Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

13:3 the angel of the Lord (see note on 2:1). The angel's appearance was awesome (v. 6), but his essential character was not to be revealed (vv. 6, 17-18).

13:5-7 Any man or woman could take a vow to become a Nazirite, to separate himself or herself to God (see Numbers 6). It was to be voluntary (Num. 6:2), for a limited time (Num. 6:5, 8, 13, 20), and involved three provisions: (1) abstinence from wine, strong drink, or anything associated with the vine (Num. 6:3-4); (2) no cutting of the hair (Num. 6:5); and (3) no contact with the dead (Num. 6:6-8). If a person became unclean, there were elaborate cleansing rituals (Num. 6:9-21). Three things are unusual concerning Samson and this vow. First, he did not take it voluntarily; it was his lot from the womb (Judg. 13:5, 7). Second, it was not limited in time; it was to last to the day of his death (vv. 5, 7; cf. 1 Sam. 1:11; Luke 1:15 for similar situations). Third, he broke every one of its stipulations: his head was sheared (Judg. 16:17, 19); he associated with the dead (14:6-9; 15:15); and he undoubtedly drank at his wedding feast (14:10-20; see note on 14:10).

13:5 begin to save Israel. Samson's successes were only for a time, since the Philistines were still adversaries of Israel in the days of Samuel, Saul, and David.

13:6 A man of God designates prophets elsewhere in the OT (e.g., Deut. 33:1; 1 Sam. 2:27; 1 Kings 17:18). At first, Samson's mother may have thought she was dealing with a prophet, but she quickly realized this was someone greater.

13:18 The angel's name was too wonderful to comprehend, so he does not reveal it to Samson's parents.

13:22 we have seen God. Manoah's fears echo those of Gideon on encountering the angel of the Lord (see 6:22; cf. Gen. 32:30; Ex. 33:20).

13:25 the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him. God's Spirit was pushing Samson toward the work that God wanted him to do (cf. 14:4). See note on 14:6.

14:1-16:31 Samson's exploits fall into two segments (14:1-15:20; 16:1-31), each climaxing with a mass destruction of Philistines, followed by a comment about his judging. Within these are 10 feats of strength and heroism, five in each segment (see chart). In three of these, the Spirit of the Lord "rushed upon him" (feats 1, 2, and 5). Perhaps significantly, this did not happen in the second segment (ch. 16), when Samson was acting more on his own and increasingly falling out of touch with God (culminating with the Lord leaving him completely [v. 20]).

14:1 Timnah is located at modern Tel Batash, which lies in the Shephelah (foothills) near the southern bank of the Nahal (or dry river bed) Sorek. Excavations here have uncovered a thriving Philistine city during the period of the Judges (Early Iron Age) with impressive fortifications constructed of mud-brick on stone.

14:3 uncircumcised Philistines. Cf. 15:18; 1 Sam. 14:6; 17:26, 36; 31:4; 2 Sam. 1:20; 1 Chron. 10:4. she is right in my eyes (cf. Judg. 14:7). This self-centered demand contrasts with being "right in the Lord's eyes" (cf. Deut. 6:18; 12:25), and foreshadows the negative conclusions concerning the entire era, that everyone did what was right in their own eyes (Judg. 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25).

14:4 it was from the Lord. Despite Israel's apostasy and Samson's unsavory life, God would use Samson for his own purposes. (Cf. 13:16; 16:20 for similar comments.)

14:5-20 At his wedding feast, Samson told his 30 companions a riddle based on a feat of strength he had displayed. When they could not solve it, they enlisted his wife's help and she extracted the answer. In his rage at this trickery, Samson killed 30 Philistines to obtain the garments he owed his companions. In his absence, his wife was given to his best man.

14:6 the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him. The OT speaks many times of God's Spirit acting upon individuals, usually to empower them for some service for the whole people of God. In Judges this is described by the Spirit being upon (Othniel, 3:10; Jephthah, 11:29), clothing (Gideon, 6:34), stirring (Samson, 13:25), or rushing upon someone (Samson, 14:6, 19; 15:14; cf. Saul, 1 Sam. 10:6, 10; 11:6; David, 1 Sam. 16:13). See note on 1 Sam. 10:6.

14:8-9 carcass of the lion. Samson's contact with the dead lion violated his Nazirite vow (cf. 13:5).

14:10 a feast (Hb. mishteh). This word denotes a feast that especially includes alcohol, another violation of Samson's Nazirite vow (cf. 13:5).

14:14 Samson's riddle (Hb. khidah) is the best example of a riddle in Scripture. Other examples include the queen of Sheba's "hard questions" (same Hebrew word, khidah) for Solomon (1 Kings 10:1) and Daniel's ability "to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems" (Dan. 5:12).

14:15 fourth day. The Hebrew text has "seventh day" (cf. v. 18); the ESV reading is based on Greek and Syriac versions (see ESV footnote). The difference is only one letter in Hebrew, which could easily have been miscopied by a scribe in an early manuscript. "Fourth" fits better with the immediate context (v. 14 mentions three days of futile guessing about the riddle).

14:18 If you had not plowed with my heifer. This may have been a saying in Samson's time (heifers were occasionally used for plowing; cf. Deut. 21:3). Here, it is a coarse reference to their manipulation of Samson's wife.

15:1 a young goat. Tamar required the same gift of Judah before she would consent to sexual relations with him (Gen. 38:17).

15:4 It is possible that the animals were not foxes but jackals, which were more common in Palestine. The two animals look similar, and the same Hebrew word (shu‘al) is used for both. Whereas foxes are solitary, jackals travel in packs, and thus 300 of them could be caught more easily. Both animals have long tails that could be tied together.

15:6 burned her . . . with fire. The Philistines retaliated by killing Samson's wife and her father by burning them alive. Ironically, this was the very fate she was attempting to avoid by extracting from Samson the answer to his riddle (14:15).

15:8 he struck them hip and thigh. The exact meaning of this idiom is obscure. Perhaps Samson left his enemies in a tangled jumble of legs and thighs. The expression may have originated in the art of wrestling, where brute strength like Samson's would obviously have been an advantage.

15:14-15 Spirit of the Lord. See note on 14:6. fresh jawbone. Presumably the advantage of this weapon was that it would not have been dry and brittle, hence there was no danger of its breaking.

15:17 Ramath-lehi. See ESV footnote; cf. Lehi in vv. 9, 14, 19.

15:18-19 uncircumcised. See note on 14:3. to this day. See note on 6:24.

15:20 Cf. 16:31. Both sections of the Samson stories (14:1-15:20; 16:1-31) end with a notice of Samson's judging Israel for twenty years.

16:1 prostitute. Hebrew has two words for prostitutes. One (qadesh) refers to "cultic prostitutes" who served pagan gods (Gen. 38:21-22; Deut. 23:17; 1 Kings 14:24). The word here (zonah) signifies a second type, the common, "secular" variety (cf. Gen. 38:15).

16:2-3 at the gate. Gates from this period, the Early Iron Age, were elaborate complexes, at least two stories high, with guardrooms flanking a narrow opening. The two posts were set deep in the ground to support the doors. the hill that is in front of Hebron. The ancient route connecting Hebron and Gaza was a journey of c. 40 miles (64 km).

16:4-22 Delilah coordinated her actions with the "lords" of the Philistines to bring down Samson. She persisted and finally succeeded in persuading him to reveal the source of his amazing strength. When he broke the final Nazirite stipulation by allowing his hair to be cut, the Lord left him (v. 20) and he was captured.

16:4-5 Delilah was the third Philistine woman with whom Samson had become entangled (cf. 14:1; 16:1). came up to her and said. Cf. 14:15.

16:7-9 In the first test of Samson's strength, the seven fresh bowstrings, made of animal gut, were weaker than dried and aged strings. Samson's suggestion of these inadequate bonds shows his contempt for his adversaries, and their credulity indicates their haste to capture him. thread of flax. See 15:14.

16:11 new ropes. In the second test, Samson toyed with the Philistines, suggesting that they use the same bonds that the men of Judah had previously found to be worthless (see 15:13).

16:13-14 seven locks of my head. The third test, involving Samson's hair, got closer to the true source of his strength. Made them tight with the pin translates the same Hebrew phrase that was used when Jael drove a tent peg into Sisera's head (4:21). The exact scenario here is unclear, but Samson obviously had no trouble escaping once more. Samson, like Sisera, was unwary in the presence of a woman, naively not suspecting her of posing any danger.

16:16 she pressed him. Delilah did precisely what Samson's wife had done earlier (14:17). Samson's weak character shows through again: he did not learn from his previous mistake, but yielded in both cases.

16:18 told her all his heart. Delilah knew that Samson was finally telling the truth. Earlier, he had withheld his heart from her (v. 15).

16:20-21 the Lord had left him. See note on 14:4. gouged out his eyes. The practice of blinding an enemy and then forcing him to grind grain at a mill is known from ancient Near Eastern texts (e.g., the Tapikka Letters, from a 14th century b.c. Hittite administrative city). The Philistines may have adopted this practice from the Hittites.

16:22 the hair of his head began to grow again. There was no magical power in Samson's hair, for his strength came only from the Lord (14:6, 19; 15:14; 16:20). But the growth of his hair indicates that God was renewing his previous power (cf. vv. 17, 19-20). Samson may also have begun to renew his faith (cf. v. 28).

16:23-27 Despite Samson's humiliation, his life ended with vindication. His hair grew back (v. 22), and he slaughtered 3,000 Philistines (v. 27), more than he had killed previously (v. 30).

16:28-30 Samson demonstrated a measure of faith by calling upon God and believing that God could and would help him (cf. Heb. 11:32). However, Samson seems to have desired God's intervention more for personal revenge than for the protection of God's people. two middle pillars. A temple from the period of the judges has been unearthed at the Philistine site of Tell Qasile. It was built with two central pillars to support the roof of the entire structure, a design distinct from either Canaanite or Israelite temples.

16:31 The main body of the book of Judges now ends, with a final editorial comment about Samson's judging. Samson, the last judge, had been empowered by God's Spirit, just as the first (Othniel) had been. However, much had happened in the interim. Samson and most of his predecessors certainly were not paragons of virtue. Yet, despite the generally poor examples of the judges themselves, God had worked to deliver Israel and to protect his own name and reputation. But the book's message is not yet played out. In the following chapters, the nation's apostasy sinks to even deeper levels, and the stage is set for the coming of a faithful king who will restore moral order.