What is the meaning of Judges 16:2? When the Gazites heard that Samson was there • News of Samson’s arrival spreads instantly through Gaza. After the burning of their grain and the slaughter at Lehi (Judges 15:4–8, 15), the Philistines know exactly how dangerous he is. • Fear moves them to act, just as Jericho trembled when it learned Israel had crossed the Jordan (Joshua 2:9–11). • God’s Word shows again that notoriety follows disobedience and obedience alike—Saul feared David’s growing fame (1 Samuel 18:12), but here the feared man is the judge God raised up. they surrounded that place • Instead of open battle, the Gazites opt for a stealth siege, hemming Samson in. • Similar tactics appear when the Aramean army surrounded Dothan to seize Elisha (2 Kings 6:14). • Psalm 118:10–12 pictures the righteous feeling ring-fenced by enemies yet trusting God’s deliverance. Samson’s situation mirrors that tension. and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate • The gate is the only exit; control it and Samson is trapped. In ancient cities, gates represented power and judgment (Ruth 4:1; Judges 9:35). • The enemy believes time is on their side—much like Saul camping around David in the wilderness of Maon (1 Samuel 23:26–28)—but they ignore the God who never sleeps (Psalm 121:4). They were quiet throughout the night • Silence cloaks their plot. Yet Proverbs 1:11–12 warns of men who say, “Let us lie in wait for blood.” • Darkness never hides evil from the Lord (Psalm 139:11–12). The hush outside contrasts with the sovereign plan already unfolding inside the city. saying, “Let us wait until dawn; then we will kill him.” • The dawn they think will seal Samson’s fate will instead display God’s power when he tears out the city gates and walks off with them (Judges 16:3). • Their words echo Proverbs 4:16: “For they cannot sleep unless they do evil.” • God often flips the script at first light—whether at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:24–27) or in Sennacherib’s camp (2 Kings 19:35). The morning belongs to Him (Psalm 30:5). summary Judges 16:2 captures the Philistines’ calculated attempt to neutralize God’s judge: informed of Samson’s presence, they encircle the house, guard the gate, keep silent, and plan murder at dawn. Each move exposes fear, hatred, and reliance on human strategy. Yet the following verse shows that no plot, however carefully crafted, can outmaneuver the Lord’s purpose. The text calls readers to trust God’s unseen protection and to remember that what looks like darkness and entrapment to us is never beyond His power to overturn. |
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