Judges 16:1
New International Version
One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her.

New Living Translation
One day Samson went to the Philistine town of Gaza and spent the night with a prostitute.

English Standard Version
Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a prostitute, and he went in to her.

Berean Standard Bible
One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to spend the night with her.

King James Bible
Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.

New King James Version
Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her.

New American Standard Bible
Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a prostitute there, and had relations with her.

NASB 1995
Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her.

NASB 1977
Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there and went in to her.

Amplified Bible
Then Samson went to Gaza and saw a prostitute there, and went in to her.

Christian Standard Bible
Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went to bed with her.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went to bed with her.

American Standard Version
And Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a harlot, and went in unto her.

Contemporary English Version
One day while Samson was in Gaza, he saw a prostitute and went to her house to spend the night.

English Revised Version
And Samson went to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Samson went to Gaza. There he saw a prostitute and slept with her.

Good News Translation
One day Samson went to the Philistine city of Gaza, where he met a prostitute and went to bed with her.

International Standard Version
Sometime later, Samson went to Gaza, saw a prostitute there, and went in to have sex with her.

Majority Standard Bible
One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to spend the night with her.

NET Bible
Samson went to Gaza. There he saw a prostitute and went in to have sex with her.

New Heart English Bible
And Samson went from there to Gaza, and saw a prostitute there, and went in to her.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there a harlot, and went in to her.

World English Bible
Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a prostitute, and went in to her.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And Samson goes to Gaza, and sees a woman there, a harlot, and goes in to her;

Young's Literal Translation
And Samson goeth to Gaza, and seeth there a woman, a harlot, and goeth in unto her;

Smith's Literal Translation
And Samson will go to Gaza, and he will see there a woman, a harlot, and he will go in to her.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
He went also into Gaza, and saw there a woman a harlot, and went in unto her.

Catholic Public Domain Version
He also went into Gaza. And there he saw a harlot woman, and he entered to her.

New American Bible
Once Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and visited her.

New Revised Standard Version
Once Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to her.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
THEN Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a harlot, and he went in unto her.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Samson went on to Azath and he saw there a woman, a whore, and he went into union with her at Azath
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a harlot, and went in unto her.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Sampson went to Gaza, and saw there a harlot, and went in to her.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Samson Escapes Gaza
1One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to spend the night with her. 2When 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.”…

Cross References
Judges 14:1-3
One day Samson went down to Timnah, where he saw a young Philistine woman. / So he returned and told his father and mother, “I have seen a daughter of the Philistines in Timnah. Now get her for me as a wife.” / 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.”

Judges 15:20
And Samson judged Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

Proverbs 6:26
For the levy of the prostitute is poverty, and the adulteress preys upon your very life.

Proverbs 7:25-27
Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths. / For she has brought many down to death; her slain are many in number. / Her house is the road to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death.

Proverbs 23:27-28
For a prostitute is a deep pit, and an adulteress is a narrow well. / Like a robber she lies in wait and multiplies the faithless among men.

1 Kings 11:1-4
King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh—women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon, as well as Hittite women. / These women were from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, for surely they will turn your hearts after their gods.” Yet Solomon clung to these women in love. / He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines—and his wives turned his heart away. ...

Nehemiah 13:26
Did not King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many nations, and he was loved by his God, who made him king over all Israel—yet foreign women drew him into sin.

Genesis 19:1-5
Now the two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them, bowed facedown, / and said, “My lords, please turn aside into the house of your servant; wash your feet and spend the night. Then you can rise early and go on your way.” “No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.” / But Lot insisted so strongly that they followed him into his house. He prepared a feast for them and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. ...

Genesis 38:15-18
When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face. / Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.” “What will you give me for sleeping with you?” she inquired. / “I will send you a young goat from my flock,” Judah answered. But she replied, “Only if you leave me something as a pledge until you send it.” ...

2 Samuel 11:2-4
One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman. / So David sent and inquired about the woman, and he was told, “This is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” / Then David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. (Now she had just purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned home.

Hosea 4:14
I will not punish your daughters when they prostitute themselves, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery. For the men themselves go off with prostitutes and offer sacrifices with shrine prostitutes. So a people without understanding will come to ruin.

Matthew 5:28
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 21:31-32
Which of the two did the will of his father?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. / For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

Luke 15:30
But when this son of yours returns from squandering your wealth with prostitutes, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

John 8:3-11
The scribes and Pharisees, however, brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before them / and said, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. / In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. So what do You say?” ...


Treasury of Scripture

Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in to her.

Gaza.

Genesis 10:19
And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.

Joshua 15:47
Ashdod with her towns and her villages, Gaza with her towns and her villages, unto the river of Egypt, and the great sea, and the border thereof:

an harlot.

Genesis 38:16-18
And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me? …

Ezra 9:1,2
Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites…

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Judges 16
1. Samson at Gaza escapes, and carries away the gates of the city
4. Delilah corrupted by the Philistines, entices Samson
6. Thrice she is deceived
15. At last she overcomes him
21. The Philistines take him, and put out his eyes
22. His strength renewing, he pulls down the house upon the Philistines and dies














One day
The phrase "One day" suggests a specific moment in time, indicating a transition in the narrative. It serves as a reminder that the events of Samson's life are part of a larger divine timeline. In the Hebrew context, this phrase can denote a significant turning point, emphasizing the unfolding of God's plan despite human actions.

Samson
Samson, a judge of Israel, is a complex figure known for his extraordinary strength and flawed character. His name in Hebrew, "Shimshon," is derived from "shemesh," meaning "sun," symbolizing brightness and strength. Samson's life is a testament to the potential and pitfalls of divine gifting, illustrating how God can use imperfect individuals to fulfill His purposes.

went to Gaza
Gaza was one of the five Philistine cities, representing the heart of Israel's enemies. Archaeologically, Gaza was a significant city with strong fortifications. Samson's journey to Gaza signifies a deliberate move into enemy territory, highlighting his boldness but also his vulnerability to temptation and danger.

where he saw a prostitute
The act of seeing a prostitute indicates a moment of moral and spiritual weakness. In the Hebrew text, the word for "saw" can imply not just physical sight but also desire and intent. This encounter reflects Samson's recurring struggle with lust, a theme that underscores the tension between his divine calling and human frailty.

and went in to spend the night with her
This phrase reveals Samson's decision to engage in sin, illustrating the consequences of yielding to temptation. The Hebrew verb for "went in" often implies intimacy, marking a departure from his Nazirite vow. This action foreshadows the ensuing conflict and serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of compromising one's spiritual commitments.

(1) Then went Samson to Gaza.--Rather, And Samson, &c. The narrative is brief and detached. Gaza is near the sea, and was the chief town of the Philistines, in the very heart of their country. It is useless to inquire how Samson could venture there in safety, or whether he went in disguise, or what was his object in going there; to such side-questions the narrative gives us no reply.

Verse 1. - Then. It should be and. There is nothing to show when the incident occurred. It may have been many years after his victory at hal-Lechi, towards the latter part of his twenty years' judgeship. Gaza, now Ghuzzeh, one of the five chief cities of the Philistines, once a strong place, but now a large open town. It was the last town in South-West Palestine on the road from Jerusalem to Egypt (Acts 8:26, 27). It played an important part in history in all ages - in the times, of the Pharaohs, the Seleucidae, the Maccabees, the Romans, the Khalifs, and the Crusaders. It was within the limits of the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:47). It is first mentioned in Genesis 10:19, as the south-west border of the Canaanites. Its real transliteration from the Hebrew is Azzah, as it is actually expressed in the A.V. of Deuteronomy 2:23, and 1 Kings 4:24. Gaza is the Greek form.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
One day Samson
שִׁמְשׁ֖וֹן (šim·šō·wn)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 8123: Samson -- a deliverer of Israel

went
וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ (way·yê·leḵ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

to Gaza,
עַזָּ֑תָה (‘az·zā·ṯāh)
Noun - proper - feminine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5804: A Philistine city

where
שָׁם֙ (šām)
Adverb
Strong's 8033: There, then, thither

he saw
וַיַּרְא־ (way·yar-)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7200: To see

a prostitute
זוֹנָ֔ה (zō·w·nāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2181: To commit adultery, to commit idolatry

and went in to spend the night
וַיָּבֹ֖א (way·yā·ḇō)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

with her.
אֵלֶֽיהָ׃ (’ê·le·hā)
Preposition | third person feminine singular
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to


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OT History: Judges 16:1 Samson went to Gaza and saw there (Jd Judg. Jdg)
Judges 15:20
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