Judges 16 Study Notes: Samson and Delilah
Samson carries off the gates of Gaza, then falls for Delilah, whom the Philistine rulers pay to learn the secret of his strength. Shaved, forsaken by the LORD, blinded and imprisoned, he prays for strength once more, brings down Dagon's temple on the rulers and the crowd, and is buried by his family.
General
After Samson was seized, where did the Philistines take him and what was he forced to do (Judges 16:21)?
Answer: To Gaza, to grind grain as a prisoner
The Philistines captured Samson, blinded him, and brought him to Gaza, bound him in bronze shackles, and made him grind grain as a prisoner (16:21). Gaza was the very city whose gate he had carried off in triumph (16:3); now it became the place of his captivity. Samson had once demanded a wife because she pleased his eyes (14:3); now his eyes were gone, and the strong man was put to forced labor. Scripture states the principle plainly: a person reaps what he sows (Galatians 6:7), and sin will find a person out (Numbers 32:23).
- Judges 16:3 (BSB)“But Samson lay there only until midnight, when he got up, took hold of the doors of the city gate and both gateposts, and pulled them out, bar and all. Then he put them on his shoulders and took them to the top of the mountain overlooking Hebron.”Samson had earlier carried off the gate of Gaza.
- Judges 14:3 (BSB)“But his father and mother replied, “Can’t you find a young woman among your relatives or among any of our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?” But Samson told his father, “Get her for me, for she is pleasing to my eyes.””Samson had demanded the Timnite woman because she pleased his eyes.
- Galatians 6:7 (BSB)“Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.”Whatever a man sows, he will reap.
- Numbers 32:23 (BSB)“But if you do not do this, you will certainly sin against the LORD—and be assured that your sin will find you out.”Sin against the LORD will find a person out.
Theological
Where was the captured Samson taken, and to what labor was he put (Judges 16:21)?
Answer: To Gaza, to grind grain as a prisoner
Blinded and bound in bronze shackles, Samson was taken to Gaza and set to grinding grain as a prisoner (16:21). The city whose gate he had once carried off (16:3) now holds him captive, and the man who once demanded a wife because she pleased his eyes (14:3) has lost his sight. The narrative shows the harvest of his choices, in keeping with the principle that a man reaps what he sows (Galatians 6:7) and that sin finds its doer out (Numbers 32:23).
- Judges 16:3 (BSB)“But Samson lay there only until midnight, when he got up, took hold of the doors of the city gate and both gateposts, and pulled them out, bar and all. Then he put them on his shoulders and took them to the top of the mountain overlooking Hebron.”Samson had earlier carried off the gate of Gaza.
- Judges 14:3 (BSB)“But his father and mother replied, “Can’t you find a young woman among your relatives or among any of our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?” But Samson told his father, “Get her for me, for she is pleasing to my eyes.””Samson had demanded the Timnite woman because she pleased his eyes.
- Galatians 6:7 (BSB)“Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.”Whatever a man sows, he will reap.
- Numbers 32:23 (BSB)“But if you do not do this, you will certainly sin against the LORD—and be assured that your sin will find you out.”Sin against the LORD will find a person out.
General
At their great sacrifice, to whom did the Philistines give the credit for Samson’s capture (Judges 16:23-24)?
Answer: Dagon, the god they gathered to worship
The Philistine rulers gathered for a great sacrifice and celebration, and both the rulers and the people praised Dagon, saying their god had handed over Samson, the enemy who had ravaged their land and killed many of them (16:23-24). Samson’s fall had become an occasion for the Philistines to honor their idol as if it had defeated the LORD’s servant. But the LORD does not give His glory to anyone else, nor His praise to idols (Isaiah 42:8). Later, when the Philistines placed the LORD’s ark in Dagon’s temple, the statue of Dagon fell on its face before it (1 Samuel 5:2-4).
- Judges 16:23-24 (BSB)“Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They rejoiced and said, “Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hands.” And when the people saw him, they praised their god, saying: “Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy who destroyed our land and multiplied our dead.””The Philistines praise Dagon for giving Samson into their hands.
- Isaiah 42:8 (BSB)“I am the LORD; that is My name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols.”The LORD will not give His glory or praise to idols.
- 1 Samuel 5:2-4 (BSB)“carried it into the temple of Dagon, and set it beside his statue. When the people of Ashdod got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and returned him to his place. But when they got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark of the LORD, with his head and his hands broken off and lying on the threshold. Only the torso remained.”Dagon’s statue later fell on its face before the LORD’s ark.
Theological
To whom did the Philistines ascribe Samson’s capture at their festival (Judges 16:23-24)?
Answer: Dagon, the god they gathered to worship
At their great sacrifice the Philistine rulers and people praised Dagon for delivering their enemy Samson into their hands (16:23-24). The festival turns Samson’s fall into a contest of glory between Dagon and the LORD. The LORD will not yield His glory to idols (Isaiah 42:8), and later Dagon’s own statue fell face down before the LORD’s ark (1 Samuel 5:2-4); in this chapter the temple of Dagon’s festival itself collapses.
- Judges 16:23-24 (BSB)“Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They rejoiced and said, “Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hands.” And when the people saw him, they praised their god, saying: “Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy who destroyed our land and multiplied our dead.””The Philistines praise Dagon for giving Samson into their hands.
- Isaiah 42:8 (BSB)“I am the LORD; that is My name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols.”The LORD will not give His glory or praise to idols.
- 1 Samuel 5:2-4 (BSB)“carried it into the temple of Dagon, and set it beside his statue. When the people of Ashdod got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and returned him to his place. But when they got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark of the LORD, with his head and his hands broken off and lying on the threshold. Only the torso remained.”Dagon’s statue later fell on its face before the LORD’s ark.
General
True or False: When Samson pushed against the middle pillars and the building collapsed, he killed more Philistines at his death than he had during his life.
Answer: True
This is true. Bracing himself with one hand on each of the two middle pillars, Samson asked to die along with the Philistines and pushed as hard as he could. The temple collapsed on the rulers and on everyone inside, and the narrator observes that he killed more at his death than in his whole life (16:29-30). The building was packed, all the Philistine rulers were present, and about 3,000 people were watching from the roof (16:27). His death struck the whole Philistine leadership, the very rulers who had paid for his betrayal (16:5). Still, as promised at his birth, Samson only began Israel’s deliverance (13:5); it was in Samuel’s day that the Philistines were brought low and ceased raiding Israel’s land (1 Samuel 7:13).
- Judges 16:27 (BSB)“Now the temple was full of men and women; all the lords of the Philistines were there, and about three thousand men and women were on the roof watching Samson entertain them.”The temple is full, with all the rulers and about 3,000 on the roof.
- Judges 16:29-30 (BSB)“And Samson reached out for the two central pillars supporting the temple. Bracing himself against them with his right hand on one pillar and his left hand on the other, Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people in it. So in his death he killed more than he had killed in his life.”Samson pushes the pillars, the temple falls, and he kills more at his death than in life.
- Judges 13:5 (BSB)“For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.””Samson was to begin Israel’s deliverance from the Philistines.
- 1 Samuel 7:13 (BSB)“So the Philistines were subdued, and they stopped invading the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.”The Philistines were later subdued in the days of Samuel.
Theological
True or False: According to Judges 16:30, the number Samson killed at his death exceeded the number he killed in his lifetime.
Answer: True
This is true. Braced between the two middle pillars, Samson said he would die along with the Philistines and brought the temple down on the rulers and the crowd (16:29-30), with all the rulers present and about 3,000 on the roof (16:27). The blow fell on the leadership that had bought his betrayal (16:5). Yet it fulfilled the limited commission of 13:5: Samson began the deliverance, which was carried further when the Philistines were brought low in Samuel’s day (1 Samuel 7:13).
- Judges 16:27 (BSB)“Now the temple was full of men and women; all the lords of the Philistines were there, and about three thousand men and women were on the roof watching Samson entertain them.”The temple is full, with all the rulers and about 3,000 on the roof.
- Judges 16:29-30 (BSB)“And Samson reached out for the two central pillars supporting the temple. Bracing himself against them with his right hand on one pillar and his left hand on the other, Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people in it. So in his death he killed more than he had killed in his life.”Samson pushes the pillars, the temple falls, and he kills more at his death than in life.
- Judges 13:5 (BSB)“For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.””Samson was to begin Israel’s deliverance from the Philistines.
- 1 Samuel 7:13 (BSB)“So the Philistines were subdued, and they stopped invading the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.”The Philistines were later subdued in the days of Samuel.
General
What did the Philistine rulers promise Delilah if she found out what made Samson so strong (Judges 16:5)?
Answer: 1,100 silver shekels from each one of them
The Philistine rulers came to Delilah and asked her to coax Samson into revealing what made him so strong and how they could bind and overpower him. In return, each of them would pay her 1,100 pieces of silver (16:5). When she later sent word that he had told her everything, they came with the money in hand (16:18). Delilah traded the man who loved her for silver. Scripture warns that loving money lies at the root of every kind of evil (1 Timothy 6:10), and that greed for dishonest profit brings trouble (Proverbs 15:27).
- Judges 16:5 (BSB)“The lords of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice him and find out the source of his great strength and how we can overpower him to tie him up and subdue him. Then each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.””The Philistine rulers each offer Delilah silver to discover Samson’s secret.
- Judges 16:18 (BSB)“When Delilah realized that he had revealed to her all that was in his heart, she sent this message to the lords of the Philistines: “Come up once more, for he has revealed to me all that is in his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came to her, bringing the money in their hands.”The rulers come bringing the money once Delilah sends word.
- 1 Timothy 6:10 (BSB)“For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”Loving money is the root from which all kinds of evil grow.
- Proverbs 15:27 (BSB)“He who is greedy for unjust gain brings trouble on his household, but he who hates bribes will live.”The one greedy for unjust gain brings trouble on his household.
Theological
What payment did the Philistine rulers offer Delilah for discovering and delivering the secret of Samson’s strength (Judges 16:5)?
Answer: 1,100 silver shekels from each one of them
Each Philistine ruler pledged Delilah 1,100 pieces of silver if she could learn how Samson might be bound and subdued (16:5), and they arrived with the money once she reported success (16:18). Her betrayal is a transaction: she sells the man who loves her. Scripture traces such betrayal to loving money (1 Timothy 6:10) and warns that greed for dishonest profit brings ruin (Proverbs 15:27).
- Judges 16:5 (BSB)“The lords of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice him and find out the source of his great strength and how we can overpower him to tie him up and subdue him. Then each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.””The Philistine rulers each offer Delilah silver to discover Samson’s secret.
- Judges 16:18 (BSB)“When Delilah realized that he had revealed to her all that was in his heart, she sent this message to the lords of the Philistines: “Come up once more, for he has revealed to me all that is in his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came to her, bringing the money in their hands.”The rulers come bringing the money once Delilah sends word.
- 1 Timothy 6:10 (BSB)“For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”Loving money is the root from which all kinds of evil grow.
- Proverbs 15:27 (BSB)“He who is greedy for unjust gain brings trouble on his household, but he who hates bribes will live.”The one greedy for unjust gain brings trouble on his household.
General
How did Delilah finally get Samson to tell her the truth (Judges 16:15-16)?
Answer: She pressed him day after day until he gave in
After the third failure, Delilah accused Samson of claiming to love her while his heart was not with her (16:15). She kept on at him every day with words and pleas until he was worn out to the point of death, and then he told her everything (16:16-17). It is the same pattern as the Timnite wife, who wept, told him he did not really love her, and pressed him through the seven-day wedding feast until he gave her the riddle’s answer (14:16-17). Once again Samson gave in to persistent pressure from a woman he loved.
- Judges 16:15-16 (BSB)““How can you say, ‘I love you,’” she asked, “when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and failed to reveal to me the source of your great strength!” Finally, after she had pressed him daily with her words and pleaded until he was sick to death,”Delilah questions Samson’s love and presses him daily until he is worn out.
- Judges 14:16 (BSB)“Then Samson’s wife came to him, weeping, and said, “You hate me! You do not really love me! You have posed to my people a riddle, but have not explained it to me.” “Look,” he said, “I have not even explained it to my father or mother, so why should I explain it to you?””The Timnite wife likewise accused Samson of not really loving her.
- Judges 14:17 (BSB)“She wept the whole seven days of the feast, and finally on the seventh day, because she had pressed him so much, he told her the answer. And in turn she explained the riddle to her people.”Her constant pressure through the feast made Samson tell her the answer.
Theological
By what means did Delilah at last extract the truth from Samson (Judges 16:15-16)?
Answer: She pressed him day after day until he gave in
Delilah turned his love into leverage, charging that his heart was not with her (16:15), and pressed him daily until he was weary to death (16:16). The scene closely repeats the Timnite wife’s tactics at the wedding feast, where the same accusation and relentless pressure won the riddle’s answer (14:16-17). Samson’s weakness is not physical but moral: he repeatedly yields to persistent pressure from the women he loves.
- Judges 16:15-16 (BSB)““How can you say, ‘I love you,’” she asked, “when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and failed to reveal to me the source of your great strength!” Finally, after she had pressed him daily with her words and pleaded until he was sick to death,”Delilah questions Samson’s love and presses him daily until he is worn out.
- Judges 14:16 (BSB)“Then Samson’s wife came to him, weeping, and said, “You hate me! You do not really love me! You have posed to my people a riddle, but have not explained it to me.” “Look,” he said, “I have not even explained it to my father or mother, so why should I explain it to you?””The Timnite wife likewise accused Samson of not really loving her.
- Judges 14:17 (BSB)“She wept the whole seven days of the feast, and finally on the seventh day, because she had pressed him so much, he told her the answer. And in turn she explained the riddle to her people.”Her constant pressure through the feast made Samson tell her the answer.
General
In his final prayer, what reason did Samson give for asking God to strengthen him once more (Judges 16:28)?
Answer: To avenge the loss of his eyes
Brought out to entertain the crowd, Samson called on the Lord GOD to remember him and give him strength one more time, so that in a single blow he could take revenge on the Philistines for the loss of his two eyes (16:28). His stated motive is personal vengeance, and the text records it plainly. Yet God answered. Samson, now blind and helpless, depended wholly on God for strength, and God in His grace used even this flawed prayer to carry forward His purpose of beginning Israel’s deliverance from the Philistines (13:5). God’s answer is mercy, not approval of Samson’s motive; Scripture teaches that vengeance belongs to the LORD (Deuteronomy 32:35), and that He gives strength to the weak (Isaiah 40:29).
- Judges 16:28 (BSB)“Then Samson called out to the LORD: “O Lord GOD, please remember me. Strengthen me, O God, just once more, so that with one vengeful blow I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.””Samson prays for strength once more to repay the Philistines for his eyes.
- Judges 13:5 (BSB)“For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.””God’s purpose was for Samson to begin Israel’s deliverance from the Philistines.
- Deuteronomy 32:35 (BSB)“Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.””Vengeance belongs to the LORD.
- Isaiah 40:29 (BSB)“He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak.”The LORD gives power to the faint and strength to the weak.
Theological
What motive did Samson state in his final petition for strength (Judges 16:28)?
Answer: To avenge the loss of his eyes
Samson asked the Lord GOD to remember and strengthen him once more, to let him repay the Philistines for his two eyes (16:28). The narrator lets the motive of personal revenge stand in Samson’s own words. God nonetheless answered, sovereignly using a mixed petition from a broken man to advance His declared purpose against the Philistines (13:5). The answer is grace, not endorsement: vengeance belongs to the LORD (Deuteronomy 32:35), and He strengthens the faint (Isaiah 40:29).
- Judges 16:28 (BSB)“Then Samson called out to the LORD: “O Lord GOD, please remember me. Strengthen me, O God, just once more, so that with one vengeful blow I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.””Samson prays for strength once more to repay the Philistines for his eyes.
- Judges 13:5 (BSB)“For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.””God’s purpose was for Samson to begin Israel’s deliverance from the Philistines.
- Deuteronomy 32:35 (BSB)“Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.””Vengeance belongs to the LORD.
- Isaiah 40:29 (BSB)“He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak.”The LORD gives power to the faint and strength to the weak.
General
When the men of Gaza waited at the gate of the city to kill Samson at daybreak, what did he do (Judges 16:2-3)?
Answer: Rose at midnight and carried off the gate
Samson traveled to Gaza, a Philistine city, and spent the night with a prostitute there (16:1); the text simply records this, without approval. When the Gazites learned he was in town, they surrounded the place and waited quietly at the gate all night, planning to kill him when morning came (16:2). But Samson got up at midnight, tore loose the city gate’s doors together with both posts and the bar, and carried the load on his shoulders up to the hilltop facing Hebron (16:3). God’s gift of strength was still with him, even though his conduct was far from the holiness of his calling as one set apart to God from birth (13:5; Numbers 6:8).
- Judges 16:1-3 (BSB)“One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to spend the night with her. When the Gazites heard that Samson was there, they surrounded that place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They were quiet throughout the night, saying, “Let us wait until dawn; then we will kill him.” But Samson lay there only until midnight, when he got up, took hold of the doors of the city gate and both gateposts, and pulled them out, bar and all. Then he put them on his shoulders and took them to the top of the mountain overlooking Hebron.”Samson visits Gaza, escapes the ambush, and carries off the city gate.
- Judges 13:5 (BSB)“For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.””Samson was set apart as a Nazirite to God from the womb.
- Numbers 6:8 (BSB)“Throughout the time of his separation, he is holy to the LORD.”A Nazirite is holy to the LORD throughout his separation.
Theological
How did Samson escape the ambush the Gazites laid for him at their city gate (Judges 16:2-3)?
Answer: Rose at midnight and carried off the gate
Samson’s night with a prostitute in Gaza (16:1) is narrated, not approved. The Gazites lay in wait at the gate, intending to kill him at dawn (16:2), but at midnight he pulled out the gate doors, posts and bar and carried them to the hilltop facing Hebron (16:3). The LORD’s endowment of strength continued even while Samson lived far below the holiness of his Nazirite consecration (13:5; Numbers 6:8), a sign of God’s patience rather than of His approval.
- Judges 16:1-3 (BSB)“One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to spend the night with her. When the Gazites heard that Samson was there, they surrounded that place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They were quiet throughout the night, saying, “Let us wait until dawn; then we will kill him.” But Samson lay there only until midnight, when he got up, took hold of the doors of the city gate and both gateposts, and pulled them out, bar and all. Then he put them on his shoulders and took them to the top of the mountain overlooking Hebron.”Samson visits Gaza, escapes the ambush, and carries off the city gate.
- Judges 13:5 (BSB)“For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.””Samson was set apart as a Nazirite to God from the womb.
- Numbers 6:8 (BSB)“Throughout the time of his separation, he is holy to the LORD.”A Nazirite is holy to the LORD throughout his separation.
General
True or False: While Samson was in prison, the narrator notes that his hair started growing again after being shaved.
Answer: True
This is true. Verse 22 is a short note that Samson’s hair started growing again after the shaving (16:22). Placed right after his humiliation, it hints that his story is not over. Yet the text does not present the hair as working automatically: when the moment comes, Samson asks God to strengthen him once more (16:28), and the strength comes as God’s answer. The long hair was the sign of a Nazirite’s separation to God (Numbers 6:5), and God’s purpose for Samson, to begin Israel’s rescue from the Philistines (13:5), had not been cancelled by his failure. The LORD’s mercies never fail (Lamentations 3:22-23).
- Judges 16:22 (BSB)“However, the hair of his head began to grow back after it had been shaved.”Samson’s hair begins to grow back in prison.
- Judges 16:28 (BSB)“Then Samson called out to the LORD: “O Lord GOD, please remember me. Strengthen me, O God, just once more, so that with one vengeful blow I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.””Samson asks God to strengthen him once more.
- Numbers 6:5 (BSB)“For the entire period of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. He must be holy until the time of his separation to the LORD is complete; he must let the hair of his head grow long.”The uncut hair was the sign of a Nazirite’s separation to the LORD.
- Judges 13:5 (BSB)“For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.””God had declared His purpose for Samson against the Philistines before his birth.
- Lamentations 3:22-23 (BSB)“Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!”The LORD’s mercies never fail.
Theological
True or False: The narrator records that Samson’s shaved hair started growing back while he was imprisoned.
Answer: True
This is true. The brief notice of 16:22 signals that the story is not finished. The renewed strength, however, comes in answer to Samson’s prayer (16:28), not mechanically from the hair, which was the sign of Nazirite separation (Numbers 6:5). God’s purpose declared at Samson’s birth (13:5) stands despite Samson’s failure, an instance of the LORD’s unfailing mercy (Lamentations 3:22-23).
- Judges 16:22 (BSB)“However, the hair of his head began to grow back after it had been shaved.”Samson’s hair begins to grow back in prison.
- Judges 16:28 (BSB)“Then Samson called out to the LORD: “O Lord GOD, please remember me. Strengthen me, O God, just once more, so that with one vengeful blow I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.””Samson asks God to strengthen him once more.
- Numbers 6:5 (BSB)“For the entire period of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. He must be holy until the time of his separation to the LORD is complete; he must let the hair of his head grow long.”The uncut hair was the sign of a Nazirite’s separation to the LORD.
- Judges 13:5 (BSB)“For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.””God had declared His purpose for Samson against the Philistines before his birth.
- Lamentations 3:22-23 (BSB)“Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!”The LORD’s mercies never fail.
General
How does the New Testament remember Samson in Hebrews 11:32-34?
Answer: Among the faithful whose weakness was turned to strength
Hebrews 11 names Samson alongside Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, David and Samuel, along with the prophets, people who through faith did great things, including those whose weakness God turned into strength (Hebrews 11:32-34). Samson’s last act fits that description: blind and captive, he called on God, and God gave him strength (16:28). Hebrews commends his faith, not every act of his life; the chapters about him honestly record his night with a prostitute in Gaza, his acts of revenge, and his giving away the secret of his consecration. That God used and commends such a flawed man shows His grace. the Lord told Paul that His power reaches its perfection in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), and He chooses the weak to put the strong to shame (1 Corinthians 1:27).
- Judges 16:28 (BSB)“Then Samson called out to the LORD: “O Lord GOD, please remember me. Strengthen me, O God, just once more, so that with one vengeful blow I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.””Blind and captive, Samson calls on God for strength.
- Hebrews 11:32-34 (BSB)“And what more shall I say? Time will not allow me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the raging fire, and escaped the edge of the sword; who gained strength from weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.”Hebrews names Samson among those who through faith gained strength from weakness.
- 2 Corinthians 12:9 (BSB)“But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.”The Lord tells Paul that His power is brought to perfection in weakness.
- 1 Corinthians 1:27 (BSB)“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”God chooses the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
Theological
How does Hebrews 11:32-34 present Samson?
Answer: Among the faithful whose weakness was turned to strength
Hebrews lists Samson among the heroes of faith, people whose weakness God turned into strength (Hebrews 11:32-34), a description well illustrated by his final dependence on God (16:28). The commendation is of his faith, not an endorsement of his conduct, which Judges records unsparingly. Samson’s inclusion displays sovereign grace: the Lord’s power reaches its perfection in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), and He chooses the weak to put the strong to shame (1 Corinthians 1:27). Acceptance with God rests on grace received through faith, not on the record of the one believing.
- Judges 16:28 (BSB)“Then Samson called out to the LORD: “O Lord GOD, please remember me. Strengthen me, O God, just once more, so that with one vengeful blow I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.””Blind and captive, Samson calls on God for strength.
- Hebrews 11:32-34 (BSB)“And what more shall I say? Time will not allow me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the raging fire, and escaped the edge of the sword; who gained strength from weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.”Hebrews names Samson among those who through faith gained strength from weakness.
- 2 Corinthians 12:9 (BSB)“But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.”The Lord tells Paul that His power is brought to perfection in weakness.
- 1 Corinthians 1:27 (BSB)“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”God chooses the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
General
After his head was shaved and Delilah cried out that the Philistines were upon him, what did Samson fail to realize (Judges 16:20)?
Answer: That the LORD Himself had gone from him
Delilah lulled Samson to sleep in her lap and had a man shave off his seven locks; she began to overpower him, and his power was gone (16:19). Waking, Samson assumed he would break free as he had every time before. But he was unaware that the LORD Himself had left him (16:20). This is one of the most sobering lines in the book: Samson could lose the LORD’s empowering presence without even noticing. A similar thing is said of King Saul, from whom the LORD’s Spirit departed (1 Samuel 16:14), and the New Testament warns that anyone sure of his own footing must take care lest he fall (1 Corinthians 10:12). The verse is about the LORD withdrawing the strength He had given Samson for his task as deliverer; it does not settle Samson’s eternal standing, and Hebrews later names him among the people of faith (Hebrews 11:32-33).
- Judges 16:19-20 (BSB)“And having lulled him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his head. In this way she began to subdue him, and his strength left him. Then she called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” When Samson awoke from his sleep, he thought, “I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.”Samson is shaved, his strength leaves, and he does not know the LORD has departed.
- 1 Samuel 16:14 (BSB)“Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a spirit of distress from the LORD began to torment him.”The LORD’s Spirit likewise departed from Saul.
- 1 Corinthians 10:12 (BSB)“So the one who thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to fall.”Whoever thinks he stands firm should take care not to fall.
- Hebrews 11:32-33 (BSB)“And what more shall I say? Time will not allow me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,”Hebrews still names Samson among those who acted through faith.
Theological
What does Judges 16:20 say Samson did not know when he woke, intending to shake himself free?
Answer: That the LORD Himself had gone from him
After Delilah had his seven locks shaved and his strength was gone (16:19), Samson rose expecting to escape as before, unaware that the LORD Himself had left him (16:20). The tragedy lies in his ignorance: the empowering presence was withdrawn and he did not perceive it. The parallel with Saul (1 Samuel 16:14) and the warning against presumption (1 Corinthians 10:12) apply. The withdrawal concerns God’s empowering of Samson for his role as deliverer, not a verdict on his eternal state; Hebrews counts him among those who acted through faith (Hebrews 11:32-33).
- Judges 16:19-20 (BSB)“And having lulled him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his head. In this way she began to subdue him, and his strength left him. Then she called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” When Samson awoke from his sleep, he thought, “I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.”Samson is shaved, his strength leaves, and he does not know the LORD has departed.
- 1 Samuel 16:14 (BSB)“Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a spirit of distress from the LORD began to torment him.”The LORD’s Spirit likewise departed from Saul.
- 1 Corinthians 10:12 (BSB)“So the one who thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to fall.”Whoever thinks he stands firm should take care not to fall.
- Hebrews 11:32-33 (BSB)“And what more shall I say? Time will not allow me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,”Hebrews still names Samson among those who acted through faith.
General
Who came for Samson’s body after his death, and where was he buried (Judges 16:31)?
Answer: His brothers and kin, in Manoah’s tomb
Samson’s brothers and the rest of his father’s family went down, took up his body, and laid him in his father Manoah’s tomb, in the land between Eshtaol and Zorah (16:31). His story ends where it began: his father Manoah was a Danite from Zorah (13:2), and the LORD’s Spirit had first begun to stir Samson in that same area (13:25). The narrator closes by repeating that Samson judged Israel for twenty years (16:31; compare 15:20).
- Judges 16:31 (BSB)“Then Samson’s brothers and his father’s family came down, carried him back, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. And he had judged Israel twenty years.”Samson’s family buries him in Manoah’s tomb; he had judged Israel twenty years.
- Judges 13:2 (BSB)“Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children.”Manoah was a Danite from Zorah.
- Judges 13:25 (BSB)“And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him at Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.”The LORD’s Spirit first began to stir Samson between Zorah and Eshtaol.
Theological
Who retrieved and buried Samson, and in whose tomb was he laid (Judges 16:31)?
Answer: His brothers and kin, in Manoah’s tomb
Samson’s brothers and the rest of his father’s household came down and buried him in Manoah’s tomb between Eshtaol and Zorah (16:31). The narrative comes full circle to the region of his Danite family (13:2) and of the Spirit’s first stirring (13:25), and it closes with the formula repeated from 15:20 about his twenty years as judge.
- Judges 16:31 (BSB)“Then Samson’s brothers and his father’s family came down, carried him back, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. And he had judged Israel twenty years.”Samson’s family buries him in Manoah’s tomb; he had judged Israel twenty years.
- Judges 13:2 (BSB)“Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children.”Manoah was a Danite from Zorah.
- Judges 13:25 (BSB)“And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him at Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.”The LORD’s Spirit first began to stir Samson between Zorah and Eshtaol.
General
When Samson finally told Delilah everything, what did he say lay behind his strength (Judges 16:17)?
Answer: His uncut hair as a Nazirite from the womb
Samson revealed that no razor had ever touched his head, because he had been set apart to God as a Nazirite since before he was born; if he were shaved, his strength would leave him (16:17). A Nazirite was someone set apart to the LORD under a special vow, and one sign of that separation was letting the hair grow long, untouched by a razor (Numbers 6:5). The angel had told his mother this before his birth (13:5). The uncut hair was the outward mark of Samson’s dedication to God, but the strength itself came from the LORD, as 16:19-20 shows: when his power was gone, the narrator adds that the LORD Himself had gone from him.
- Judges 16:17 (BSB)“Samson told her all that was in his heart: “My hair has never been cut, because I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, my strength will leave me, and I will become as weak as any other man.””Samson tells Delilah his hair has never been cut because he is a Nazirite.
- Judges 16:20 (BSB)“Then she called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” When Samson awoke from his sleep, he thought, “I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.”The loss of Samson’s strength is explained by the LORD’s departure.
- Judges 13:5 (BSB)“For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.””The angel announced that no razor would touch Samson’s head because he would be a Nazirite.
- Numbers 6:5 (BSB)“For the entire period of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. He must be holy until the time of his separation to the LORD is complete; he must let the hair of his head grow long.”Under the Nazirite vow no razor touched the head and the hair grew long.
Theological
What did Samson identify to Delilah as bound up with his strength (Judges 16:17)?
Answer: His uncut hair as a Nazirite from the womb
Samson disclosed that he had been set apart as a Nazirite since before birth and that no razor had ever touched his head (16:17), the very terms of the angel’s announcement (13:5) and of the Nazirite law, under which the uncut hair marked the vow of separation (Numbers 6:5). The hair was the sign of consecration, not a magical source; the narrator locates the real cause of Samson’s loss of strength in the LORD’s departure (16:20).
- Judges 16:17 (BSB)“Samson told her all that was in his heart: “My hair has never been cut, because I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, my strength will leave me, and I will become as weak as any other man.””Samson tells Delilah his hair has never been cut because he is a Nazirite.
- Judges 16:20 (BSB)“Then she called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” When Samson awoke from his sleep, he thought, “I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.”The loss of Samson’s strength is explained by the LORD’s departure.
- Judges 13:5 (BSB)“For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.””The angel announced that no razor would touch Samson’s head because he would be a Nazirite.
- Numbers 6:5 (BSB)“For the entire period of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. He must be holy until the time of his separation to the LORD is complete; he must let the hair of his head grow long.”Under the Nazirite vow no razor touched the head and the hair grew long.
General
Samson gave Delilah three false explanations of how he could be subdued. Which of these was NOT one of them (Judges 16:6-14)?
Answer: Binding his hands with iron chains
Samson first told Delilah that seven fresh, undried bowstrings would make him weak, then that brand-new ropes would, and then that weaving his seven locks of hair into a loom’s web would do it. Each time Delilah tried it, the first two times with men lying in wait in her room, and each time he broke free (16:7-14). Iron chains were never one of his answers. The second answer was especially empty, since new ropes had already failed to hold him at Lehi (15:13-14), and the third came dangerously close to the truth by involving his hair. Delilah complained that he had mocked her and lied to her (16:10, 13). Samson kept playing with the trap that his desire had led him into, the way a person is lured and enticed by his own desires (James 1:14).
- Judges 16:7 (BSB)“Samson told her, “If they tie me up with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I will become as weak as any other man.””Samson’s first answer: seven fresh, undried bowstrings.
- Judges 16:11 (BSB)“He replied, “If they tie me up with new ropes that have never been used, I will become as weak as any other man.””Samson’s second answer: new ropes that have never been used.
- Judges 16:13 (BSB)“Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me and lied to me all along! Tell me how you can be tied up.” He told her, “If you weave the seven braids of my head into the web of a loom and tighten it with a pin, I will become as weak as any other man.””Samson’s third answer: weaving his seven braids into the web of a loom.
- Judges 15:13-14 (BSB)““No,” they answered, “we will not kill you, but we will tie you up securely and hand you over to them.” So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock. When Samson arrived in Lehi, the Philistines came out shouting against him. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him. The ropes on his arms became like burnt flax, and the bonds broke loose from his hands.”New ropes had already failed to hold Samson at Lehi.
- James 1:14 (BSB)“But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed.”A person is lured and enticed by his own evil desires.
Theological
Which of the following was NOT among the three false methods Samson gave Delilah for subduing him (Judges 16:6-14)?
Answer: Binding his hands with iron chains
Samson’s three deceptions were seven undried bowstrings, new unused ropes, and weaving his seven locks into a loom (16:7-14); iron chains were never mentioned. Each was tested, the first two with men lying in wait in her room (16:9, 12), and each failed. New ropes had already proved useless at Lehi (15:13-14), and the third lie moved toward his hair, the very mark of his consecration. Samson trifles with the snare his own desire has set, illustrating how one is lured and enticed by his own desires (James 1:14).
- Judges 16:7 (BSB)“Samson told her, “If they tie me up with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I will become as weak as any other man.””Samson’s first answer: seven fresh, undried bowstrings.
- Judges 16:11 (BSB)“He replied, “If they tie me up with new ropes that have never been used, I will become as weak as any other man.””Samson’s second answer: new ropes that have never been used.
- Judges 16:13 (BSB)“Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me and lied to me all along! Tell me how you can be tied up.” He told her, “If you weave the seven braids of my head into the web of a loom and tighten it with a pin, I will become as weak as any other man.””Samson’s third answer: weaving his seven braids into the web of a loom.
- Judges 15:13-14 (BSB)““No,” they answered, “we will not kill you, but we will tie you up securely and hand you over to them.” So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock. When Samson arrived in Lehi, the Philistines came out shouting against him. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him. The ropes on his arms became like burnt flax, and the bonds broke loose from his hands.”New ropes had already failed to hold Samson at Lehi.
- James 1:14 (BSB)“But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed.”A person is lured and enticed by his own evil desires.
General
True or False: Delilah was the woman Samson visited in Gaza, where the city’s men set an ambush for him at the gate.
Answer: False
This is false. The Gaza episode involves an unnamed prostitute in that city (16:1-3). Delilah is introduced afterward as a woman living in the Sorek Valley whom Samson came to love (16:4). Both are different from the Philistine woman of Timnah whom he insisted on marrying because she pleased him (14:3), and who was later given to his companion (14:20). Keeping the three women apart shows a pattern in Samson’s life: again and again, his desire for a woman led him into danger among the Philistines.
- Judges 16:1 (BSB)“One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to spend the night with her.”In Gaza Samson spends the night with an unnamed prostitute.
- Judges 16:4 (BSB)“Some time later, Samson fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.”Delilah is introduced as a woman living in the Sorek Valley whom Samson loved.
- Judges 14:3 (BSB)“But his father and mother replied, “Can’t you find a young woman among your relatives or among any of our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?” But Samson told his father, “Get her for me, for she is pleasing to my eyes.””Samson demanded the Timnite woman because she pleased him.
- Judges 14:20 (BSB)“and his wife was given to one of the men who had accompanied him.”The Timnite wife was given to one of Samson’s attendants.
Theological
True or False: The woman Samson visited in Gaza, the city where he was ambushed at the gate, was Delilah.
Answer: False
This is false. The Gaza woman is an unnamed prostitute (16:1-3); Delilah lives in the Sorek Valley and is introduced only afterward (16:4); and both are distinct from the Timnite wife Samson demanded because she pleased him (14:3) and who was then given to his companion (14:20). The three episodes form a pattern in which Samson’s desires repeatedly draw him into danger among the Philistines.
- Judges 16:1 (BSB)“One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to spend the night with her.”In Gaza Samson spends the night with an unnamed prostitute.
- Judges 16:4 (BSB)“Some time later, Samson fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.”Delilah is introduced as a woman living in the Sorek Valley whom Samson loved.
- Judges 14:3 (BSB)“But his father and mother replied, “Can’t you find a young woman among your relatives or among any of our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?” But Samson told his father, “Get her for me, for she is pleasing to my eyes.””Samson demanded the Timnite woman because she pleased him.
- Judges 14:20 (BSB)“and his wife was given to one of the men who had accompanied him.”The Timnite wife was given to one of Samson’s attendants.