“Out of the eater came something to eat”
Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet. For three days they were unable to explain the riddle. (Judges 14:14 BSB)
What it sounds like today
A cryptic poem with no obvious meaning.
The cultural key
Posing riddles for a wager was a recognized entertainment at ancient Near Eastern feasts, and Samson turns his seven-day wedding banquet into exactly such a contest, staking thirty sets of clothing. His riddle is deliberately unsolvable without private knowledge: the 'eater' is the lion he had killed, and the 'something to eat' is the honey a swarm of bees later made in its carcass, a scene only he had witnessed. The insolvable riddle sets the trap that unravels the whole marriage, as the Philistines coerce his bride into extracting the answer.
Recovered meaning
Samson's riddle is a banquet wager rigged so only he can win, drawn from a secret no guest could know. Its very unfairness triggers the betrayal that turns his wedding into the first act of a tragedy.