Judges 16:7 (YLT)

Passage

And Samson saith unto her, `If they bind me with seven green withs which have not been dried, then I have been weak, and have been as one of the human race.'

Nearby Context

Judges 16:5 and the princes of the Philistines come up unto her, and say to her, `Entice him, and see wherein his great power <FI>is<Fi> , and wherein we are able for him--and we have bound him to afflict him, and we--we give to thee, each one, eleven hundred silverlings.'

Judges 16:6 And Delilah saith unto Samson, `Declare, I pray thee, to me, wherein thy great power <FI>is<Fi> , and wherewith thou art bound, to afflict thee.'

Judges 16:7 And Samson saith unto her, `If they bind me with seven green withs which have not been dried, then I have been weak, and have been as one of the human race.'

Judges 16:8 And the princes of the Philistines bring up to her seven green withs which have not been dried, and she bindeth him with them.

Judges 16:9 And the ambush is abiding with her in an inner chamber, and she saith unto him, `Philistines <FI>are<Fi> upon thee, Samson;' and he breaketh the withs as a thread of tow is broken in its smelling fire, and his power hath not been known.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "samson", "saith", "bind", "seven", "green", "withs", "been", and "dried". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "samson" and "saith", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "And Delilah saith unto Samson Declare I..." into verse 8's "And the princes of the Philistines bring...", so "samson" and "saith" 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 "samson" and "saith" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.