And Samson’s wife wept before him, and said …: Under the threat of death to her and her family, Samson’s bride does as she is asked and goes to her fiancé to try to get the answer to the riddle. The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered And introduces a consequence here, so it may be translated “So” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation). Several versions omit it (Contemporary English Version, New American Bible). Samson’s wife wept before him is how Samson’s fiancée tries to get the answer to the riddle. She cried in his presence, trying to soften his heart, but the tears may also be real, since she fears for her life and the life of her family. In some languages it will be necessary to add that “Samson’s bride went to him and wept.” For before him translators can use an appropriate prepositional phrase, such as “on him” (New International Version), “beside him” (similarly New American Bible), or “on his shoulder” (Revised English Bible). Good News Translation says “So Samson’s wife went to him in tears and said,” and Contemporary English Version has “Samson’s bride went to him and started crying in his arms,” which may go slightly further than the Hebrew text.

You only hate me, you do not love me: These dramatic words seem amusing at first, but we must remember the woman thinks her compatriots will indeed kill her and her family. She begins with these two parallel statements, one positive and one negative. You only hate me is literally “Only you hate me.” The adverb only may be rendered “really” (Contemporary English Version) or “truly.” Hate, the opposite of love, is the strongest negative emotion known (see verse 11.7). Certainly the woman is exaggerating, but this kind of behavior is typical of people trying to get what they want. Samson’s wife is of course expecting him to say that this is false. This will allow her to ask him to prove his love. In many languages this exaggerated way of speaking will be easily understood. If not, we might say “You must hate me” or “You’re acting like you hate me.” If the verb hate poses a problem, we might repeat the verb love, for example, “You don’t love me! You really don’t love me at all!”

You do not love me says the same thing as the previous statement, but in a different way. The repetition is meant for emphasis. Love may not be an easy notion to express in all languages, but translators should use a word that could apply to the relationship between a husband and a wife. In many languages it will be more natural to reverse the two statements by saying “You don’t love me! You just hate me!” (Good News Translation) or “Don’t you love me? Do you hate me?” Some translators may prefer to combine the two clauses, for example, “You do not love me at all.”

You have put a riddle to my countrymen, and you have not told me what it is: Here the woman continues with her accusations. She pretends to be jealous, claiming that if Samson really loved her, he would share the secret of his riddle with her. For put a riddle, see verse 14.12. My countrymen is literally “the sons/children of my people.” Samson’s bride of course identifies with her fellow Philistines. Good News Translation‘s “my friends” does not indicate the right relationship. “My people” (New Revised Standard Version, New International Version) or “my brothers” will be more appropriate in many languages.

And you have not told me what it is is literally “and to me you did not tell,” which places emphasis on the pronoun me. And renders the Hebrew waw conjunction, which may be translated “but” (New Revised Standard Version, New International Version) in this context. In some languages there may be a special particle to introduce this type of accusation. Once again the verb told plays a prominent role in this subsection. Revised Standard Version adds what it is for comprehension.

Some languages will prefer to change the order of the clauses here by saying “How could you ask my people to solve the riddle and you don’t even tell me the answer! You must hate me! Certainly, you can’t love me!” Contemporary English Version, though not very close to the text, gives a very natural rendering: “You must really hate me …If you loved me at all, you would have told me the answer to your riddle.” This rendering omits the reference to the wife’s countrymen, which is not recommended.

And he said to her: Samson answers his wife. The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered And will be better translated “But” in many languages, since it introduces a counter-expectation. There is a change in speaker, so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, and New International Version start a new paragraph here. Contemporary English Version also reintroduces the name “Samson” instead of using the pronoun he, which may be more natural in several languages. The general verb said may be translated “replied” (Contemporary English Version, New International Version) or “responded.”

Behold, I have not told my father nor my mother: Samson is surprised and explains that he has not even told his parents. Behold (hinneh in Hebrew) calls attention to this important fact. We might say “Look” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation) or “What are you saying?” or use some other attention-getting expression. I have not told my father nor my mother is literally “to my father and to my mother, I have not told,” which places emphasis on his parents. A good rendering for this clause is “I haven’t even told my [own] father and mother the meaning!” or “Look, I haven’t even told my own parents!”

And shall I tell you? is a rhetorical question, which is literally “and to you, will I tell?” The pronoun you occurs at the beginning of this clause in Hebrew for emphasis. Samson says that if he has not told his parents the answer, he surely will not tell her. This response reveals something of the social pattern of the time: she may be his bride, but she ranks behind his parents. Translators should try to capture some of the sarcasm in this question.

Translation models for this verse are:

• So Samson’s bride went to him crying, and she begged, “You give my people a riddle to solve and you don’t even tell me the answer. You must really hate me! Surely you don’t love me!”
But Samson replied, “Look, I haven’t even explained it to my parents. I certainly won’t explain it to you!”

• Samson’s wife went to him with tears in her eyes and said, “Do you hate me? You can’t love me! You gave my people a riddle to solve and didn’t even tell me the answer.”
But Samson replied, “Look, if I haven’t even told my parents what the solution is, do you think I am going to tell you?”

Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .