Judges 15:4Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turned tail to tail, and put a torch in the midst between every two tails.
The setting
Judean hills near Gaza Strip, Palestine, ~1100 BC. Samson methodically captures 300 foxes in pairs, binding their tails with torches...
The emotion here: methodical rage mixed with creative planning
The original word
shu'al (שׁוּעָל) — foxes or jackals, animals known for cunning and destruction
Why it matters
Foxes were considered sacred to Dionysus; burning them would have been seen as attacking Philistine religion
Read with care
What most readers miss in Judges 15:4
Catching 300 foxes would have taken weeks or months of planning
Common misconceptionThis seems like random violence, but it was calculated psychological warfare - Samson chose foxes because they were sacred to Philistine gods, making this both agricultural and religious attack.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Judges 15:4
Bible Genome reading
Judges 15:4 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Judges 15:4 comes from the book of Judges, written during the judges period. These words are attributed to Narrator. The dominant emotion in this verse is deciding, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include cunning, preparation. Notable phrases: three hundred foxes; torches; tail to tail.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same deciding
“"You shall have no other gods before me.”
— Deuteronomy 5:7
“"You shall not murder.”
— Exodus 20:13
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
— Matthew 23:12
“For God didn't give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.”
— 2 Timothy 1:7
“But Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!"”
— Acts 3:6
Your reflection
What does Judges 15:4 mean to you, today?
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