Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze shackles and forced to grind grain in the prison. Then the Philistines seized him,Samson’s capture followed his surrender of the secret connected with his Nazirite consecration and the Lord’s departure from him (Judges 16:20). Israel’s divinely appointed judge had repeatedly presumed upon God’s strength while pursuing his own desires. The Philistines’ victory over Samson revealed the grave cost of treating holy calling as a matter of personal convenience. 2Ch 33:11 So the LORD brought against them the military commanders…
2Ki 24:15-16 Nebuchadnezzar carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon,…
1Sa 5:1 After the Philistines had captured the ark of God,…
gouged out his eyes, The Philistines brutally humiliated and incapacitated their prisoner. Samson had often followed what pleased his eyes, yet he had failed to perceive the spiritual danger in his choices and in Delilah’s persistent betrayal. His physical blindness portrayed the deeper blindness that had marked his decline. 2Ki 25:7 And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes.…
Jer 52:11 Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him…
1Sa 11:2 But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty…
and brought him down to Gaza, Gaza was a major Philistine stronghold where Samson had once escaped by carrying away the gates of the city (Judges 16:1–3). He returned to the same city not as a conqueror but as a captive. The reversal displayed the completeness of his fall and supplied the setting for God’s later judgment upon the Philistine rulers. 2Ki 18:8 He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its borders,…
Jos 13:3 from the Shihor east of Egypt to the territory of Ekron…
Amo 1:6-7 This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions…
where he was bound with bronze shackles The man who had broken ropes, cords, and restraints now remained helpless in heavy bonds. Samson’s strength had never been inherent in his body; it had been granted by the Lord for the deliverance of Israel. His shackles exposed the emptiness of strength separated from faithful obedience. 2Ch 36:6 Then Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against…
Psa 149:8 to bind their kings with chains……
Psa 105:18 They bruised his feet with shackles and placed his neck…
and forced to grind grain in the prison. Grinding grain was degrading labor commonly assigned to slaves and prisoners. Samson, once Israel’s deliverer, was made to serve the enemies he had been raised up to oppose. Yet his imprisonment was not the end of God’s purpose, for as his hair began to grow again, the Lord prepared him for a final act of judgment against the Philistines. Isa 47:2 Take millstones and grind flour; remove your veil;…
Exo 11:5 every firstborn son in the land of Egypt will die…
Lam 5:13 Young men toil at millstones; boys stagger…
Persons / Places / Events 1. SamsonA judge of Israel known for his supernatural strength, which was a gift from God tied to his Nazirite vow. His downfall came through his relationship with Delilah, who betrayed him to the Philistines. 2. PhilistinesA group of people who were enemies of Israel. They captured Samson after Delilah revealed the secret of his strength. 3. GazaA Philistine city where Samson was taken after his capture. It symbolizes the place of his humiliation and suffering. 4. DelilahAlthough not mentioned in this specific verse, she played a crucial role in Samson's capture by betraying him to the Philistines. 5. PrisonRepresents the physical and spiritual bondage that Samson experienced as a result of his disobedience and the consequences of his actions. Teaching Points The Consequences of DisobedienceSamson's capture and suffering are direct results of his disobedience to God's commands. This serves as a reminder of the serious consequences that can follow when we stray from God's path. The Danger of Pride and ComplacencySamson's account illustrates how pride and complacency can lead to a fall. Believers are encouraged to remain humble and vigilant in their walk with God. God's Sovereignty and RedemptionDespite Samson's failures, God used him to begin delivering Israel from the Philistines. This demonstrates God's ability to work through our weaknesses and failures for His purposes. The Importance of Spiritual VigilanceSamson's physical blindness is symbolic of his spiritual blindness. Believers are called to remain spiritually vigilant and aware of the enemy's schemes. Hope in RepentanceSamson's account ends with a redemptive act, showing that repentance and turning back to God can lead to restoration and fulfillment of God's purposes. Bible Study Questions 1. What can we learn from Samson's life about the importance of obedience to God's commands? 2. How does Samson's account illustrate the dangers of pride and self-reliance? 3. In what ways does the account of Samson's capture and suffering reflect the consequences of sin in our own lives? 4. How can we apply the lesson of spiritual vigilance from Samson's account to our daily walk with God? 5. What does Samson's eventual act of faith and redemption teach us about God's grace and the possibility of restoration after failure? Connections to Other Scriptures Judges 13-16Provides the full account of Samson's life, including his birth, exploits, and eventual downfall. Hebrews 11:32Mentions Samson in the "Hall of Faith," highlighting that despite his failures, he was a man of faith. Proverbs 16:18Speaks to the theme of pride leading to destruction, which is evident in Samson's account. 1 Corinthians 10:12Warns believers to be careful lest they fall, a principle seen in Samson's overconfidence and eventual downfall. | Strength Profaned and Lost | Alexander Maclaren | Judges 16:21 | | A Grist from the Prison Mill of Gaza | . A. Scott, D. D. | Judges 16:1-31 | | As At Other Times | J. Durran. | Judges 16:1-31 | | Blessed and Tragic Unconsciousness | A. Maclaren | Judges 16:1-31 | | How not to Pray | J. Parker, D. D. | Judges 16:1-31 | | Ignominious Tasks | R. A. Watson, M. A. | Judges 16:1-31 | | Individulalism in Religion | R. Balgarnie, D. D. | Judges 16:1-31 | | Lessons from the Life of Samson | Abp. Wm. Alexander. | Judges 16:1-31 | | Loss of Strength | W. M. Taylor, D. D. | Judges 16:1-31 | | Lost Grace Unrealised | R. Rogers. | Judges 16:1-31 | | Man's Cannot and Man's Can: a New Year's Address | Homilist | Judges 16:1-31 | | Man's Power for God's Work | Homilist | Judges 16:1-31 | | Moral Strength | Joseph Ritson. | Judges 16:1-31 | | Our Champion | | Judges 16:1-31 | | Pleasure and Peril in Gaza | R. A. Watson, M. A. | Judges 16:1-31 | | Samson Conquered | Spurgeon, Charles Haddon | Judges 16:1-31 | | Samson Shorn of His Strength | The Preacher's Monthly | Judges 16:1-31 | | Samson, the Jewish Hercules | Homilist | Judges 16:1-31 | | Shaven and Shorn, But not Beyond Hope | Spurgeon, Charles Haddon | Judges 16:1-31 | | Strength Lost | H. J. Bevis. | Judges 16:1-31 | | Strength Lost and Restored | H. J. Bevis. | Judges 16:1-31 | | The Death of Samson | G. M. Boynton. | Judges 16:1-31 | | The Evil of Knowing Evil | J. C. Coghlan, D. D. | Judges 16:1-31 | | The Fall and Rise of a Great Man | Homilist | Judges 16:1-31 | | The Giant's Locks | T. De Witt Talmage. | Judges 16:1-31 | | The Gradual and Subtle Advance of Sin | Bp. Boyd Carpenter. | Judges 16:1-31 | | The Influence of Amusements on Character and Destiny | T. De Witt Talmage. | Judges 16:1-31 | | The Man Who has Trifled Once Too Often | Dean Vaughan. | Judges 16:1-31 | | The Secret of Samson's Strength | J. Clifford, D. D. | Judges 16:1-31 | | The Victim and the Victor | E. P. Hood. | Judges 16:1-31 | | The Weakness of Strength | G. Elliott. | Judges 16:1-31 | | The Withdrawal of Divine Influences | J. Williamson. | Judges 16:1-31 | | Samson's Betrayal and Fall | A.F. Muir | Judges 16:4-21 | | A Hero's Exodus | A.F. Muir | Judges 16:21-31 |
People Dagon, Delilah, Gazathites, Gazites, Manoah, SamsonPlaces Eshtaol, Gaza, Hebron, Valley of Sorek, ZorahTopics Bands, Bind, Binding, Bound, Brass, Brazen, Bring, Bronze, Chaining, Chains, Crushing, Fetters, Gaza, Gouged, Grain, Grind, Grinder, Grinding, Ground, Hold, Laid, Mill, Philistines, Pick, Prison, Prison-house, Seize, Seized, ShacklesDictionary of Bible Themes Judges 16:21 4312 bronze
4462 grinding
5134 blindness, natural
5296 disabilities
5372 knife
5418 monotony
5460 prison
5461 prisoners
5584 torture Judges 16:1-22 5155 hair Judges 16:18-21 5979 waste Library Strength Profaned and Lost
'But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison-house. 22, Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven. 23. Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand. 24. And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureSamson Conquered
Now, why have I narrated this story? Why should I direct your attention to Samson? For this reason. Every child of God is a consecrated man. His consecration is not typified by any outward symbol; we are not commanded to let our hair grow for ever, nor to abstain from meats or drinks. The Christian is a consecrated man, but his consecration is unseen by his fellows, except in the outward deeds which are the result thereof. And now I want to speak to you, my dear friends, as consecrated men, as Nazarites, …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858 Whether it is Lawful to Kill Oneself?
Objection 1: It would seem lawful for a man to kill himself. For murder is a sin in so far as it is contrary to justice. But no man can do an injustice to himself, as is proved in Ethic. v, 11. Therefore no man sins by killing himself. Objection 2: Further, it is lawful, for one who exercises public authority, to kill evil-doers. Now he who exercises public authority is sometimes an evil-doer. Therefore he may lawfully kill himself. Objection 3: Further, it is lawful for a man to suffer spontaneously …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica Christian Ballads.
Echoes of Hebrew thought, if not Hebrew psalmody, may have made their way into the more serious pagan literature. At least in the more enlightened pagans there has ever revealed itself more or less the instinct of the human soul that "feels after" God. St. Paul in his address to the Athenians made a tactful as well as scholarly point to preface a missionary sermon when he cited a line from a poem of Aratus (B.C. 272) familiar, doubtless, to the majority of his hearers. Dr. Lyman Abbot has thus translated …
Theron Brown—The Story of the Hymns and Tunes Blessed and Tragic Unconsciousness
'... Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.'--EXODUS xxxiv. 29. '... And Samson wist not that the Lord had departed from him.'--JUDGES xvi. 20. The recurrence of the same phrase in two such opposite connections is very striking. Moses, fresh from the mountain of vision, where he had gazed on as much of the glory of God as was accessible to man, caught some gleam of the light which he adoringly beheld; and a strange radiance sat on his face, unseen by himself, but …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Here, by Way of Objection, Several Questions are Raised. ...
Here, by way of objection, several questions are raised. Scripture relates that God sometimes complied with certain prayers which had been dictated by minds not duly calmed or regulated. It is true, that the cause for which Jotham imprecated on the inhabitants of Shechem the disaster which afterwards befell them was well founded; but still he was inflamed with anger and revenge (Judges 9:20); and hence God, by complying with the execration, seems to approve of passionate impulses. Similar fervour …
John Calvin—Of Prayer--A Perpetual Exercise of Faith The Mountainous Country of Judea.
"What is the mountainous country of Judea? It is the king's mountain." However Judea, here and there, doth swell out much with mountains, yet its chief swelling appears in that broad back of mountains, that runs from the utmost southern cost as far as Hebron, and almost as Jerusalem itself. Which the Holy Scripture called "The hill-country of Judah," Joshua 21:11; Luke 1:39. Unless I am very much mistaken,--the maps of Adricomus, Tirinius, and others, ought to be corrected, which have feigned to …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica Sundry Sharp Reproofs
This doctrine draws up a charge against several sorts: 1 Those that think themselves good Christians, yet have not learned this art of holy mourning. Luther calls mourning a rare herb'. Men have tears to shed for other things, but have none to spare for their sins. There are many murmurers, but few mourners. Most are like the stony ground which lacked moisture' (Luke 8:6). We have many cry out of hard times, but they are not sensible of hard hearts. Hot and dry is the worst temper of the body. Sure …
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12 Effectual Calling
THE second qualification of the persons to whom this privilege in the text belongs, is, They are the called of God. All things work for good "to them who are called." Though this word called is placed in order after loving of God, yet in nature it goes before it. Love is first named, but not first wrought; we must be called of God, before we can love God. Calling is made (Rom. viii. 30) the middle link of the golden chain of salvation. It is placed between predestination and glorification; and if …
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial He Does Battle for the Faith; He Restores Peace among those who were at Variance; He Takes in Hand to Build a Stone Church.
57. (32). There was a certain clerk in Lismore whose life, as it is said, was good, but his faith not so. He was a man of some knowledge in his own eyes, and dared to say that in the Eucharist there is only a sacrament and not the fact[718] of the sacrament, that is, mere sanctification and not the truth of the Body. On this subject he was often addressed by Malachy in secret, but in vain; and finally he was called before a public assembly, the laity however being excluded, in order that if it were …
H. J. Lawlor—St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh Trials of the Christian
AFFLICTION--ITS NATURE AND BENEFITS. The school of the cross is the school of light; it discovers the world's vanity, baseness, and wickedness, and lets us see more of God's mind. Out of dark afflictions comes a spiritual light. In times of affliction, we commonly meet with the sweetest experiences of the love of God. The end of affliction is the discovery of sin; and of that, to bring us to a Saviour. Doth not God ofttimes even take occasion, by the hardest of things that come upon us, to visit …
John Bunyan—The Riches of Bunyan Judges
For the understanding of the early history and religion of Israel, the book of Judges, which covers the period from the death of Joshua to the beginning of the struggle with the Philistines, is of inestimable importance; and it is very fortunate that the elements contributed by the later editors are so easily separated from the ancient stories whose moral they seek to point. That moral is most elaborately stated in ii. 6-iii. 6, which is a sort of programme or preface to iii. 7-xvi. 31, which constitutes …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Judges 16:21 NIVJudges 16:21 NLTJudges 16:21 ESVJudges 16:21 NASBJudges 16:21 KJV
Judges 16:21 Commentaries
Bible Hub |
