And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us.

And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they said, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us.

And the men of the tribe of Juda said to them: Why are you come up against us? They answered: We are come to bind Samson, and to pay him for what he hath done against us.

And the men of Judah said, Why have ye come up against us? And they answered, We have come to bind Samson, to do to him as he hath done to us.

and the men of Judah say, 'Why have ye come up against us?' and they say, 'To bind Samson we have come up, to do to him as he hath done to us.'

And some from the tribe of Judah said to them, "Why have you ascended against us?" And they responded, "We have come to bind Samson, and to repay him for what he has done to us."

To bind Samson are we come up - It seems they did not wish to come to an open rupture with the Israelites, provided they would deliver up him who was the cause of their disasters.

And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they answered, To (f) bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us.
(f) And so being our prisoner to punish him.

And the men of Judah said,.... To the Philistines, very probably by a deputation, which they sent unto them, to know the reason of this formidable appearance:
why are ye come up against us? in this hostile manner, with such a number of forces, since they were not conscious to themselves that they had done anything to offend them; they had not attempted to cast off their yoke, they quietly submitted to their government, and had paid their whole tribute, as Josephus (f) represents them saying; they could not imagine what should be the meaning of all this:
and they answered, to bind Samson are we come up; that is, to oblige them to bind him, and deliver him into their hands:
to do to him as he hath done to us: to put him to death, as he had slain many of their people in the last rencounter with them.
(f) Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 8. sect. 8.)