Reference: Riddle
Easton
(Heb hodah). The oldest and, strictly speaking, the only example of a riddle was that propounded by Samson (Jg 14:12-18). The parabolic prophecy in Eze 17:2-18 is there called a "riddle." It was rather, however, an allegory. The word "darkly" in 1Co 13:12 is the rendering of the Greek enigma; marg., "in a riddle."
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And Samson will say to them, I will propose to you an enigma: if announcing, ye shall announce it to me in seven days of the drinking, and ye find out, and I will give to you thirty wide garments and thirty exchanges of garments: And if ye shall not be able to announce to me, and ye give me thirty wide garments and thirty exchanges of garments: and they will say to him, Propose thine enigma and we will hear it. read more. And he will say to them, Out of him eating came forth food, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they were not able to announce the enigma in three days. And it will be in the seventh day, and they will say to Samson's wife, Persuade thy man and he shall announce to us the enigma, lest we shall burn thee and thy father's house with fire: did ye not call to us to possess us? And Samson's wife will weep upon him, and will say, Thou only hatedst me and lovedst me not: thou didst propose an enigma to the sons of my people, and to me thou didst not announce it. And he will say to her, Behold, to my father and to my mother I announced it not, and shall I announce to thee? And she will weep upon him seven days which were to them of the drinking: and it will be in the seventh day, and he will announce to her, for she urged him: and she will announce the enigma to the sons of her people. And the men of the city will say to him in the seventh day before the sun will go down, What is sweet above honey? and what is strong above the lion? and he will say to them, Unless ye ploughed with my heifer ye found not out my enigma.
Son of man, propose an enigma and use a parable to the house of Israel; And say, Thus said the Lord Jehovah: The great eagle great of wings, long of the wing-feather, full of feathers, which to him variegation, came to Lebanon, and he will take the foliage of the cedar. read more. He plucked off the head of the suckers, and he will bring it to the land of Canaan, and he set it in a city of merchants. And he will take from the seed of the land, and he will give it in a field of seed; he took it to many waters, he set it a willow. And it will spring up, and it will be for a spreading vine low of stature, for its branches turning towards him, and its roots will be under him: and it will be for a vine, and it will make branches, and it will send forth foliage. And there will be one great eagle, great of wings, and many feathers: and behold, this vine turned her roots to him, and sent forth her branches to him, to water it from the ascendings of its planting. In a good field by many waters it was planted, to make branches to bear fruit, to be for a great vine. Say, Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Shall it prosper? shall he not pluck up its roots, and cut off its fruit, and dry up all the fresh foliage of its springing up? It shall be dried up, and not in its great strength, and by much people to lift it up from its roots. And behold, being planted, shall it prosper? as the east wind strikes upon it? drying up, shall it not be dried up? it shall be dried up upon the risings of its springing up. And the word of Jehovah will be to me, saying, Say now to the house of contradiction, Knew ye not what are these? Say, Behold, the king of Babel coming to Jerusalem, and he will take her king and her chiefs, and bring them to him into Babel. And he will take from the seed of the kingdom and cut out with him a covenant, and he will bring him in with an oath, and he took the mighty of the land: To be a low kingdom, not to be lifted up, to watch his covenant to stand to it And he will rebel against him to send his messengers to Egypt, to give to him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he doing these, escape? and breaking the covenant, and escaping? I live, says the Lord Jehovah, if not in the place the king making him king which he despised his oath, and which he broke his covenant with him, in the midst of Babel he shall die. And not with great strength and with a great convocation, shall Pharaoh do for him in the war by throwing up a mound and by building a watchtower to cut off many souls? And he despised the oath to break the covenant, and behold, he gave his hand, and doing all these he shall not escape.
For now we see by a mirror in an enigma; then face to face: now I know by parts; and then shall I know as I was known.
Fausets
Hebrew chidah proverbs, Jg 14:12-19; Greek enigma; 1Co 13:12, "darkly," literally, "in enigma," "an obscure allegory" (Augustine). (See PROVERBS.)
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And Samson will say to them, I will propose to you an enigma: if announcing, ye shall announce it to me in seven days of the drinking, and ye find out, and I will give to you thirty wide garments and thirty exchanges of garments: And if ye shall not be able to announce to me, and ye give me thirty wide garments and thirty exchanges of garments: and they will say to him, Propose thine enigma and we will hear it. read more. And he will say to them, Out of him eating came forth food, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they were not able to announce the enigma in three days. And it will be in the seventh day, and they will say to Samson's wife, Persuade thy man and he shall announce to us the enigma, lest we shall burn thee and thy father's house with fire: did ye not call to us to possess us? And Samson's wife will weep upon him, and will say, Thou only hatedst me and lovedst me not: thou didst propose an enigma to the sons of my people, and to me thou didst not announce it. And he will say to her, Behold, to my father and to my mother I announced it not, and shall I announce to thee? And she will weep upon him seven days which were to them of the drinking: and it will be in the seventh day, and he will announce to her, for she urged him: and she will announce the enigma to the sons of her people. And the men of the city will say to him in the seventh day before the sun will go down, What is sweet above honey? and what is strong above the lion? and he will say to them, Unless ye ploughed with my heifer ye found not out my enigma. And the spirit of Jehovah will fall suddenly upon him, and he will go down to Ashkelon and will strike from them thirty men, and he will take their spoils, and will give exchanges to those. announcing the enigma. And his anger will kindle, and he will go up to his father's house.
For now we see by a mirror in an enigma; then face to face: now I know by parts; and then shall I know as I was known.
Morish
A dark or hidden saying, as that which Samson put forth respecting the carcase of the lion, Jg 14:12-19; and that of Ezekiel concerning the great eagle, but this is also called a 'parable.' Eze 17:2. The word is chidah, and is also translated 'dark saying, sentence, speech,' 'hard question,' and once 'proverb.'
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And Samson will say to them, I will propose to you an enigma: if announcing, ye shall announce it to me in seven days of the drinking, and ye find out, and I will give to you thirty wide garments and thirty exchanges of garments: And if ye shall not be able to announce to me, and ye give me thirty wide garments and thirty exchanges of garments: and they will say to him, Propose thine enigma and we will hear it. read more. And he will say to them, Out of him eating came forth food, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they were not able to announce the enigma in three days. And it will be in the seventh day, and they will say to Samson's wife, Persuade thy man and he shall announce to us the enigma, lest we shall burn thee and thy father's house with fire: did ye not call to us to possess us? And Samson's wife will weep upon him, and will say, Thou only hatedst me and lovedst me not: thou didst propose an enigma to the sons of my people, and to me thou didst not announce it. And he will say to her, Behold, to my father and to my mother I announced it not, and shall I announce to thee? And she will weep upon him seven days which were to them of the drinking: and it will be in the seventh day, and he will announce to her, for she urged him: and she will announce the enigma to the sons of her people. And the men of the city will say to him in the seventh day before the sun will go down, What is sweet above honey? and what is strong above the lion? and he will say to them, Unless ye ploughed with my heifer ye found not out my enigma. And the spirit of Jehovah will fall suddenly upon him, and he will go down to Ashkelon and will strike from them thirty men, and he will take their spoils, and will give exchanges to those. announcing the enigma. And his anger will kindle, and he will go up to his father's house.
Smith
Riddle,
It is known that all ancient nations, and especially Orientals, were fond of riddles. The riddles which the queen of Sheba came to ask of Solomon,
were rather "hard questions" referring to profound inquiries. Solomon is said, however, to have been very fond of riddles. Riddles were generally proposed in verse, like the celebrated riddle of Samson.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And he will say to them, Out of him eating came forth food, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they were not able to announce the enigma in three days. And it will be in the seventh day, and they will say to Samson's wife, Persuade thy man and he shall announce to us the enigma, lest we shall burn thee and thy father's house with fire: did ye not call to us to possess us? read more. And Samson's wife will weep upon him, and will say, Thou only hatedst me and lovedst me not: thou didst propose an enigma to the sons of my people, and to me thou didst not announce it. And he will say to her, Behold, to my father and to my mother I announced it not, and shall I announce to thee? And she will weep upon him seven days which were to them of the drinking: and it will be in the seventh day, and he will announce to her, for she urged him: and she will announce the enigma to the sons of her people. And the men of the city will say to him in the seventh day before the sun will go down, What is sweet above honey? and what is strong above the lion? and he will say to them, Unless ye ploughed with my heifer ye found not out my enigma. And the spirit of Jehovah will fall suddenly upon him, and he will go down to Ashkelon and will strike from them thirty men, and he will take their spoils, and will give exchanges to those. announcing the enigma. And his anger will kindle, and he will go up to his father's house.
And queen Sheba heard the report of Solomon for the name of Jehovah, and she will come to try him in enigmas.