Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.
Then three thousand men from Judah went up to the rocky cliff at Etam and said to Samson, 'Don't you know that the Philistines rule over us? What have you done to us?' And he replied, 'I only did to them what they did to me.'
The men of Judah confronted Samson because his revenge against the Philistines had brought trouble on their people, but Samson defended his actions as justified payback.
📚 Historical Context
During this period, the Philistines had political control over the Israelites, including the tribe of Judah. The Israelites lived under Philistine oppression and feared retaliation when Samson's individual acts of revenge stirred up conflict. Many Israelites had grown accustomed to submitting to their oppressors rather than fighting for freedom.
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