Samson, a Nazirite judge of Israel endowed with extraordinary strength, encounters a Philistine woman in Timnah and insists on marrying her, despite his parents' objections to intermarriage with the uncircumcised Philistines. This choice aligns with a divine plan to provoke confrontation with Israel's oppressors, as noted in the text: "his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.
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.
During the seven-day wedding feast, Samson poses a riddle to thirty Philistine companions assigned to him: "Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness." The wager involves thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.
The companions, unable to solve it for three days, coerce Samson's bride through threats of burning her and her father's house. Distraught, she weeps and pleads with Samson until he reveals the answer on the seventh day: the lion (the strong eater) and the honey (something sweet to eat).
The companions then present the solution, prompting Samson's retort: "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle." Empowered by the Spirit of the Lord, he travels to Ashkelon, slays thirty Philistines, and uses their garments to settle the bet. In anger, he abandons his wife and returns to his father's house. Subsequently, the woman is given in marriage to one of Samson's companions, setting the stage for further acts of vengeance.