Samson said to her, If they bind me with seven green cords that were never dried, then shall I become weak, and be as another man.
then shall I be weak, and be as another man; which cannot well be excused from a lie; for Samson knew full well that being bound would not weaken his strength; but as he had fallen into one sin, it is no wonder he was drawn into another: unless this can be understood, as it is by some, as jesting with her; however, it shows that he was "compos mentis", as Josephus w observes, and was upon his guard with respect to the secret of his strength.