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
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Judges 16
Commentary on Judges 16 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 16
Jud 16:1-3. Samson Carries Away the Gates of Gaza.
1, 2. Gaza—now Guzzah, the capital of the largest of the five Philistine principal cities, about fifteen miles southwest of Ashkelon. The object of this visit to this city is not recorded, and unless he had gone in disguise, it was a perilous exposure of his life in one of the enemy's strongholds. It soon became known that he was there; and it was immediately resolved to secure him. But deeming themselves certain of their prey, the Gazites deferred the execution of their measure till the morning.
3. Samson … arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city—A ruinous pile of masonry is still pointed out as the site of the gate. It was probably a part of the town wall, and as this ruin is "toward Hebron," there is no improbability in the tradition.
carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron—That hill is El-Montar; but by Hebron in this passage is meant "the mountains of Hebron"; for otherwise Samson, had he run night and day from the time of his flight from Gaza, could only have come on the evening of the following day within sight of the city of Hebron. The city of Gaza was, in those days, probably not less than three-quarters of an hour distant from El-Montar. To have climbed to the top of this hill with the ponderous doors and their bolts on his shoulders, through a road of thick sand, was a feat which none but a Samson could have accomplished [Van De Velde].
Jud 16:4-14. Delilah Corrupted by the Philistines.
4. he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek—The location of this place is not known, nor can the character of Delilah be clearly ascertained. Her abode, her mercenary character, and her heartless blandishments afford too much reason to believe she was a profligate woman.
5. the lords of the Philistines—The five rulers deemed no means beneath their dignity to overcome this national enemy.
Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth—They probably imagined that he carried some amulet about his person, or was in the possession of some important secret by which he had acquired such herculean strength; and they bribed Delilah, doubtless by a large reward, to discover it for them. She undertook the service and made several attempts, plying all her arts of persuasion or blandishment in his soft and communicative moods, to extract his secret.
7. Samson said …, If they bind me with seven green withs—Vine tendrils, pliant twigs, or twists made of crude vegetable stalks are used in many Eastern countries for ropes at the present day.
8. she bound him with them—probably in a sportive manner, to try whether he was jesting or in earnest.
9. there were men lying in wait, abiding … in the chamber—The Hebrew, literally rendered, is, "in the inner," or "most secret part of the house."
10. And Delilah said—To avoid exciting suspicion, she must have allowed some time to elapse before making this renewed attempt.
12. new ropes—It is not said of what material they were formed; but from their being dried, it is probable they were of twigs, like the former. The Hebrew intimates that they were twisted, and of a thick, strong description.
13. If thou weavest the seven locks of my head—braids or tresses, into which, like many in the East, he chose to plait his hair. Working at the loom was a female employment; and Delilah's appears to have been close at hand. It was of a very simple construction; the woof was driven into the warp, not by a reed, but by a wooden spatula. The extremity of the web was fastened to a pin or stake fixed in the wall or ground; and while Delilah sat squatting at her loom, Samson lay stretched on the floor, with his head reclining on her lap—a position very common in the East.
14. went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web—that is, the whole weaving apparatus.
Jud 16:15-20. He Is Overcome.
16. she pressed him daily with her words—Though disappointed and mortified, this vile woman resolved to persevere; and conscious how completely he was enslaved by his passion for her, she assailed him with a succession of blandishing arts, till she at length discovered the coveted secret.
17. if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me—His herculean powers did not arise from his hair, but from his peculiar relation to God as a Nazarite. His unshorn locks were a sign of his Nazaritism, and a pledge on the part of God that his supernatural strength would be continued.
19. she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head—It is uncertain, however, whether the ancient Hebrews cut off the hair to the same extent as Orientals now. The word employed is sometimes the same as that for shearing sheep, and therefore the instrument might be only scissors.
20. he wist not that the Lord was departed from him—What a humiliating and painful spectacle! Deprived of the divine influences, degraded in his character, and yet, through the infatuation of a guilty passion, scarcely awake to the wretchedness of his fallen condition!
Jud 16:21, 22. The Philistines Took Him and Put Out His Eyes.
21. the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes—To this cruel privation prisoners of rank and consequence have commonly been subjected in the East. The punishment is inflicted in various ways, by scooping out the eyeballs, by piercing the eye, or destroying the sight by holding a red-hot iron before the eyes. His security was made doubly sure by his being bound with fetters of brass (copper), not of leather, like other captives.
he did grind in the prison-house—This grinding with hand-millstones being the employment of menials, he was set to it as the deepest degradation.
22. Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again—It is probable that he had now reflected on his folly; and becoming a sincere penitent, renewed his Nazarite vow. "His hair grew together with his repentance, and his strength with his hairs" [Bishop Hall].
Jud 16:23-25. Their Feast to Dagon.
23. the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon—It was a common practice in heathen nations, on the return of their solemn religious festivals, to bring forth their war prisoners from their places of confinement or slavery; and, in heaping on them every species of indignity, they would offer their grateful tribute to the gods by whose aid they had triumphed over their enemies. Dagon was a sea idol, usually represented as having the head and upper parts human, while the rest of the body resembled a fish.
Jud 16:26-31. His Death.
27. there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport—This building seems to have been similar to the spacious and open amphitheaters well known among the Romans and still found in many countries of the East. They are built wholly of wood. The standing place for the spectators is a wooden floor resting upon two pillars and rising on an inclined plane, so as to enable all to have a view of the area in the center. In the middle there are two large beams, on which the whole weight of the structure lies, and these beams are supported by two pillars placed almost close to each other, so that when these are unsettled or displaced, the whole pile must tumble to the ground.
28. Samson called unto the Lord—His penitent and prayerful spirit seems clearly to indicate that this meditated act was not that of a vindictive suicide, and that he regarded himself as putting forth his strength in his capacity of a public magistrate. He must be considered, in fact, as dying for his country's cause. His death was not designed or sought, except as it might be the inevitable consequence of his great effort. His prayer must have been a silent ejaculation, and, from its being revealed to the historian, approved and accepted of God.
31. Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him—This awful catastrophe seems to have so completely paralyzed the Philistines, that they neither attempted to prevent the removal of Samson's corpse, nor to molest the Israelites for a long time after. Thus the Israelitish hero rendered by his strength and courage signal services to his country, and was always regarded as the greatest of its champions. But his slavish subjection to the domination of his passions was unworthy of so great a man and lessens our respect for his character. Yet he is ranked among the ancient worthies who maintained a firm faith in God (Heb 11:32).