שופטים, פרק י״ד, פסוק כ׳

After Samson leaves his wedding feast in a fit of anger, his personal life takes a sudden turn. The woman he intended to marry is given to his close companion. This companion is not a stranger, but the very friend Samson had chosen to be one of his groomsmen at the wedding [רש״י, מצודת דוד, רד״ק]. This shift in her status occurs only after some time passes and Samson fails to return to his bride [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The commentators offer different perspectives on how this new relationship develops. One approach suggests that the woman already had a prior connection with the groomsman and loved him even before the wedding [מלבי״ם]. A contrasting view argues that this union is neither official nor approved by her father. Instead, the woman acts unfaithfully on her own initiative. Because the groomsman is in Samson's inner circle, he speaks with her frequently, which allows a forbidden relationship to form. This perspective also suggests that the groomsman is likely one of the thirty men involved in solving Samson's riddle, and his actions are a deliberate attempt to cause Samson even more pain [אברבנאל].

Another way to understand the situation is that the woman is only betrothed to this companion, rather than fully married to him. This detail clarifies why Samson later attempts to return to her, and it explains why her father still retains the authority to make decisions regarding her future [אלשיך].