1 Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.
2 And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.
3 And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.
4 And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5 And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
6 And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.
7 And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withes that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withes which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
9 Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withes, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.
10 And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.
11 And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
12 Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms like a thread.
13 And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.
14 And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.
15 And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.
16 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;
17 That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.
18 And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath showed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.
19 And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.
21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.
22 Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.
23 Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.
24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.
25 And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.
26 And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them.
27 Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.
28 And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.
30 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.
31 Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.
1 Then went H3212 Samson H8123 to Gaza, H5804 and saw H7200 there an harlot, H802 H2181 and went in H935 unto her.
2 And it was told the Gazites, H5841 saying, H559 Samson H8123 is come H935 hither. And they compassed him in, H5437 and laid wait H693 for him all night H3915 in the gate H8179 of the city, H5892 and were quiet H2790 all the night, H3915 saying, H559 In the morning, H1242 when it is day, H216 we shall kill H2026 him.
3 And Samson H8123 lay H7901 till midnight, H2677 H3915 and arose H6965 at midnight, H2677 H3915 and took H270 the doors H1817 of the gate H8179 of the city, H5892 and the two H8147 posts, H4201 and went away H5265 with them, bar H1280 and all, and put H7760 them upon his shoulders, H3802 and carried them up H5927 to the top H7218 of an hill H2022 that is before H6440 Hebron. H2275
4 And it came to pass afterward, H310 that he loved H157 a woman H802 in the valley H5158 of Sorek, H7796 whose name H8034 was Delilah. H1807
5 And the lords H5633 of the Philistines H6430 came up H5927 unto her, and said H559 unto her, Entice H6601 him, and see H7200 wherein his great H1419 strength H3581 lieth, and by what means we may prevail H3201 against him, that we may bind H631 him to afflict H6031 him: and we will give H5414 thee every one H376 of us eleven hundred H505 H3967 pieces of silver. H3701
6 And Delilah H1807 said H559 to Samson, H8123 Tell H5046 me, I pray thee, wherein thy great H1419 strength H3581 lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound H631 to afflict H6031 thee.
7 And Samson H8123 said H559 unto her, If they bind H631 me with seven H7651 green H3892 withs H3499 that were never dried, H2717 then shall I be weak, H2470 and be as another H259 man. H120
8 Then the lords H5633 of the Philistines H6430 brought up H5927 to her seven H7651 green H3892 withs H3499 which had not been dried, H2717 and she bound H631 him with them.
9 Now there were men lying in wait, H693 abiding H3427 with her in the chamber. H2315 And she said H559 unto him, The Philistines H6430 be upon thee, Samson. H8123 And he brake H5423 the withs, H3499 as a thread H6616 of tow H5296 is broken H5423 when it toucheth H7306 the fire. H784 So his strength H3581 was not known. H3045
10 And Delilah H1807 said H559 unto Samson, H8123 Behold, thou hast mocked H2048 me, and told H1696 me lies: H3577 now tell H5046 me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound. H631
11 And he said H559 unto her, If they bind H631 me fast H631 with new H2319 ropes H5688 that never were occupied, H4399 H6213 then shall I be weak, H2470 and be as another H259 man. H120
12 Delilah H1807 therefore took H3947 new H2319 ropes, H5688 and bound H631 him therewith, and said H559 unto him, The Philistines H6430 be upon thee, Samson. H8123 And there were liers in wait H693 abiding H3427 in the chamber. H2315 And he brake H5423 them from off his arms H2220 like a thread. H2339
13 And Delilah H1807 said H559 unto Samson, H8123 Hitherto H2008 thou hast mocked H2048 me, and told H1696 me lies: H3577 tell H5046 me wherewith thou mightest be bound. H631 And he said H559 unto her, If thou weavest H707 the seven H7651 locks H4253 of my head H7218 with the web. H4545
14 And she fastened H8628 it with the pin, H3489 and said H559 unto him, The Philistines H6430 be upon thee, Samson. H8123 And he awaked H3364 out of his sleep, H8142 and went away H5265 with the pin H3489 of the beam, H708 and with the web. H4545
15 And she said H559 unto him, How H349 canst thou say, H559 I love H157 thee, when thine heart H3820 is not with me? thou hast mocked H2048 me these three H7969 times, H6471 and hast not told H5046 me wherein thy great H1419 strength H3581 lieth.
16 And it came to pass, when she pressed H6693 him daily H3117 with her words, H1697 and urged H509 him, so that his soul H5315 was vexed H7114 unto death; H4191
17 That he told H5046 her all his heart, H3820 and said H559 unto her, There hath not come H5927 a razor H4177 upon mine head; H7218 for I have been a Nazarite H5139 unto God H430 from my mother's H517 womb: H990 if I be shaven, H1548 then my strength H3581 will go H5493 from me, and I shall become weak, H2470 and be like any other man. H120
18 And when Delilah H1807 saw H7200 that he had told H5046 her all his heart, H3820 she sent H7971 and called H7121 for the lords H5633 of the Philistines, H6430 saying, H559 Come up H5927 this once, H6471 for he hath shewed H5046 me all his heart. H3820 Then the lords H5633 of the Philistines H6430 came up H5927 unto her, and brought H5927 money H3701 in their hand. H3027
19 And she made him sleep H3462 upon her knees; H1290 and she called H7121 for a man, H376 and she caused him to shave off H1548 the seven H7651 locks H4253 of his head; H7218 and she began H2490 to afflict H6031 him, and his strength H3581 went H5493 from him.
20 And she said, H559 The Philistines H6430 be upon thee, Samson. H8123 And he awoke H3364 out of his sleep, H8142 and said, H559 I will go out H3318 as at other times before, H6471 and shake H5287 myself. And he wist H3045 not that the LORD H3068 was departed H5493 from him.
21 But the Philistines H6430 took H270 him, and put out H5365 his eyes, H5869 and brought him down H3381 to Gaza, H5804 and bound H631 him with fetters of brass; H5178 and he did grind H2912 in the prison H631 house. H1004
22 Howbeit the hair H8181 of his head H7218 began H2490 to grow again H6779 after H834 he was shaven. H1548
23 Then the lords H5633 of the Philistines H6430 gathered them together H622 for to offer H2076 a great H1419 sacrifice H2077 unto Dagon H1712 their god, H430 and to rejoice: H8057 for they said, H559 Our god H430 hath delivered H5414 Samson H8123 our enemy H341 into our hand. H3027
24 And when the people H5971 saw H7200 him, they praised H1984 their god: H430 for they said, H559 Our god H430 hath delivered H5414 into our hands H3027 our enemy, H341 and the destroyer H2717 of our country, H776 which slew H2491 many H7235 of us.
25 And it came to pass, when their hearts H3820 were merry, H2896 that they said, H559 Call H7121 for Samson, H8123 that he may make us sport. H7832 And they called H7121 for Samson H8123 out of the prison H631 house; H1004 and he made them H6440 sport: H6711 and they set H5975 him between the pillars. H5982
26 And Samson H8123 said H559 unto the lad H5288 that held H2388 him by the hand, H3027 Suffer H3240 me that I may feel H4184 H3237 the pillars H5982 whereupon the house H1004 standeth, H3559 that I may lean H8172 upon them.
27 Now the house H1004 was full H4390 of men H582 and women; H802 and all the lords H5633 of the Philistines H6430 were there; and there were upon the roof H1406 about three H7969 thousand H505 men H376 and women, H802 that beheld H7200 while Samson H8123 made sport. H7832
28 And Samson H8123 called H7121 unto the LORD, H3068 and said, H559 O Lord H136 GOD, H3069 remember H2142 me, I pray thee, and strengthen H2388 me, I pray thee, only this once, H6471 O God, H430 that I may be at once H259 avenged H5358 H5359 of the Philistines H6430 for my two H8147 eyes. H5869
29 And Samson H8123 took hold H3943 of the two H8147 middle H8432 pillars H5982 upon which the house H1004 stood, H3559 and on which it was borne up, H5564 of the one H259 with his right hand, H3225 and of the other H259 with his left. H8040
30 And Samson H8123 said, H559 Let me die H4191 H5315 with the Philistines. H6430 And he bowed H5186 himself with all his might; H3581 and the house H1004 fell H5307 upon the lords, H5633 and upon all the people H5971 that were therein. So the dead H4191 which he slew H4191 at his death H4194 were more H7227 than they which he slew H4191 in his life. H2416
31 Then his brethren H251 and all the house H1004 of his father H1 came down, H3381 and took H5375 him, and brought him up, H5927 and buried H6912 him between Zorah H6881 and Eshtaol H847 in the buryingplace H6913 of Manoah H4495 his father. H1 And he judged H8199 Israel H3478 twenty H6242 years. H8141
1 And Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a harlot, and went in unto her.
2 `And it was told' the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, `Let be' till morning light, then we will kill him.
3 And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and laid hold of the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and plucked them up, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron.
4 And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5 And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred `pieces' of silver.
6 And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.
7 And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withes that were never dried, then shall I become weak, and be as another man.
8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withes which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
9 Now she had liers-in-wait abiding in the inner chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withes, as a string of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.
10 And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.
11 And he said unto her, If they only bind me with new ropes wherewith no work hath been done, then shall I become weak, and be as another man.
12 So Delilah took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And the liers-in-wait were abiding in the inner chamber. And he brake them off his arms like a thread.
13 And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.
14 And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and plucked away the pin of the beam, and the web.
15 And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thy heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.
16 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, that his soul was vexed unto death.
17 And he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon my head; for I have been a Nazirite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.
18 And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath told me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought the money in their hand.
19 And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and shaved off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
20 And she said, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free. But he knew not that Jehovah was departed from him.
21 And the Philistines laid hold on him, and put out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison-house.
22 Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.
23 And the lords of the Philistines gathered them together to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice; for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.
24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hand our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, who hath slain many of us.
25 And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison-house; and he made sport before them. And they set him between the pillars:
26 and Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house resteth, that I may lean upon them.
27 Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.
28 And Samson called unto Jehovah, and said, O Lord Jehovah, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house rested, and leaned upon them, the one with his right hand, and the other with his left.
30 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead that he slew at his death were more than they that he slew in his life.
31 Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the burying-place of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.
1 And Samson goeth to Gaza, and seeth there a woman, a harlot, and goeth in unto her;
2 `it is told' to the Gazathites, saying, `Samson hath come in hither;' and they go round and lay wait for him all the night at the gate of the city, and keep themselves silent all the night, saying, `Till the light of the morning -- then we have slain him.'
3 And Samson lieth down till the middle of the night, and riseth in the middle of the night, and layeth hold on the doors of the gate of the city, and on the two side posts, and removeth them with the bar, and putteth on his shoulders, and taketh them up unto the top of the hill, which `is' on the front of Hebron.
4 And it cometh to pass afterwards that he loveth a woman in the valley of Sorek, and her name `is' Delilah,
5 and the princes of the Philistines come up unto her, and say to her, `Entice him, and see wherein his great power `is', and wherein we are able for him -- and we have bound him to afflict him, and we -- we give to thee, each one, eleven hundred silverlings.'
6 And Delilah saith unto Samson, `Declare, I pray thee, to me, wherein thy great power `is', and wherewith thou art bound, to afflict thee.'
7 And Samson saith unto her, `If they bind me with seven green withs which have not been dried, then I have been weak, and have been as one of the human race.'
8 And the princes of the Philistines bring up to her seven green withs which have not been dried, and she bindeth him with them.
9 And the ambush is abiding with her in an inner chamber, and she saith unto him, `Philistines `are' upon thee, Samson;' and he breaketh the withs as a thread of tow is broken in its smelling fire, and his power hath not been known.
10 And Delilah saith unto Samson, `Lo, thou hast played upon me, and speakest unto me lies; now, declare, I pray thee, to me, wherewith thou art bound.'
11 And he saith unto her, `If they certainly bind me with thick bands, new ones, by which work hath not been done, then I have been weak, and have been as one of the human race.'
12 And Delilah taketh thick bands, new ones, and bindeth him with them, and saith unto him, `Philistines `are' upon thee, Samson;' and the ambush is abiding in an inner chamber, and he breaketh them from off his arms as a thread.
13 And Delilah saith unto Samson, `Hitherto thou hast played upon me, and dost speak unto me lies; declare to me wherewith thou art bound.' And he saith unto her, `If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.'
14 And she fixeth `it' with the pin, and saith unto him, `Philistines `are' upon thee, Samson;' and he awaketh out of his sleep, and journeyeth with the pin of the weaving machine, and with the web.
15 And she saith unto him, `How dost thou say, I have loved thee, and thy heart is not with me? these three times thou hast played upon me, and hast not declared to me wherein thy great power `is'.'
16 And it cometh to pass, because she distressed him with her words all the days, and doth urge him, and his soul is grieved to death,
17 that he declareth to her all his heart, and saith to her, `A razor hath not gone up on my head, for a Nazarite to God I `am' from the womb of my mother; if I have been shaven, then hath my power turned aside from me, and I have been weak, and have been as any of the human race.'
18 And Delilah seeth that he hath declared to her all his heart, and she sendeth and calleth for the princes of the Philistines, saying, `Come up this time, for he hath declared to me all his heart;' and the princes of the Philistines have come up unto her, and bring up the money in their hand.
19 and she maketh him sleep on her knees, and calleth for a man, and shaveth the seven locks of his head, and beginneth to afflict him, and his power turneth aside from off him;
20 and she saith, `Philistines `are' upon thee, Samson;' and he awaketh out of his sleep, and saith, `I go out as time by time, and shake myself;' and he hath not known that Jehovah hath turned aside from off him.
21 And the Philistines seize him, and pick out his eyes, and bring him down to Gaza, and bind him with two brazen fetters; and he is grinding in the prison-house.
22 And the hair of his head beginneth to shoot up, when he hath been shaven,
23 and the princes of the Philistines have been gathered together to sacrifice a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice; and they say, `Our god hath given into our hand Samson our enemy.'
24 And the people see him, and praise their god, for they said, `Our god hath given in our hand our enemy, and he who is laying waste our land, and who multiplied our wounded.'
25 And it cometh to pass, when their heart `is' glad, that they say, `Call for Samson, and he doth play before us;' and they call for Samson out of the prison-house, and he playeth before them, and they cause him to stand between the pillars.
26 And Samson saith unto the young man who is keeping hold on his hand, `Let me alone, and let me feel the pillars on which the house is established, and I lean upon them.'
27 And the house hath been full of men and of women, and thither `are' all the princes of the Philistines, and on the roof `are' about three thousand men and women, who are looking on the playing of Samson.
28 And Samson calleth unto Jehovah, and saith, `Lord Jehovah, remember me, I pray Thee, and strengthen me, I pray Thee, only this time, O God; and I am avenged -- vengeance at once -- because of my two eyes, on the Philistines.'
29 And Samson turneth aside `to' the two middle pillars, on which the house is established, and on which it is supported, `to' the one with his right hand, and one with his left;
30 and Samson saith, `Let me die with the Philistines,' and he inclineth himself powerfully, and the house falleth on the princes, and on all the people who `are' in it, and the dead whom he hath put to death in his death are more than those whom he put to death in his life.
31 And his brethren come down, and all the house of his father, and lift him up, and bring him up, and bury him between Zorah and Eshtaol, in the burying-place of Manoah his father; and he hath judged Israel twenty years.
1 Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a harlot, and he went in to her.
2 The Gazites were told, "Samson has come here," and they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. They kept quiet all night, saying, "Let us wait till the light of the morning; then we will kill him."
3 But Samson lay till midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts, and pulled them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that is before Hebron.
4 After this he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Deli'lah.
5 And the lords of the Philistines came to her and said to her, "Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to subdue him; and we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver."
6 And Deli'lah said to Samson, "Please tell me wherein your great strength lies, and how you might be bound, that one could subdue you."
7 And Samson said to her, "If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings which have not been dried, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man."
8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
9 Now she had men lying in wait in an inner chamber. And she said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he snapped the bowstrings, as a string of tow snaps when it touches the fire. So the secret of his strength was not known.
10 And Deli'lah said to Samson, "Behold, you have mocked me, and told me lies; please tell me how you might be bound."
11 And he said to her, "If they bind me with new ropes that have not been used, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man."
12 So Deli'lah took new ropes and bound him with them, and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" And the men lying in wait were in an inner chamber. But he snapped the ropes off his arms like a thread.
13 And Deli'lah said to Samson, "Until now you have mocked me, and told me lies; tell me how you might be bound." And he said to her, "If you weave the seven locks of my head with the web and make it tight with the pin, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man."
14 So while he slept, Deli'lah took the seven locks of his head and wove them into the web. And she made them tight with the pin, and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he awoke from his sleep, and pulled away the pin, the loom, and the web.
15 And she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me wherein your great strength lies."
16 And when she pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death.
17 And he told her all his mind, and said to her, "A razor has never come upon my head; for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I be shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man."
18 When Deli'lah saw that he had told her all his mind, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, "Come up this once, for he has told me all his mind." Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and brought the money in their hands.
19 She made him sleep upon her knees; and she called a man, and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him.
20 And she said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" And he awoke from his sleep, and said, "I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free." And he did not know that the LORD had left him.
21 And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with bronze fetters; and he ground at the mill in the prison.
22 But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.
23 Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice; for they said, "Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand."
24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said, "Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager of our country, who has slain many of us."
25 And when their hearts were merry, they said, "Call Samson, that he may make sport for us." So they called Samson out of the prison, and he made sport before them. They made him stand between the pillars;
26 and Samson said to the lad who held him by the hand, "Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them."
27 Now the house was full of men and women; all the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about three thousand men and women, who looked on while Samson made sport.
28 Then Samson called to the LORD and said, "O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be avenged upon the Philistines for one of my two eyes."
29 And Samson grasped the two middle pillars upon which the house rested, and he leaned his weight upon them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other.
30 And Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines." Then he bowed with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people that were in it. So the dead whom he slew at his death were more than those whom he had slain during his life.
31 Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Esh'ta-ol in the tomb of Mano'ah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years.
1 Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a prostitute, and went in to her.
2 [It was told] the Gazites, saying, Samson is come here. They compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, [Let be] until morning light, then we will kill him.
3 Samson lay until midnight, and arose at midnight, and laid hold of the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and plucked them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron.
4 It came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5 The lords of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, Entice him, and see in which his great strength lies, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will each give you of us eleven hundred [pieces] of silver.
6 Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, Please, in which your great strength lies, and with which you might be bound to afflict you.
7 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.
8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green cords which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
9 Now she had liers-in-wait abiding in the inner chamber. She said to him, The Philistines are on you, Samson. He broke the cords, as a string of tow is broken when it touches the fire. So his strength was not known.
10 Delilah said to Samson, Behold, you have mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, Please, with which you might be bound.
11 He said to her, If they only bind me with new ropes with which no work has been done, then shall I become weak, and be as another man.
12 So Delilah took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said to him, The Philistines are on you, Samson. The liers-in-wait were abiding in the inner chamber. He broke them off his arms like a thread.
13 Delilah said to Samson, Hitherto you have mocked me, and told me lies: tell me with which you might be bound. He said to her, If you weave the seven locks of my head with the web.
14 She fastened it with the pin, and said to him, The Philistines are on you, Samson. He awakened out of his sleep, and plucked away the pin of the beam, and the web.
15 She said to him, How can you say, I love you, when your heart is not with me? you have mocked me these three times, and have not told me in which your great strength lies.
16 It happened, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, that his soul was vexed to death.
17 He told her all his heart, and said to her, "No razor has ever come on my head; for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will go from me, and I will become weak, and be like any other man."
18 When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he has told me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and brought the money in their hand.
19 She made him sleep on her knees; and she called for a man, and shaved off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
20 She said, The Philistines are on you, Samson. He awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free. But he didn't know that Yahweh had departed from him.
21 The Philistines laid hold on him, and put out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison-house.
22 However the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaved.
23 The lords of the Philistines gathered them together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice; for they said, Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.
24 When the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said, Our god has delivered into our hand our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, who has slain many of us.
25 It happened, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. They called for Samson out of the prison-house; and he made sport before them. They set him between the pillars:
26 and Samson said to the boy who held him by the hand, Allow me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house rests, that I may lean on them.
27 Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were on the roof about three thousand men and women, who saw while Samson made sport.
28 Samson called to Yahweh, and said, Lord Yahweh, remember me, Please, and strengthen me, Please, only this once, God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
29 Samson took hold of the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and leaned on them, the one with his right hand, and the other with his left.
30 Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. He bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell on the lords, and on all the people who were therein. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than those who he killed in his life.
31 Then his brothers and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the burying-place of Manoah his father. He judged Israel twenty years.
1 Now Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a loose woman and went in to her.
2 And it was said to the Gazites, Samson is here. So they went round, watching for him all day at the doorway of the town, but at night they kept quiet, saying, When daylight comes we will put him to death.
3 And Samson was there till the middle of the night; then he got up, and took a grip on the doors of the town, pulling them up, together with their two supports and their locks, and put them on his back and took them up to the top of the hill in front of Hebron.
4 Now after this, he was in love with a woman in the valley of Sorek, named Delilah.
5 And the chiefs of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, Make use of your power over him and see what is the secret of his great strength, and how we may get the better of him, and put bands on him, so that we may make him feeble; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.
6 So Delilah said to Samson, Make clear to me now what is the secret of your great strength, and how you may be put in bands and made feeble.
7 And Samson said to her, If seven new bow-cords which have never been made dry are knotted round me, I will become feeble and will be like any other man.
8 So the chiefs of the Philistines gave her seven new bow-cords which had never been made dry, and she had them tightly knotted round him.
9 Now she had men waiting secretly in the inner room; and she said to him, The Philistines are on you, Samson. And the cords were broken by him as a twist of thread is broken when touched by a flame. So the secret of his strength did not come to light.
10 Then Delilah said to Samson, See, you have been making sport of me with false words; now, say truly how may you be put in bands?
11 And he said to her, If they only put round me new thick cords which have never been used, then I will become feeble and will be like any other man.
12 So Delilah took new thick cords, knotting them tightly round him, and said to him, The Philistines are on you, Samson. And men were waiting secretly in the inner room. And the cords were broken off his arms like threads.
13 Then Delilah said to Samson, Up to now you have made sport of me with false words; now say truly, how may you be put in bands? And he said to her, If you get the seven twists of my hair worked into the cloth you are making and fixed with the pin, I will become feeble and will be like any other man.
14 So while he was sleeping she got the seven twists of his hair worked into her cloth and fixed with the pin, and said to him, The Philistines are on you, Samson. Then awaking from his sleep, he got up quickly, pulling up cloth and machine together.
15 And she said to him, Why do you say you are my lover when your heart is not mine? Three times you have made sport of me, and have not made clear to me the secret of your great strength.
16 So day after day she gave him no peace, for ever questioning him till his soul was troubled to death.
17 And opening all his heart to her, he said to her, My head has never been touched by a blade, for I have been separate to God from the day of my birth: if my hair is cut off, then my strength will go from me and I will become feeble, and will be like any other man.
18 And when Delilah saw that he had let her see into his heart, she sent word to the chiefs of the Philistines saying, Come up this time, for he has let out all his heart to me. Then the chiefs of the Philistines came to her, with the money in their hands.
19 And she made him go to sleep on her knees; and she sent for a man and had his seven twists of hair cut off; and while it was being done he became feeble and his strength went from him.
20 Then she said, The Philistines are on you, Samson. And awaking from his sleep, he said, I will go out as at other times, shaking myself free. But he was not conscious that the Lord had gone from him.
21 So the Philistines took him and put out his eyes; then they took him down to Gaza, and, chaining him with bands of brass, put him to work crushing grain in the prison-house.
22 But the growth of his hair was starting again after it had been cut off.
23 And the chiefs of the Philistines came together to make a great offering to Dagon their god, and to be glad; for they said, Our god has given into our hands Samson our hater.
24 And when the people saw him, they gave praise to their god; for they said, Our god has given into our hands the one who was fighting against us, who made our country waste, and who put great numbers of us to death.
25 Now when their hearts were full of joy, they said, Send for Samson to make sport for us. And they sent for Samson out of the prison-house, and he made sport before them; and they put him between the pillars.
26 And Samson said to the boy who took him by the hand, Let me put my hand on the pillars supporting the house, so that I may put my back against them.
27 Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and about three thousand men and women were on the roof, looking on while Samson made sport.
28 And Samson, crying out to the Lord, said, O Lord God, do have me now in mind, and do make me strong only this once, O God, so that I may take one last payment from the Philistines for my two eyes.
29 Then Samson put his arms round the two middle pillars supporting the house, putting his weight on them, on one with his right hand and on the other with his left.
30 And Samson said, Let death overtake me with the Philistines. And he put out all his strength, and the house came down on the chiefs and on all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he sent to destruction by his death were more than all those on whom he had sent destruction in his life.
31 Then his brothers and his father's people came down and took him up and put his body to rest in the earth between Zorah and Eshtaol in the resting-place of Manoah his father. And he had been judge of Israel for twenty years.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Judges 16
Commentary on Judges 16 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Samson's Fall and Death. - Samson's judicial labours reached their highest point when he achieved his great victory over the Philistines at Lechi. Just as his love to the daughter of a Philistine had furnished him with the occasion designed by God for the manifestation of his superiority to the uncircumcised enemies of Israel, so the degradation of that love into sensual lust supplied the occasion for his fall which is related in this chapter. “Samson, when strong and brave, strangled a lion; but he could not strangle his own love. He burst the fetters of his foes, but not the cords of his own lusts. He burned up the crops of others, and lost the fruit of his own virtue when burning with the flame enkindled by a single woman.” ( Ambros . Apol. ii., David . c. iii.)
His Heroic Deed at Gaza . - Samson went to Gaza in the full consciousness of his superiority in strength to the Philistines, and there went in unto a harlot whom he saw. For Gaza, see Joshua 13:3. אל כּוא is used in the same sense as in Genesis 6:4 and Genesis 38:16. It is not stated in this instance, as in Judges 14:4, that it was of the Lord.
Judges 16:2
When this was told to the Gazites, they surrounded him (the object to the verb is to be supplied from the following word לו ) and laid wait for him all night at the city gate, but they kept themselves quiet during the night, saying, “ Till the dawning ( אור , infin .) of the morning ,” sc., we can wait, “ then will we kill him .” For this construction, see 1 Samuel 1:22. The verb ויּגּד , “it was told” (according to the lxx and Chald .: cf. Genesis 22:20), or ויּאמרוּ , “they said,” is wanting before לעזּתים , and must have fallen out through a copyist's error. The verb התחרשׁ has evidently the subordinate idea of giving themselves up to careless repose; for if the watchmen who were posted at the city gate had but watched in a regular manner, Samson could not have lifted out the closed gates and carried them away. But as they supposed that he would not leave the harlot before daybreak, they relied upon the fact that the gate was shut, and probably feel asleep.
Judges 16:3
But at midnight Samson got up, and “laying hold of the folding wings of the city, gate, as well as the two posts, tore them out of the ground with his herculean strength, together with the bar that fastened them, and carried them up to the top of the mountain which stands opposite to Hebron.” על־פּני merely means in the direction towards, as in Genesis 18:16, and does not signify that the mountain was in the front of Hebron or in the immediate neighbourhood (see Deuteronomy 32:49, where Mount Nebo, which was on the other side of the Jordan, and at least four geographical miles from Jericho, is said to have been over against, it, and the same expression is employed). The distance from Gaza to Hebron was about nine geographical miles. To the east of Gaza there is a range of hills which runs from north to south. The highest of them all is one which stands somewhat isolated, about half an hour to the south-east of the town, and is called el Montar from a wely which is found upon the top of it. From this hill there is a splendid prospect over the whole of the surrounding country. Hebron itself is not visible from this hill, but the mountains of Hebron are. According to an ancient tradition, it was to the summit of this hill that Samson carried the city gates; and both Robinson (Pal. ii. 377) and V. de Velde regard this tradition as by no means improbable, although the people of Gaza are not acquainted with it. “The city gate of the Gaza of that time was probably not less than three-quarters of an hour from the hill el Montar ; and to climb this peak with the heavy gates and their posts and bar upon his shoulders through the deep sand upon the road, was a feat which only a Samson could perform” ( V. de Velde ).
Samson and Delilah . - Judges 16:4. After this successful act, Samson gave himself up once more to his sensual lusts. He fell in love with a woman in the valley of Sorek , named Delilah (i.e., the weak or pining one), to whose snares he eventually succumbed. With reference to the valley of Sorek, Eusebius affirms in the Onom . ( s. v . Σωρήχ ), that there was a village called Βαρήχ ( l . Καφὰρ σωρήχ according to Jerome ) near Zorea, and ἐν ὁρίοις ( l . βορείοις according to Jerome , who has ad septentrionalem plagam ); and also ( s. v . Σωρήκ ) that this place was near to Eshtaol. Consequently the Sorek valley would have to be sought for somewhere in the neighbourhood of Samson's birthplace (Judges 13:1), and the dwelling-place of his family (Judges 16:31).
Judges 16:5
The princes of the Philistines offered Delilah a considerable sum (they would give her one thousand and one hundred shekels of silver each, i.e., a thousand shekels or more: cf. Judges 17:2) if she would persuade Samson, and bring out from him “whereby his strength was great,” and whereby they could overpower and bind him, לענּותו , to bend him, i.e., to oppress him. The Philistine princes thought that Samson's supernatural strength arose from something external, which he wore or carried about with him as an amulet. There was a certain truth at the foundation of this heathen superstition, inasmuch as this gift of divine grace was really bound up with the possession of a corporeal pledge, the loss of which was followed by the immediate loss of the gift of God (see at Judges 16:17).
Judges 16:6-7
Allured by the reward in prospect, Delilah now sought to get from him the secret of his strength. But he deceived her three times by false statements. He first of all said to her (Judges 16:7), “ If they bound me with strings that have not been dried, I should be weak and like one of the men ” (i.e., like any other man). יתר signifies a sinew or string, e.g., a bow-string, Psalms 11:2, and in the different dialects either a bow-string or the string of a harp or guitar. As a distinction is made here between the יתרים and the עבתים in Judges 16:11, the strings intended here are those of catgut or animal sinew. The number seven is that of a divine act, answering to the divine power which Samson possessed.
Judges 16:8-9
When Delilah told this to the princes of the Philistines, they brought the seven strings required, and Delilah bound Samson with them. “ And the spy sat in the room ( להּ , dat. com., lit . 'to her,' i.e .) to help her .” namely, without Samson knowing it, as Delilah had certainly not told him that she should betray the secret of his strength to the Philistines. He was there, no doubt, that he might be at hand and overpower the fettered giant as soon as it became apparent that his strength was gone. She then cried out to him, “ Philistines upon thee, Samson! ” And he snapped the strings as one would snap a cord in two “when it smells fire,” i.e., is held to the fire.
Judges 16:10-12
The second deception: Samson had himself bound with new cords, which had not yet been used for any purpose, and these also he burst from his arms like a thread.
Judges 16:13-14
The third deception: “ If thou weavest together the seven locks of my hair with the warp. And she drove it in with the plug. ” These words are difficult to explain, partly because several technical terms are used which have more than one meaning, and partly because the account itself is contracted, both Samson's advice and her fulfilment of it being only given in a partial form, so that the one has to be completed from the other. In Judges 16:19, the only other passage in which מחלפות occurs, it no doubt means the plaits into which Samson's long flowing hair was plaited. המּסּכת only occurs here (Judges 16:13 and Judges 16:14), and probably means the woven cloth, or rather what was still upon the loom, the warp of the cloth, δίασμα (lxx). Accordingly the meaning of the verse would be this: If thou weavest the seven plaits of my hair along with the warp upon the loom. The commentators are all agreed that, according to these words, there must be something wanting in the account, though they are not of one opinion as to whether the binding of Samson is fully given here, and all that has to be supplied is the clause “ Then shall I be weal, ” etc. (as in Judges 16:7 and Judges 16:11), or whether the words בּיּתד ותּתקע add another fact which was necessary to the completeness of the binding, and if so, how these words are to be understood. In Bertheau 's opinion, the words “ and she thrust with the plug ” probably mean nothing more than that she made a noise to wake the sleeping Samson, because it is neither stated here that she forced the plug into the wall or into the earth to fasten the plaits with (lxx, Jerome ), nor that her thrusting with the plug contributed in any way to the further fastening of the hair. These arguments are sound no doubt, but they do not prove what is intended. When it is stated in Judges 16:14 , that “he tore out the weaver's plug and the cloth,” it is certainly evident that the plug served to fasten the hair to the cloth or to the loom. Moreover, not only would any knocking with the plug to waken Samson with the noise have been altogether superfluous, as the loud cry, “Philistines upon thee, Samson,” would be amply sufficient for this; but it is extremely improbable that a fact with so little bearing upon the main facts would be introduced here at all. We come therefore to the same conclusion as the majority of commentators, viz., that the words in question are to be understood as referring to something that was done to fasten Samson still more securely. היּתד = הארג היתד (Judges 16:14) does not mean the roller or weaver's beam, to which the threads of the warp were fastened, and round which the cloth was rolled when finished, as Bertheau supposes, for this is called ארגים מנור in 1 Samuel 17:7; nor the σπάθη of the Greeks, a flat piece of wood like a knife, which was used in the upright loom for the same purpose as our comb or press, viz., to press the weft together, and so increase the substance of the cloth ( Braun, de vestitu Sacerd . p. 253); but the comb or press itself which was fastened to the loom, so that it could only be torn out by force. To complete the account, therefore, we must supply between Judges 16:13 and Judges 16:14, “And if thou fastenest it (the woven cloth) with the plug (the weaver's comb), I shall be weak like one of the other men; and she wove the seven plaits of his hair into the warp of the loom.” Then follows in Judges 16:14, “ and fastened the cloth with the weaver's comb. ” There is no need, however, to assume that what has to be supplied fell out in copying. We have simply an ellipsis, such as we often meet with. When Samson as wakened out of his sleep by the cry of “Philistines upon thee,” he tore out the weaver's comb and the warp (sc.,) from the loom, with his plaits of hair that had been woven in. The reference to his sleeping warrants the assumption that Delilah had also performed the other acts of binding while he was asleep. We must not understand the account, however, as implying that the three acts of binding followed close upon one another on the very same day. Several days may very probably have elapsed between them. In this third deception Samson had already gone so far in his presumptuous trifling with the divine gift entrusted to him, as to suffer the hair of his head to be meddled with, though it was sanctified to the Lord. “It would seem as though this act of sin ought to have brought him to reflection. But as that was not the case, there remained but one short step more to bring him to thorough treachery towards the Lord” ( O. v. Gerlach ).
Judges 16:15
This last step was very speedily to follow - Judges 16:15 After this triple deception, Delilah said to him, “ How canst thou say, I love thee, as thine heart is not with me ” (ie, not devoted to me)?
Judges 16:16
With such words as these she plagued him every day, so that his soul became impatient even to death (see Judg 10;16). The ἁπ. λεγ. אלץ signifies in Aramaean, to press or plague. The form is Piel , though without the reduplication of the ל and Chateph-patach under (see Ewald , §90, b .).
Judges 16:17
“ And he showed her all his heart, ” i.e., he opened his mind thoroughly to her, and told her that no razor had come upon his head, because he was a Nazarite from his mother's womb (cf. Judges 13:5, Judges 13:7). “ If I should be shave, my strength would depart from me, and I should be weak like all other men. ”
Judges 16:18
When Delilah saw (i.e., perceived, namely from his words and his whole behaviour while making this communication) that he had betrayed the secret of his strength, she had the princes of the Philistines called: “ Come up this time, ... for he had revealed to her all his heart. ” This last clause is not to be understood as having been spoken by Delilah to the princes themselves, as it is by the Masorites and most of the commentators, in which case להּ would have to be altered into לי ; but it contains a remark of the writer, introduced as an explanation of the circumstance that Delilah sent for the princes of the Philistines now that she was sure of her purpose. This view is confirmed by the word ועלוּ (came up) which follows, since the use of the perfect instead of the imperfect with vav consec . can only be explained on the supposition that the previous clause is a parenthetical one, which interrupts the course of the narrative, and to which the account of the further progress of the affair could not be attached by the historical tense ( ויּעלוּ ).
(Note: The Keri reading לי arose simply from a misunderstanding, although it is found in many MSS and early editions, and is without any critical worth. The Masorites overlooked the fact that the main point is all that is related of the message of Delilah to the princes of the Philistines, namely that they were to come this time, and that the rest can easily be supplied from the context. Studer admits how little ועלוּ suits that view of the clause which the Keri reading לי requires, and calls it “syntactically impossible.” He proposes, however, to read ויּעלוּ , without reflecting that this reading is also nothing more than a change which is rendered necessary by the alteration of להּ into לי , and has no critical value.)
The princes of the Philistines came up to Delilah on the receipt of this communication, bringing the money, the promised reward of her treachery (Judges 16:5), in their hands.
Judges 16:19
“ Then she made him sleep upon her knees, and called to the man, ” possibly the man lying in wait (Judges 16:9 and Judges 16:12), that she might not be alone with Samson when cutting off his hair; and she cut off the seven plaits of his hair, and began to afflict him, as his strength departed from him now.
Judges 16:20
She then cried out, “ Philistines upon thee, Samson! ” And he awaked out of his sleep, and thought (“ said ,” i.e., to himself), “ I will go away as time upon time (this as at other times), and shake myself loose, ” sc., from the fetters or from the hands of the Philistines; “ but he knew not that Jehovah had departed from him .” These last words are very important to observe in order to form a correct idea of the affair. Samson had said to Delilah, “If my hair were cut off, my strength would depart from me” (Judges 16:17). The historian observes, on the other hand, that “ Jehovah had departed from him.” The superhuman strength of Samson did not reside in his hair as hair, but in the fact that Jehovah was with or near him. But Jehovah was with him so long as he maintained his condition as a Nazarite. As soon as he broke away from this by sacrificing the hair which he wore in honour of the Lord, Jehovah departed from him, and with Jehovah went his strength.
(Note: “Samson was strong because he was dedicated to God, as long as he preserved the signs of his dedication. But as soon as he lost those signs, he fell into the utmost weakness in consequence. The whole of Samson's misfortune came upon him, therefore, because he attributed to himself some portion of what God did through him. God permitted him to lose his strength, that he might learn by experience how utterly powerless he was without the help of God. We have no better teachers than our own infirmities.”- Berleb. Bible .)
Judges 16:21
The Philistines then seized him, put out his eyes, and led him to Gaza fettered with double brass chains. The chains are probably called nechushtaim (double brass) because both hands of both feet were fettered with them. King Zedekiah, when taken prisoner by the Chaldeans, was treated in the same manner (2 Kings 25:7). There Samson was obliged to turn the mill in the prison, and grind corn (the participle טחן expresses the continuance of the action). Grinding a handmill was the hardest and lowest kind of slave labour (compare Exodus 11:5 with Exodus 12:29); and both Greeks and Romans sentenced their slaves to this as a punishment (see Od . xx. 105ff., vii. 103-4; Terent . Phorm. ii. 1, 19, Andr. i, 2. 29), and it is still performed by female slaves in the East (see Chardin in Harmar's Beob. üb. d. Orient. iii. 64).
Samson's Misery, and His Triumph in Death . - Judges 16:22. The hair of his head began to grow, as he was shaven. In the word כּאשׁר , as (from the time when he was shaven), there is an indication that Samson only remained in his ignominious captivity till his hair began to grow again, i.e., visibly to grow. What follows agrees with this.
Judges 16:23-24
The captivity of this dreaded hero was regarded by the Philistines as a great victory, which their princes resolved to celebrate with a great and joyous sacrificial festival in honour of their god Dagon , to whom they ascribed this victory. “ A great sacrifice, ” consisting in the offering up of a large number of slain sacrifices. “ And for joy, ” viz., to give expression to their joy, i.e., for a joyous festival. Dagon , one of the principal deities of the Philistines, was worshipped at Gaza and Ashdod (2 Samuel 5:2., and 1 Macc. 10:83), and, according to Jerome on Isaiah 46:1, in the rest of the Philistine towns as well. It was a fish-deity ( דּגון , from דּג , a fish), and in shape resembled the body of a fish with the head and hands of a man (1 Samuel 5:4). It was a male deity, the corresponding female deity being Atargatis (2 Macc. 12:26) or Derceto , and was a symbol of water, and of all the vivifying forces of nature which produce their effects through the medium of water, like the Babylonian Ὠοδάκων , one of the four Oannes , and the Indian Vishnu (see Movers , Phöniz. i. pp. 143ff., 590ff., and J. G. Müller in Herzog's Cycl.).
Judges 16:24
All the people took part in this festival, and sang songs of praise to the god who had given the enemy, who had laid waste their fields and slain many of their countrymen, into their hands.
Judges 16:25-27
When their hearts were merry ( יטוב , inf . of יטב ), they had Samson fetched out of the prison, that he might make sport before them, and “put him between the pillars” of the house or temple in which the triumphal feast was held. Then he said to the attendant who held his hand, “ Let me loose, and let me touch the pillars upon which the house is built, that I may lean upon it. ” הימישׁני is the imperative Hiphil of the radical verb ימשׁ , which only occurs here; and the Keri substitutes the ordinary form המישׁ from מוּשׁ . “ But the house, ” adds the historian by way of preparation for what follows, “ was filled with men and women: all the princes of the Philistines also were there; and upon the roof were about three thousand men and women, who feasted their eyes with Samson's sports ” ( ראה with בּ , used to denote the gratification of looking).
Judges 16:28
Then Samson prayed to Jehovah, “ Lord Jehovah, remember me, and only this time make me strong. O God, that I may avenge myself (with) the revenge of one of my two eyes upon the Philistines, ” i.e., may take vengeance upon them for the loss of only one of my two eyes ( משּׁתי , without Dagesh lene in the ת : see Ewald , §267, b .), - a sentence which shows how painfully he felt the loss of his two eyes, “a loss the severity of which even the terrible vengeance which he was meditating could never outweigh” ( Bertheau ).
Judges 16:29-30
After he had prayed to the Lord for strength for this last great deed, he embraced the two middle pillars upon which the building was erected, leant upon them, one with his right hand, the other with the left (viz., embracing them with his hands, as these words also belong to ילפּת ), and said, “ let my soul die with the Philistines .” He then bent (the two pillars) with force, and the house fell upon the princes and all the people who were within. So far as the fact itself is concerned, there is no ground nor questioning the possibility of Samson's bringing down the whole building with so many men inside by pulling down two middle columns, as we have no accurate acquaintance with the style of its architecture. In all probability we have to picture this temple of Dagon as resembling the modern Turkish kiosks, namely as consisting of a “spacious hall, the roof of which rested in front upon four columns, two of them standing at the ends, and two close together in the centre. Under this hall the leading men of the Philistines celebrated a sacrificial meal, whilst the people were assembled above upon the top of the roof, which was surrounded by a balustrade” ( Faber , Archäol. der. Hebr. p. 444, cf. pp. 436-7; and Shaw , Reisen, p. 190). The ancients enter very fully into the discussion of the question whether Samson committed suicide or not, though without arriving at any satisfactory conclusion. O. v. Gerlach , however, has given the true answer. “Samson's deed,” he says, “was not suicide, but the act of a hero, who sees that it is necessary for him to plunge into the midst of his enemies with the inevitable certainty of death, in order to effect the deliverance of his people and decide the victory which he has still to achieve. Samson would be all the more certain that this was the will of the Lord, when he considered that even if he should deliver himself in any other way cut of the hands of the Philistines, he would always carry about with him the mark of his shame in the blindness of his eyes-a mark of his unfaithfulness as the servant of God quite as much as of the double triumph of his foes, who had gained a spiritual as well as a corporeal victory over him.” Such a triumph as this the God of Israel could not permit His enemies and their idols to gain. The Lord must prove to them, even through Samson's death, that the shame of his sin was taken from him, and that the Philistines had no cause to triumph over him. Thus Samson gained the greatest victory over his foes in the moment of his own death. The terror of the Philistines when living, he became a destroyer of the temple of their idol when he died. Through this last act of his he vindicated the honour of Jehovah the God of Israel, against Dagon the idol of the Philistines. “ The dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life .”
Judges 16:31
This terrible blow necessarily made a powerful impression upon the Philistines, not only plunging them into deep mourning at the death of their princes and so many of their countrymen, and the destruction of the temple of Dagon, but filling them with fear and terror at the omnipotence of the God of the Israelites. Under these circumstances it is conceivable enough that the brethren and relatives of Samson were able to come to Gaza, and fetch away the body of the fallen hero, to bury it in his father's grave between Zorea and Eshtaol (see Judges 13:25). - In conclusion, it is once more very appropriately observed that Samson had judged Israel twenty years (cf. Judges 15:20).