What is the meaning of Judges 16:6? So Delilah said to Samson - The narrative slows to highlight Delilah’s deliberate approach. She is not acting innocently; the Philistine rulers have already bribed her (Judges 16:5), so every word is edged with betrayal. - Like the Philistine woman at Timnah who pressed Samson for his riddle’s answer (Judges 14:15), Delilah uses intimacy to breach Samson’s defenses. - Her speech echoes the seductive, destructive talk warned against in Proverbs 7:21—“With her persuasive words she led him astray”. - This scene reminds us that the enemy often comes through seemingly friendly voices (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). Please tell me - The phrase sounds tender, even affectionate, masking deadly intent. - Such coaxing mirrors the serpent’s invitation in Genesis 3:1 and illustrates James 1:14-15: desire gives birth to sin when enticed. - Samson has already toyed with compromise (Judges 16:1), so Delilah’s plea lands on spiritually weakened soil. The source of your great strength - Delilah wants the secret, but Scripture is clear: “The Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him” (Judges 14:6; 15:14). Samson’s strength is no natural talent; it is God’s gift, tied to his Nazirite consecration (Numbers 6:5). - His uncut hair is a visible seal of that vow, yet the hair itself is not magic; the covenant—and the God who ordained it—is the true source (Judges 13:5). - By entertaining Delilah’s question, Samson flirts with surrendering what makes him distinct for God’s purpose, echoing Hebrews 12:16’s warning against treating holy things casually. And how you can be tied up and subdued - Delilah does not disguise her goal: immobilize and master him. Her frank wording exposes the spirit behind the request—total domination by Israel’s enemies (Judges 16:5). - Scripture repeatedly shows that sin aims to bind: Israel in slavery (Exodus 1:13-14), Samson earlier in Philistine ropes (Judges 15:13), and believers who must “stand firm and do not be encumbered again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). - The contrast is stark: God empowers for deliverance; the enemy schemes for bondage (John 10:10; 1 Peter 5:8). When Samson ultimately reveals his secret (Judges 16:17), he hands the enemy the very chains they crave. summary Delilah’s seemingly gentle request is a calculated assault on the God-given strength that sets Samson apart. Beneath polite words lies a plot to overthrow God’s deliverer and keep Israel in oppression. The verse warns that alluring voices can carry lethal agendas, that covenant gifts must be guarded, and that sin’s true aim is always to bind and subdue. |
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