Strange Story: Judges 15 Samson’s 300 Foxes

In Judges 15:1-6 we read the account of the time that Samson wanted to get revenge on the Philistines for something they had done to him so he caught 300 foxes, tied their tails together with a torch in the middle, and used the foxes to burn the fields of grain belonging to the Philistines.

Were they the kind of foxes we are familiar with?

Maybe so, maybe not. The word fox also means “jackal,” and both were common in that area at the time. The fox is a solitary creature, whereas the jackal is known to travel in large groups and could be caught in groups. We are not told how he caught them, but I picture Samson wanting to get the job done as fast as possible, and, from my perspective, I don’t see any advantage in using foxes over jackals. So, my opinion is that they were most likely jackals because they could be trapped in large groups using bait and snares or nets (hunting them with a weapon would injure them making them less useful for his intended purpose).

Why did he choose jackals and not something else?

First of all it is logical that he used animals to carry the flames so that no human being would be directly responsible or punishable.

Did Samson act alone?

Probably not.

A number of commentaries suggest that Samson had a number of Hebrew servants or helpers assist him in this endeavor. Since he was the judge or leader of Israel, he could easily have procured assistance. However, I see him as a loner doing things by himself whenever possible. So it is plausible that he built their cages by himself caught the jackals by himself, did other preparation work, etc. by himself. Then before the night of their release, he found or hired helpers to be able to release them in quick succession.

Some think he did this at night where he and his helpers would not be easily seen, when there would be no one to notice the fires in their early stages, and so he could see the progress of the flames from a high place, not just the smoke. The sight of flames would confirm the extent of the destruction whereas the sight of smoke would not be as conclusive a way to measure destruction. Also, if he let out the first ones himself that would be a signal to the others to let out their jackals. I picture catches of jackals held at various strategic places ready to be released. His helpers would know when to light the torches and set theirs loose when they saw the first fire had been ignited.

How did he set their tails on fire?

This was obviously a carefully planned and well-prepared effort. I think the only way to get this done, especially if he used helpers to release jackals from various location at almost the same time, was to build some specially prepared pens and shoots. Here is how I imagine it could have been done. The reason I go into the details below is that if I can come up with a way to make this happen, others could too. They knew a great deal about handling animals back then and they were good at it.

I envision several large pens, scattered over a handful of miles of farmland, each one containing several shoots facing the same direction that had two paths in parallel. There had to be a platform above the entrance from the pen to the shoot for Samson or the helpers to stand on. They could lure jackals to the shoot with food at the other end, but with poles and a gate they would only allow one jackal into each path of the shoot. Then they could close another gate close to the far end of the shoot nearest the final exit and trap the jackals in a small area. There would be a platform above this area too. There would have to be a slot or opening above the divider between the two paths of the shoot enabling the helpers to grab the tails and tie the two tails and a torch together. These openings could not be too big, or the animals could fight with each other through the gap or bite at the helpers through the gap. Maybe each shoot had a succession of gates all along the shoots allowing the helpers to trap and tie up several pairs of jackals at the same times. At the right moment, they would light the torch on the first pair of jackals and release them through the exit. The opening at the top of the divider would have to run all the way to the exit without any obstruction so that the pair of jackals could pull their tails along the opening and out into the open space outside.

I also go into those details to show that it could be done, just in case someone is thinking that it would be humanly impossible to tie 300 jackals together in pairs with a lit torch between them.

These enclosures would have to be very close to one end of the Philistine’s grain fields. We can be confident that Samson divided them into groups so that all 300 were not in one location. In this way, the fires started by the jackals would cover a larger area and cause greater devastation. We can be sure that other people heard the barking and calling of the jackals, but they were used to it and didn’t give it much thought.

Why 300?

In OT, 300 seems to signify completeness, so Samson did this in a way that would completely ruin the Philistines by ruining their crops. It was also a large enough number to be assured to accomplish the desired amount of destruction.

Why did he tie their tails together?

 To us is seems strange and a bit dangerous to tie two jackal’s tails together with a torch in the middle (even unlit).

Several sources suggest that by tying them together the animals would not be able to run as fast and thus be more likely to catch the fields on fire. This also prevented them from running into a hole, or from straying too far away from where they were released and getting into Hebrew territory.

Is the business of tying tails together seen anywhere else in the world?

 Yes.

Conclusion:

The story of Samson and the 300 “foxes” is feasible, and believable. It is not a made-up story, rather it shows how God used Samson’s anger and cleverness to bring ruin upon those who had been oppressing God’s people.