שופטים, פרק י״ד, פסוק ט׳

Samson discovers honey in a highly unusual place, extracting it to sustain himself on his journey and sharing it with his parents, all while keeping its true origin a secret.

The physical act of removing the honey required significant effort. The primary approach among commentators is that Samson had to forcefully separate and tear the honeycombs away from where they were firmly attached inside the lion's remains. Using his bare hands, he pried the honey loose—an action compared to scraping baked bread stuck to the walls of an oven or tearing honeycombs out of a tight hive [רש"י, רד"ק, מצודת ציון]. He then crushed the combs in his hands until the honey flowed freely [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Rather than pausing to rest, Samson ate the honey continuously as he walked along his path [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Beyond the physical events, this moment carries a deep spiritual weight. By consuming food from a dead carcass, Samson partook of something impure. This act represents a spiritual failure, which [מלבי"ם] views as a direct consequence of his initial choice to seek a Philistine wife. Chasing after an impure desire ultimately caused him to stumble and consume something physically impure.

Upon reaching his mother and father, Samson gave them some of the honey to eat. However, he deliberately concealed the truth from them, making sure they never knew the food had been pulled from the carcass of a dead lion [ביאור שטיינזלץ].