Samson Encyclopedia of The Bible
Table Of Content
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This would also support the suggestion above that Samson was originally a Canaanite name. SAMSON săm’ sən (שִׁמְשֹׁ֑ון; LXX Σαμψών, G4907, meaning debated; sunny, sun’s man or sun’s child have been proposed). Judge and hero of Israel famous for his prodigious strength displayed against the Philistines (Judg 13-16). Samson and Delilah are some of the most famous Old Testament characters, probably because their story is action-packed. Like so many Bible stories we first heard as children, reading it as adults brings out a wealth of details and lessons we didn’t notice before. Here are things you may not know or have considered about Samson and Delilah.
Samson’s Death
Delilah was different and tomorrow, we will find out that she was well-chosen. Later in the narrative, Samson's enemies would learn that the source of his supernatural strength was his long hair. Once his hair was removed, the powerful judge was blinded and enslaved, although he was allowed one final act of revenge.
History & Culture
It involves becoming part of a community—the partner’s family, the neighborhood they live in—and that community will be affected by whatever choices the couple makes. We would all do better if we considered what community we join when we choose a partner and the responsibilities that brings. Samson pushed over the pillars of the temple of the Philistine god Dagon, destroying the temple and killing himself and thousands of Philistines.
Marriage to a Philistine
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Inspired by our fellowship, I went home and dug deeper into the story, which led me to write this article. Ultimately, my goal is to further explore the theme of God’s empowerment as the main focus of the Samson narratives and convey its significance. He awoke, and rose up, expecting to find himself strong as before; for he did not at first know that his long hair had been cut off. But the vow to the Lord was broken, and the Lord had left him. He was now as weak as other men, and helpless in the hands of his enemies.
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Although the story ends sadly with Samson’s death, we can derive several applications from his life. Placing both hands on pillars supporting the temple, he pushes the two supporting ones apart and kills himself and thousands of Philistines in the process. 31 Later his brothers and other relatives went down to get his body.
The rulers of the Philistines, seeking to exploit his weakness, bribed Delilah to discover the source of Samson’s strength. After multiple failed attempts, Samson finally revealed to Delilah that his strength resided in his uncut hair. The Angel of the Lord states that Manoah's wife was to abstain[12] from all alcoholic drinks, unclean foods, and her promised child was not to shave or cut his hair. The Philistines placed Samson in one of their grain cells where his hair grew back. Sometime later, they were gathered together to celebrate their god, Dagon. They called for Samson to be brought in front of them so that they could mock him.
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”(DK) But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads. And there Samson held a feast,(BC) as was customary for young men. 11 When the people saw him, they chose thirty men to be his companions. 8 Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion’s carcass, and in it he saw a swarm of bees and some honey. 9 He scooped out the honey with his hands and ate as he went along.
Samson first got in trouble when he suggested a riddle that no one but him could solve, with a solution that highlighted his unbeatable strength. He continued to behave arrogantly and take foolish risks throughout his life, ultimately getting him into trouble. Regardless of how skilled or blessed we are, we must be humble. Read the story of Samson and Delilah in one sitting, and Samson looks pretty stupid. Who tells someone their biggest secret after enemies have conveniently shown it after the last three times that the person asked for that secret? Good evidence throughout the story indicates that Samson was arrogant and foolhardy.
But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done. 7 Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her. While the physical act of cutting Samson’s hair is an essential event in the story, it is vital to maintain sight of the profound symbolism and the broader themes and lessons conveyed by the narrative. By looking beyond the mechanics, we can delve into the more profound spiritual and moral aspects of the story and apply its wisdom to our own lives. When Samson became a young man he went down to Timnath, in the land of the Philistines.
And he bowed forward with all his might, and pulled the pillars over with him, bringing down the roof and all upon it upon those that were under it. Samson himself was among the dead; but in his death he killed more of the Philistines than he had killed during his life. But while Samson was in prison, his hair grew long again; and with his hair his strength came back to him; for Samson renewed his vow to the Lord.
When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass. I love that despite his failures, Samson’s story also portrays the possibility of redemption and restoration. This is the symbolism in this story that is a personal reflection for me. In his final act, Samson turned to God in repentance and was granted renewed strength to accomplish a great victory over the Philistines.
Although Samson dies in the process, he ends up killing more of Israel’s enemies than he ever had during his boastful, revengeful days. Of Judges (chs. 13-16) devoted to Samson were built on the theme of a broken vow—a time-honored motif in the history of lit. Even before he was born, Samson was designated as a Nazirite, and the writer took a full chapter to emphasize that (Judg 13).
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In a disorderly, violent time, as Israel fought for land and survival, Deborah was called--and stepped forward--to aid her people. "Our god has given Samson, our enemy, into our hand. Let us be glad together and praise Dagon." And the people said, "Samson did this, because his wife was given by her father to another man." "Coax your husband to tell you the answer. If you do not find it out, we will set your house on fire, and burn you and all your people." Samson’s true love and downfall, Delilah, was sent by the Philistines to destroy him. With his heart on the line, Samson lost his hair and strength.
However, there are several things we often miss about Samson and Delilah’s situation. To better understand what Samson was up against, I went to my Hebrew dictionary to find out what Delilah’s name meant. In Biblical times, a great deal of effort was given to choosing a name for a child. Often names were given that described the child’s calling from God. Other times, names seemed to carry an almost prophetic description of a child’s future.
They took him back home and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol, where his father, Manoah, was buried. Second, if scholars are correct in saying that Delilah lived on the Israel-Philistia border, then the Philistines probably came to attack Samson many times. They may have come to attack him so often that it felt routine, so Samson didn’t put the hints together and realize what Delilah was doing. The animal of his nature was never curbed but instead ran unchained and free. Again she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you! ”(DL) He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric.
Samson was one of the last judges in the Hebrew Book of Judges who arose as a leader of the Jews when they settled in Canaan. He was a Nazirite, known for his incredible strength, the secret of which was discovered by Delilah who betrayed him to the Philistines. 26 Samson said to the young servant who was leading him by the hand, “Place my hands against the pillars that hold up the temple. I want to rest against them.” 27 Now the temple was completely filled with people. All the Philistine rulers were there, and there were about 3,000 men and women on the roof who were watching as Samson amused them.
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