THEOSISAmbrose of Milan
When they recognized the solution before nightfall, they remarked: What is sweeter than honey? What is mightier than a lion? Samson then commented, “And what is more deceitful than a woman?” For had you not provoked my heifer, you would not have unraveled my riddle.
“What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?” they replied. To this, he answered, “If you had not provoked my heifer, you would have never uncovered my riddle.” Oh, divine enigma! Oh, manifest wonder! We have eluded the slayer, we have triumphed over the powerful. The sustenance of life now flourishes where once the anguish of death prevailed. Hazard has transformed into safety, and bitterness into sweetness. Grace emerges from transgression, strength from frailty, and life from the grave.
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Yet, there are those who contend that the bond of marriage cannot be fortified until the Lion of the tribe of Judah is conquered. Hence, bees dwell within His body, represented by the Church, which gathers the honey of wisdom, for following the Lord’s suffering, the apostles' faith was deepened. This lion was vanquished by Samson, a Jew, who discovered honey within, symbolizing the inheritance in need of redemption, so that others might also attain salvation through grace’s choosing (Rom. 11:5). “And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him,” it is written, “and he went down to Ascalon and struck down thirty men.” He could not fail, for he understood the decrees. The change of garments they received served as a recompense for wisdom, a gesture of goodwill toward those who deciphered and articulated the mystery.
He immediately traveled to Ascalon, where he defeated thirty men, took their garments, and gave the promised prize to those who had struggled with the riddle. After rejecting the marriage to the deceitful woman, Samson went back to his father's home.