Judges 16:23 (GNV)

Passage

Then the Princes of the Philistims gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice vnto Dagon their god, and to reioyce: for they said, Our god hath deliuered Samson our enemie into our handes.

Nearby Context

Judges 16:21 Therefore the Philistims tooke him, and put out his eyes, and brought him downe to Azzah, and bounde him with fetters: and hee did grinde in the prison house.

Judges 16:22 And the heare of his head began to growe againe after that it was shauen.

Judges 16:23 Then the Princes of the Philistims gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice vnto Dagon their god, and to reioyce: for they said, Our god hath deliuered Samson our enemie into our handes.

Judges 16:24 Also when the people saw him, they praysed their god: for they sayde, Our god hath deliuered into our hands our enemie and destroyer of our countrey, which hath slayne many of vs.

Judges 16:25 And when their heartes were merie, they said, Call Samson, that he may make vs pastime. So they called Samson out of the prison house, and he was a laughing stocke vnto them, and they set him betweene the pillars.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "princes", "philistims", "gathered", "together", "offer", "great", "sacrifice", and "vnto". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "princes" and "philistims", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "And the heare of his head began..." into verse 24's "Also when the people saw him they...", so "princes" and "philistims" belong inside that flow. In Judges context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "princes" and "philistims" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.