Judges 16:25 (LSB)

Passage

So it happened when their hearts were merry, that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may amuse us.” So they called for Samson from the prison, and he entertained them. And they made him stand between the pillars.

Nearby Context

Judges 16:23 Now the lords of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to be glad; and they said, “Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hands.”

Judges 16:24 Then the people saw him and praised their god, for they said, “Our god has given our enemy into our hands, Even the destroyer of our country, Who has slain many of us.”

Judges 16:25 So it happened when their hearts were merry, that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may amuse us.” So they called for Samson from the prison, and he entertained them. And they made him stand between the pillars.

Judges 16:26 Then Samson said to the boy who was holding his hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house is established, that I may lean against them.”

Judges 16:27 Now the house was full of men and women, and all the lords of the Philistines were there. And about 3,000 men and women were on the roof looking on while Samson was amusing them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "happened", "hearts", "merry", "said", "samson", and "amuse". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "happened", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 24's "Then the people saw him and praised..." into verse 26's "Then Samson said to the boy who...", so "called" and "happened" 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 "called" and "happened" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.