The Riddle at the Wedding Feast
At his wedding feast, Samson presented a riddle to his guests, saying: “Out of the eater came something to eat, out of the strong came something sweet.” (Judges 14:14). This riddle was based on a personal experience—earlier, Samson had killed a lion, and later he discovered that bees had made a hive inside the lion’s carcass, producing honey.
The Philistine guests, unable to solve the riddle on their own, grew frustrated. Rather than admitting defeat, they pressured Semadar, Samson’s wife, to coax the answer out of him. They threatened her and her family, demanding that she find out the solution so they wouldn’t have to pay the wager Samson had set. Feeling trapped, Semadar pleaded with Samson until he finally revealed the meaning of the riddle, which she then passed on to the Philistines.