· Translation: KJV

Judges 15:20He judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

The setting

Israel, ~1100-1080 BC. Two decades of Samson's turbulent but effective leadership over the twelve tribes during Philistine oppression...

The emotion here: respectful acknowledgment of imperfect but significant service

The original word

shaphat (שָׁפַט) — to judge, govern, deliver justice, not just legal decisions but military and spiritual leadership

Why it matters

Twenty years was a full generation, meaning children grew up knowing only Samson's protection

Read with care

What most readers miss in Judges 15:20

This summary comes BEFORE Delilah — his greatest failures happened after two decades of faithful service

Common misconceptionPeople think Samson was always a mess, but he actually served faithfully for twenty years. His famous moral failures came at the end of a long, successful career.

Bible Genome reading

Judges 15:20 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerNarrator
Erajudges
Primary emotionresting
Literary typenarrative

Emotional genome

Comfort power50%
Quotability50%
Memorability60%
Crisis relevance20%
Standalone70%
Themes:leadershiplegacy

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Judges 15

Judges 15:20 comes from the book of Judges, written during the judges period. These words are attributed to Narrator. The dominant emotion in this verse is resting, with a comfort power of 50% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include leadership, legacy. Notable phrases: judged Israel; twenty years.

Your reflection

What does Judges 15:20 mean to you, today?

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