Following Samson's actions, the Philistines launch a military campaign and advance into the territory of Judah to set up camp. Upon arriving, the Philistine forces do not remain in a tight formation; rather, the fighters spread out and scatter across the mountainous region where they establish their base, an area located near the rock of Etam [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ].
The location is referred to as Lehi, but the primary approach among commentators is that the area is named in anticipation of what will soon happen there. At the exact moment the Philistines set up their camp, the site does not yet hold this title. It earns the name Lehi, or its full name Ramath Lehi, entirely because of the dramatic event that follows. Shortly after the Philistines arrive, the men of Judah hand a bound Samson over to them. Samson, however, easily snaps his restraints. Finding the fresh jawbone of a donkey, he uses it as a weapon to strike down a thousand Philistines, leaving behind heaps of dead bodies [רד״ק, מצודת ציון, אברבנאל, ביאור שטיינזלץ].