Thematic Bible: Riddle

To the leech are two daughters, 'Give, give, Lo, three things are not satisfied, Four have not said 'Sufficiency;' Sheol, and a restrained womb, Earth -- it is not satisfied with water, And fire -- it hath not said, 'Sufficiency,'

Three things have been too wonderful for me, Yea, four that I have not known: The way of the eagle in the heavens, The way of a serpent on a rock, The way of a ship in the heart of the sea, And the way of a man in youth. So -- the way of an adulterous woman, She hath eaten and hath wiped her mouth, And hath said, 'I have not done iniquity.' read more.
For three things hath earth been troubled, And for four -- it is not able to bear: For a servant when he reigneth, And a fool when he is satisfied with bread, For a hated one when she ruleth, And a maid-servant when she succeedeth her mistress. Four are little ones of earth, And they are made wiser than the wise: The ants are a people not strong, And they prepare in summer their food, Conies are a people not strong, And they place in a rock their house, A king there is not to the locust, And it goeth out -- each one shouting, A spider with two hands taketh hold, And is in the palaces of a king. Three there are going well, Yea, four are good in going: An old lion -- mighty among beasts, That turneth not back from the face of any, A girt one of the loins, or a he-goat, And a king -- no rising up with him.

And Samson saith to them, 'Let me, I pray you, put forth to you a riddle; if ye certainly declare it to me in the seven days of the banquet, and have found it out, then I have given to you thirty linen shirts, and thirty changes of garments; and if ye are not able to declare it to me, then ye have given to me thirty linen shirts, and thirty changes of garments.' And they say to him, 'Put forth thy riddle, and we hear it!' And he saith to them: 'Out of the eater came forth meat, And out of the strong came forth sweetness;' and they were not able to declare the riddle in three days. read more.
And it cometh to pass, on the seventh day, that they say to Samson's wife, 'Entice thy husband, that he declare to us the riddle, lest we burn thee and the house of thy father with fire; to possess us have ye called for us? is it not?' And Samson's wife weepeth for it, and saith, 'Thou hast only hated me, and hast not loved me; the riddle thou hast put forth to the sons of my people -- and to me thou hast not declared it;' and he saith to her, 'Lo, to my father and to my mother I have not declared it -- and to thee I declare it!' And she weepeth for it the seven days in which their banquet hath been, and it cometh to pass on the seventh day that he declareth it to her, for she hath distressed him; and she declareth the riddle to the sons of her people. And the men of the city say to him on the seventh day, before the sun goeth in: -- 'What is sweeter than honey? And what stronger than a lion?' And he saith to them: 'Unless ye had ploughed with my heifer, Ye had not found out my riddle.'