Judges 15:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Similar to how wanderers in the vast wilderness shudder at the sight of snakes on the ground, and those navigating familiar paths recoil at the sight of vipers hiding along the way, the Philistines who journey through the roads and barren lands were filled with dread at the presence of Samson. He would become like a serpent on the road, a poisonous snake on the path, a viper striking at the horse's foot, causing the rider to be thrown back (Gen. 49:17). During the severe famine that God inflicted upon the Philistines, Samson set their fields ablaze with the aid of foxes, who bore the flames upon their backs like riders atop horses. As a result, the Philistines suffered greatly from hunger and fell into despair due to their lack of sustenance.

Samson not only refrained from living with the woman who had betrayed him but also returned to his homeland. Meanwhile, the young woman, fearing the wrath of the wronged man and anticipating that this rage would be directed at her, agreed to marry another man whom Samson considered a friend—his companion in marriage. Although this union was portrayed as a justification, she was not able to evade the peril of his wrath. Upon learning of these events and being denied the chance to see his wife because her father claimed she had wed another, suggesting that if he desired, he could take her sister as his bride, he was filled with deep sorrow over this injustice. In his grief, he devised a plan to avenge himself upon the whole nation, tormented by personal humiliation.

Where did Samson find so many foxes? The foreign inhabitants occupied a mountain abundant with foxes, as historical accounts reveal. It is stated, “And Ammorites dwelt in mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became tributaries” (Judges 1:35).

Brothers and sisters, let us turn away from the deceptive snares of cunning deceivers. We must steer clear of the perilous schemes of wicked individuals, for like the foxes that Samson, a mighty and glorious figure, once sent into the Philistine fields with torches aflame on their tails—destroying everything in their path—so too can the false teachings lead to the ruin of our spiritual harvest or cast it into the consuming flames. Thus, we are encouraged to embody the wisdom found in Scripture, being innocent like doves and shrewd like serpents, so that the cunning of the serpent may protect the purity of the dove.

Samson cannot be resisted, for his power lies in his hair. When a lion confronts him, he defeats it, and honey seeps from its carcass (See Judges 14:8), while the jawbone of a donkey becomes a source of water (See Judges 15:19). Pure water cleanses foolishness, and valor is sweetened. Samson captures three hundred foxes, igniting torches bound to their tails, which are released into the fields of the Philistines, resulting in their utter destruction by fire. In a similar manner, the flames invade our vineyards of falsehood.

Let us consider the actions of Samson when a friend wronged him by taking his wife. He captured foxes, which symbolize the alluring friends mentioned in the Song of Songs, “Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards” (Song of Songs 2:15). What does it mean to catch? It signifies: to seize, to admonish, to challenge, so that the vineyards of the Church do not suffer loss. To catch foxes, then, involves confronting heretics with the authority of divine law, binding them with the truths of Scripture as though with chains. Samson caught the foxes and tied their tails together, attaching torches that burned brightly.