Judges 15:12
“They said to him, “We have come down to bind you, that we may deliver you into the hand of the Philistines.” Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not attack me yourselves.””
What does Judges 15:12 mean?
The men of Judah have come to arrest Samson because his ongoing conflict with the Philistines is bringing danger to their entire region. Instead of resisting them violently, Samson asks for a simple promise: that his own countrymen won't harm him while turning him over to their enemies. It's a striking moment that shows Samson willing to negotiate and set boundaries, even in an impossible situation where he's being handed over to those who want to kill him. There's something almost vulnerable here, a man asking for the bare minimum protection from those who claim to be his own people.