On the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, ‘Persuade your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father’s family to death. Did you invite us here to rob us? ’
‘I was sure you hated her,’ her father said, ‘so I gave her to one of the men who accompanied you. Isn’t her younger sister more beautiful than she is? Why not take her instead? ’
Then Absalom said to his servants, ‘See, Joab has a field right next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set fire to it! ’ So Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.
Now his father and mother did not know this was from the Lord, who wanted the Philistines to provide an opportunity for a confrontation. At that time, the Philistines were ruling Israel.