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With the jawbone of a donkey:
The jawbone of a donkey is an unconventional weapon, emphasizing the theme of God using the weak or unexpected to achieve His purposes. This reflects the broader biblical motif where God empowers individuals with seemingly inadequate resources, as seen with David and his sling (1 Samuel 17) or Gideon and his small army (Judges 7). The use of a donkey's jawbone also underscores the improvisational nature of Samson's battles, relying on what is immediately available.

I have piled them into heaps:
This phrase suggests a significant victory, with the imagery of heaps indicating a large number of defeated foes. It reflects the hyperbolic language often used in ancient Near Eastern literature to describe military triumphs. The piling of bodies can also symbolize the completeness of the victory and the overwhelming power granted to Samson by God.

With the jawbone of a donkey:
The repetition of this phrase emphasizes the miraculous nature of the victory. It serves to remind the reader of the unlikely means by which God delivers His people. This repetition also highlights the personal nature of Samson's strength, which is both a divine gift and a source of personal pride, often leading to his downfall.

I have slain a thousand men:
This statement underscores the magnitude of the victory and the supernatural strength bestowed upon Samson. The number "thousand" is often used in the Bible to signify completeness or a large quantity, rather than a precise count. This victory serves as a testament to God's power working through Samson, despite his personal flaws. It also foreshadows the ultimate deliverance that God provides through Jesus Christ, who conquers sin and death, not through physical might, but through sacrifice and resurrection.

Samson has just been mightily empowered by “the Spirit of the LORD” (Judges 15:14). His words are an immediate, triumphant response to God’s deliverance.

• The shout acknowledges the battle’s completion, similar to David’s declaration after defeating Goliath (1 Samuel 17:45–47).

• Speaking aloud after victory is a pattern in Scripture—seeExodus 15:1 andPsalm 118:14—where praise follows God’s saving act.

• Samson’s confidence rests on the Lord’s enabling power, not on personal boasting, asJudges 14:6 already demonstrated.

The weapon is ordinary, even crude, underscoring that victory comes from God, not impressive human resources.

•Judges 15:15 notes Samson “found a fresh jawbone of a donkey,” showing no pre-planning—just divine provision at hand.

• God often chooses unlikely instruments: Moses’ staff (Exodus 4:2), Shamgar’s oxgoad (Judges 3:31), the boy’s lunch that fed thousands (John 6:9).

•1 Corinthians 1:27 affirms that God uses “the foolish things of the world to shame the wise,” spotlighting His glory.

Samson pictures the fallen Philistines stacked in mounds, a vivid way of saying the enemy was decisively crushed.

• This echoes earlier scenes where God’s foes lay defeated in large numbers—seeJoshua 10:26–27 andPsalm 68:1–2.

• The phrase signals total victory; no enemy remains standing, fulfillingJudges 13:5 that Samson would “begin to deliver Israel.”

• For Israel’s listeners, such heaps recallLeviticus 26:7–8, God’s promise that obedience would bring overwhelming triumph.

The repetition stresses the startling nature of God’s tool. Hebrew poetry often uses parallel lines for emphasis (cf.Psalm 24:1–2).

• It reminds the reader that the same simple instrument accomplished both piling and killing.

• The chorus-like echo invites reflection on God’s power flowing through weak vessels (2 Corinthians 4:7).

The number is literal; Scripture affirms it straightforwardly.

•Judges 15:15 already counts “about a thousand men,” and verse 17 names the site Ramath-lehi (“Jawbone Hill”) as a memorial.

•Leviticus 26:8 andJoshua 23:10 predict that one Israelite could chase a thousand when God fights for them—Samson becomes the living fulfillment.

•Psalm 144:1 praises God “who trains my hands for war”; Samson’s strength is Spirit-given, never mere human might.

Judges 15:16 celebrates the Lord’s decisive, miraculous deliverance through Samson. By brandishing an ordinary donkey’s jawbone, Samson demonstrates that God can overthrow vast enemies with the simplest means. The vivid language—heaps of corpses, a thousand slain—highlights total victory, fulfilling God’s promises that He would empower His chosen deliverer to rescue Israel. For every reader, the verse reminds us that God’s strength, not human resources, secures triumph for His people.

"Bi-lechiha-chamor chamor chamorathaim.

Bi-lechiha-chamorhicceythielepheesh."

Literally, with some attempt, however clumsy, to keep up the play of words,

"With jaw of the ass, a(m)ass two(m) asses,

With jaw of the ass I smote an ox-load of men."

The versions are, of course, unable to preserve these rough paronomasias, which are characteristic of the age. It would be quite a mistake to infer that they show any levity of spirit in Samson. On the contrary, such peculiarities of expression often arise out of deep emotion. When John of Gaunt begins his dying speech to Richard II. with--

"Old Gaunt, indeed! and gaunt in being old," &c.,

the king asks:--

"Can sick men play so nicely with their names?"

and the dying prince makes the striking answer:--

"No; misery makes sport to mock herself." . . .