Judges 16:27 (LSB)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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.

Judges 16:28 Then Samson called to Yahweh and said, “O Lord Yahweh, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.”

Judges 16:29 Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house was established and supported himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "house", "full", "women", "lords", "philistines", "roof", and "looking". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "house" and "full", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 26's "Then Samson said to the boy who..." into verse 28's "Then Samson called to Yahweh and said...", so "house" and "full" 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 "house" and "full" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.