En route to Timnah, Samson slays a young lion with his bare hands, an act that later inspires the riddle. Upon returning, he discovers a swarm of bees and honey in the lion's carcass, which he consumes and shares with his parents, though without revealing its source, adhering to his Nazirite vow against contact with the dead.

The honey in the carcass represents sweetness emerging from conquest, but Samson's secrecy and contact with the unclean (violating Nazirite vows) hints at his impulsive flaws leading to downfall.