Judges 15:15-16
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It's easy to focus on the sheer number of men Samson defeated, but notice that he found the jawbone. This wasn't a weapon he prepared; it was a discarded piece of an animal, likely unpleasant, that God providentially placed within his reach. This highlights that God's power often works through the unexpected and even the unimpressive, turning ordinary things into instruments of extraordinary victory.
And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and put out his hand and took it, and with it he struck 1,000 men. And Samson said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone of a donkey have I struck down a thousand men.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Samson has just been betrayed by his own people, the men of Judah, who tied him up with ropes to hand him over to the Philistines. As the Philistines celebrate their victory, the Spirit of the Lord empowers Samson, breaking his bonds. He then finds a jawbone and uses it to strike down a thousand Philistines in a dramatic display of God’s power working through him.
Sometimes, the tools we need for victory aren't grand or prepared. They're found right in the middle of a mess.
Samson's incredible feat didn't start with a hidden arsenal. He found a 'fresh' or 'moist' jawbone of a donkey. This wasn't a planned weapon; it was something literally lying around after a death.
Divine Providence:
This detail highlights God's hand at work. The timing and location of this 'fresh' jawbone suggest divine preparation for Samson's moment of need. It wasn't just luck; it was God providing the exact, albeit unusual, instrument for his deliverance and for striking a blow against the oppressors.
The 'Freshness' Factor:
Commentators suggest 'fresh' or 'moist' meant the bone was not brittle and dry, but tough and strong – more effective for wielding as a weapon. This points to God not only providing a tool, but providing one in its prime condition for the task at hand.
A donkey's jawbone isn't exactly a sword of Gideon. Yet, it became the instrument of a thousand victories.
The sheer number – one thousand men slain with a single jawbone – is staggering. This points beyond Samson's physical strength.
Supernatural Empowerment:
While Samson was undeniably strong, the text emphasizes the 'Spirit of the Lord' coming upon him (Judges 15:14). This divine empowerment transformed an ordinary man with an unlikely weapon into an unstoppable force. The victory wasn't just ; it was God's victory him.
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Symbol of Divine Strategy:
This event functions as a powerful symbol. It demonstrates that God's power isn't limited by the means He chooses. The 'foolishness of preaching,' as Paul later calls it, or a simple jawbone, can be the very things God uses to bring about His purposes and conquer His enemies. It redirects glory from the weapon or the warrior to the one who wields them.
Understand the original words
nakah · Hebrew Verb
The act of striking or smiting, often used in a military context to signify victory in battle through divine or human force.
chamowr · Hebrew Noun
A male member of the equine family, often used in the ancient Near East as a beast of burden. In this context, the jawbone of a donkey is a mundane, unclean object used miraculously by God through Samson to achieve a great victory.
This incredible feat, the slaying of 1,000 men with a donkey's jawbone, occurred during a period of intense Philistine oppression. It highlights God's power working through a flawed hero, demonstrating that divine strength, not the weapon, brings victory, echoing biblical themes of deliverance through unlikely means.
c. 1100 BC
Philistines Oppress Israel
During the period of the Judges, the Philistines were a major threat to the Israelites, often dominating and oppressing them. This period saw cycles of disobedience, oppression, and divine deliverance.
c. 1090 BC
Samson's Vow and Birth
Samson, a Nazarite from birth, was miraculously conceived and destined by God to begin the deliverance of Israel from Philistine oppression.
c. 1070 BC
Samson's Marriage and Feud
Samson's desire to marry a Philistine woman ignited a feud, marked by his famous riddle, a deadly act of vengeance, and the burning of Philistine crops.
c. 1070 BC— this verse
Samson's Captivity and Escape
The men of Judah, fearing Philistine reprisal, bound Samson and handed him over. God's Spirit empowered him to break free from new ropes and kill 1,000 Philistines with a donkey's jawbone.
c. 1070 BC
Samson Judges Israel
Following his miraculous victory, Samson led and judged Israel for twenty years, though his personal life remained entangled with the Philistines.
This passage speaks to God's promise that one Israelite would chase a thousand of their enemies, a promise powerfully fulfilled by Samson here. It highlights that such victories weren't just about military might but divine intervention.
1 Samuel 17:48-51David's victory over Goliath with a simple sling and stone mirrors Samson's feat. Both stories show God using seemingly weak instruments and ordinary individuals to achieve extraordinary victories against overwhelming odds.
1 Samuel 14:14-15This passage describes Jonathan and his armor-bearer scattering a Philistine garrison, creating confusion and panic. It provides a precedent for how a small force or even a single individual, empowered by God, could cause a rout among the enemy.
1 Chronicles 11:10-14This account details the mighty deeds of David's warriors, including one man who slew 300 enemies. It demonstrates a pattern in Scripture where exceptional strength and courage, often divinely enabled, lead to remarkable military successes.
Isaiah 54:17This verse is a powerful declaration that no weapon formed against God's people will prosper. Samson's use of a donkey's jawbone to defeat a thousand Philistines dramatically illustrates this truth, showing divine power overriding human weaponry.
clarkeJudges 15:15: "And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith."
He found a new jaw-bone of an ass - I rather think that the word טריה teriyah, which we translate new, and the margin moist, should be understood as signifying the tabia or putrid state of the ass from which this jawbone was taken. He found there a dead ass in a state of putrefaction; on which account he could the more easily separate the jaw from its integuments; this…
bensonJudges 15:15: "And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith."
Jdg 15:15 . He found a new jaw-bone of an ass — New, and therefore more tough and strong; and slew a thousand men therewith — Some, to account partly for this wonderful achievement, have observed that these Philistines were, probably, unarmed, and that they were struck with a great panic, thinking that the three thousand men of Judah would aid Samson. But doubtless it is…
It's easy to focus on the sheer number of men Samson defeated, but notice that he found the jawbone. This wasn't a weapon he prepared; it was a discarded piece of an animal, likely unpleasant, that God providentially placed within his reach. This highlights that God's power often works through the unexpected and even the unimpressive, turning ordinary things into instruments of extraordinary victory.
Samson has just been betrayed by his own people, the men of Judah, who tied him up with ropes to hand him over to the Philistines. As the Philistines celebrate their victory, the Spirit of the Lord empowers Samson, breaking his bonds. He then finds a jawbone and uses it to strike down a thousand Philistines in a dramatic display of God’s power working through him.
Samson has just been betrayed by his own people, the men of Judah, who tied him up with ropes to hand him over to the Philistines. As the Philistines celebrate their victory, the Spirit of the Lord empowers Samson, breaking his bonds. He then finds a jawbone and uses it to strike down a thousand Philistines in a dramatic display of God’s power working through him.
"And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and put out his hand and took it, and with it he struck 1,000 men. And Samson said,
“With the jawbone of a donkey,
heaps upon heaps,
with the jawbone of a donkey
have I str…" — It's easy to focus on the sheer number of men Samson defeated, but notice that he *found* the jawbone. This wasn't a weapon he prepared; it was a discarded piece of an animal, likely unpleasant, that…
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Last reviewed October 2026