong one produced something sweet.”

New International Version preserves the parallelism:

Out of the eater, something to eat;
out of the strong, something sweet.

Contemporary English Version goes quite far from the text, but gives a rendering that sounds like a real English riddle:

Once so strong and mighty—
now so sweet and tasty!

Another possible model is:

Out of the one who eats, something to eat.
Out of the one who is strong, something sweet.

In some languages there will be a way to conclude a riddle, such as “What is it?” Such a conclusion may be added if appropriate.

And they could not in three days tell what the riddle was: After three days the thirty Philistine companions of Samson were still unable to solve the riddle. The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered And may be translated “But” (New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible) or omitted if the time phrase in three days is placed at the beginning of this sentence, as in Good News Translation. They could not … tell what the riddle was may be rendered “they could not find the solution to the riddle,” “they could not solve the riddle,” or “they could not figure out the saying.” Many languages will have an idiomatic expression, such as “they could not see what the bottom [meaning] of the riddle was.” The phrase in three days occurs at the end of the verse in Hebrew. In many languages it will be better to put this time phrase first by saying “After three days [or, At the end of three days] they still could not figure out the riddle” or “Three days went by and they still could not tell what the riddle meant.”

A translation model for this verse is:

• And he replied,
“Out of the eater, something to eat.
Out of something strong, something sweet.”
Now, three days passed but the young Philistines could not figure out the saying.

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 .