The men of Judah take the Philistines’ raid as a declaration of war. One would therefore expect to see them calling on Samson to lead them in battle, as he is their judge. But they don’t; instead, they turn to the Philistines and ask why they were being attacked. And when they learn that the Philistines are looking for Samson, they offer to help in his capture. They do not want confrontation. They want peace.
It makes us recall again the remark of the narrator in Judges 14:4: at that time the Philistines were ruling Israel. And Judah has neither the means nor the will to resist the Philistines.
At the same time, little do the Judahites realize that the Philistine invasion is ultimately instigated by God, with a view to breaking the status quo between Israel and its enemy.
10 And the men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” They said, “We have come up to bind Samson, to do to him as he did to us.”