A new jawbone. — Literally, a moist jawbone — i.e., the jawbone of an animal recently dead, and before the bone had become brittle. In this instance, at any rate, Samson might feel himself absolved from the rule of ceremonial cleanness, which forbad him as a Nazarite to touch carcases. A jawbone is a mighty magic weapon in one of the Polynesian legends (Grey, Polyn. Mythology, p. 35), but that throws no light on this narrative.
Slew a thousand men. — The verb is rather smote than “slew,” and the expression (whether due to poetry or not) is to be taken generally, like “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” If Goliath was able single-handed to strike terror into the whole army of Israel, Samson with his long locks and colossal strength would be still more likely to strike a terror into the Philistines, and all the more because a supernatural awe was doubtless attached by this time to his name and person. The very fact that, though armed only with this wretched weapon of offence, he yet dared to rush upon the Philistines would make them fly in wilder panic (Joshua 23:10). “One man of you shall chase a thousand; for the Lord your God He it is that fighteth for you, as He hath promised you.” (Comp. Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 32:30.) So we read that one of David’s heroes slew three hundred men (1 Chronicles 11:11; comp. 2 Samuel 23:8). The Philistines, dull and superstitious, seem to have been peculiarly liable to these panics (1 Samuel 14:4-18). Bishop Patrick quotes a striking parallel from a song on the Emperor Aurelian.