So his father went down unto the woman
At Timnath, whom Samson had espoused; the Targum is,
``about the business of the woman;''about the consummation of the marriage with her; they all three went, the father, the mother, and the son, as appears from the preceding verse:
for Samson made a feast, for so used the young men to do;
at the time of marriage; this was the nuptial feast common in all nations; but it seems the custom now and here was for the bridegroom to make it; whereas from other instances we learn, that the father of the bridegroom used to make it,(See Gill on Matthew 22:2) and the Vulgate Latin version here renders it,
and he made a feast for his son Samson;
the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions add, seven days, and so long this feast was kept, ( Judges 14:12 ) . Now this marriage of Samson with a daughter of the Philistines was a type of the marriage of Christ with his people, especially with the Gentile church, such as were not of the commonwealth of Israel, but sinners of the Gentiles, very ignorant of divine things, reproached by the Jews, and their calling an offence to them; and may fitly express the love of Christ to his church, though unworthy of it, which is a love of complacency and delight, arising from his own good will and pleasure, and not owing to any superior beauty, excellence, worth, or worthiness in them, they being no better than others, children of wrath, even as others, see ( Judges 15:2 ) as well as there is an agreement in the manner of his obtaining and betrothing her, which was by applying to his father to get her for him, and being got and given, be betrothed her; so Christ asked his people of his father to be his spouse, which request being obtained, he betrothed them to himself in righteousness; and the Gospel feast, or ministry of the word, is kept and continued on account of it, ( Psalms 21:2 ) ( Hosea 2:19 ) ( Matthew 22:2-4 ) .