Judges 13:16

And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(16) Thou must offer it unto the Lord.—Rather, a burnt offering unto the Lord thou mayest offer it. (Comp. Judges 6:20.) Angels invariably discourage and reprove that “worship of angels” (Colossians 2:18), which was the tendency of early Gnostic sects (Daniel 10; Revelation 19:10; Revelation 22:8). The angel might have partaken of earthly food, as we see from Genesis 18:8; Genesis 19:3. Hence Milton says:—

“Food alike these pure

Intelligential substances require,

As doth your rational.”—Par. Lost, 5:418.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

13:15-23 What Manoah asked for instruction in his duty, he was readily told; but what he asked to gratify his curiosity, was denied. God has in his word given full directions concerning our duty, but never designed to answer other questionings. There are secret things which belong not to us, of which we must be quite contented to be ignorant, while in this world. The name of our Lord is wonderful and secret; but by his wonderful works he makes himself known as far as is needful for us. Prayer is the ascent of the soul to God. But without Christ in the heart by faith, our services are offensive smoke; in him, acceptable flame. We may apply this to Christ's sacrifice of himself for us; he ascended in the flame of his own offering, for by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, Heb 9:12. In Manoah's reflections there is great fear; We shall surely die. In his wife's reflection there is great faith. As a help meet for him, she encouraged him. Let believers who have had communion with God in the word and prayer, to whom he has graciously manifested himself, and who have had reason to think God has accepted their works, take encouragement from thence in a cloudy and dark day. God would not have done what he has done for my soul, if he had designed to forsake me, and leave me to perish at last; for his work is perfect. Learn to reason as Manoah's wife; If God designed me to perish under his wrath, he would not give me tokens of his favour.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The language of Manoah, like that of Gideon Judges 6:18, seems to indicate some suspicion that his visitor was more than human. The word rendered "made ready," is also the proper word for "offering a sacrifice," and is so used by the Angel in the next verse. By which it appears that the Angel understood Manoah to speak of offering a kid as a burnt-offering. Hence, his caution, "thou must offer it unto the Lord." (Compare Revelation 19:10; Revelation 22:8; Acts 10:25-26.)

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

Jud 13:15-23. Manoah's Sacrifice.

15. Manoah said unto the angel …, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid—The stranger declined the intended hospitality and intimated that if the meat were to be an offering, it must be presented to the Lord [Jud 13:6]. Manoah needed this instruction, for his purpose was to offer the prepared viands to him, not as the Lord, but as what he imagined him to be, not even an angel (Jud 13:16), but a prophet or merely human messenger. It was on this account, and not as rejecting divine honors, that he spoke in this manner to Manoah. The angel's language was exactly similar to that of our Lord (Mt 19:17).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Bread, i.e. meat, as bread is commonly taken in Scripture.

Unto the Lord; not unto a man, as now thou apprehendest me to be; but unto the Lord, as thou wilt by and by perceive me to be.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And the angel of the Lord said unto Manoah,.... In answer to his request:

though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread; that is, should he be prevailed upon to stay awhile with him, until an entertainment should be got ready, he would not eat of any of his provisions; for "bread" is put for all eatables, or whatsoever he might provide for the entertainment:

and if, or "but if" (n).

thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the Lord; if he meant to provide not a festival entertainment, but a sacrifice, then he should take care that he did not offer it to strange gods, as was now very much the custom with Israel in this their time of apostasy, Judges 13:1 but to the true Jehovah, and not to a servant of his, a prophet or an angel, but to himself:

for Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the Lord; he took him to be a man, a prophet sent of God, and not an angel; and much less the uncreated one, to whom as such only the sacrifice could be offered.

(n) "si autem", V. L. "quod si", Tigurine version; "sin autem", Junius & Tremellius; "si vero", Piscator.

Geneva Study Bible

And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the {h} LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD.

(h) Showing that he did not seek his own honour but God's, whose messenger he was.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

16. I will not eat of thy bread] in the general sense of food; cf. Genesis 3:19; Genesis 47:12, 1 Samuel 14:24, Psalm 136:25. Note the advance in religious ideas: in Genesis 18:8 the Angels eat the meal which Abraham provides; in ch. Jdg 6:18 ff. Gideon is allowed to prepare and cook a meal, but it is consumed by fire, not by the Angel; here the very notion of a meal is repelled (cf. Tob 12:19); if anything is to be presented it must be a burnt offering, and offered to Jehovah. The clause For M. knew not etc. would come more suitably at the end of Jdg 13:15.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 16. - I will not eat of thy bread, etc. The angel refuses to eat of his meat, but suggests that if he would offer the kid as a burnt offering, he must offer it to the Lord. The angel, perhaps perceiving that Manoah was in doubt as to who he might be, had a holy dread lest he might offer the kid to him, just as the angel whom St. John was about to worship said, "See thou do it not" (Revelation 22:9); and Barnabas and Paul ran in among the people of Lycaonia to restrain them from offering sacrifice to them (Acts 14:14-18). The order of the words, which is rightly given in the A.V., makes it a clear direction to offer the sacrifice to no one but the Lord. Judges 13:16

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The angel of the Lord replied, "If thou wilt detain me (sc., that I may eat), I will not eat of thy food (אכל with בּ, to eat thereat, i.e., thereof, as in Exodus 12:43; Leviticus 22:11); but if thou wilt prepare a burnt-offering for Jehovah, then offer it."