WITHES, WITHS, GREEN

withs, (yetharim lachim, margin "new bowstrings," the King James Version margin "new (moist) cords" (Judges 16:7); Septuagint neura hugra): The material with which Samson was bound by Delilah (Judges 16:8) was probably some moist "gut" such as was used for bowstrings. Compare metharim, "bowstrings" (Psalms 21:12; yether, Job 30:11; Psalms 11:2); lahim, translated "green," means "fresh," "sappy" or "moist."

From the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Edited by James Orr, published in 1939 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.