Topical Bible: Captive: Cruelty to Blinded

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In the biblical narrative, the treatment of captives, particularly those who were blinded, is a poignant reflection of the harsh realities of ancient warfare and the moral lessons derived from these accounts. The act of blinding captives was not uncommon in the ancient Near East and served as a means of humiliation and incapacitation, rendering the captives powerless and dependent.

One of the most notable instances of cruelty to a blinded captive is found in the account of Samson. Samson, a judge of Israel, was endowed with extraordinary strength by God. However, after being betrayed by Delilah, he was captured by the Philistines. Judges 16:21 recounts, "Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, and took him down to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze shackles and forced to grind grain in the prison." This act of blinding was not only a physical mutilation but also a symbolic gesture of stripping Samson of his power and dignity.

The blinding of captives served as a severe punishment and a deterrent to others. It was a demonstration of dominance by the captors and a method to prevent any future threat from the captive. In the case of Samson, his blindness was a turning point that led to his ultimate redemption and the downfall of the Philistines. Judges 16:28-30 describes Samson's final act of strength: "Then Samson called out to the LORD, 'O Lord GOD, please remember me. Strengthen me, O God, just once more, so that with one act of vengeance I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.' And Samson reached out for the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them with his right hand on one and his left hand on the other, Samson said, 'Let me die with the Philistines.' Then he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people in it. So in his death he killed more than he had killed in his life."

The cruelty of blinding captives is also seen in the account of King Zedekiah of Judah. After the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians, Zedekiah attempted to flee but was captured. 2 Kings 25:7 states, "Then they put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon." This act was a final humiliation for the king and a demonstration of Nebuchadnezzar's absolute power over Judah.

The biblical accounts of cruelty to blinded captives serve as a stark reminder of the brutality of ancient conflicts and the suffering endured by those who were defeated. These narratives also highlight the themes of divine justice and redemption, as seen in the account of Samson, where God ultimately uses the humbled and blinded judge to achieve a greater victory for Israel.

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Judges 16:21
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.
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Jeremiah 39:7
Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him with chains, to carry him to Babylon.
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Library

The End
... north, under the shadow of Lebanon, the captive was dragged ... sight which he saw before
he was blinded, according to ... It was ingenuity of cruelty to let him see ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/the end.htm

Strength Profaned and Lost
... Like him, it was blinded, bound, and reduced to ... for mirth and riddles suggested this
new cruelty. ... with his humiliating exertions, the blind captive begs the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/strength profaned and lost.htm

Treatise x. On Jealousy and Envy.
... Pride inflates, cruelty embitters, faithlessness prevaricates, impatience ... extricate
yourself; you are captive under the ... that darkness hath blinded his eyes ...
/.../cyprian/the treatises of cyprian/treatise x on jealousy and.htm

'The Rulers Take Counsel Together'
... Pilate is an instance of a man blinded to all ... afterwards, in which He was kept captive,
was the ... Cruelty, inane laughter, hideous pleasure in an innocent man's ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture e/the rulers take counsel together.htm

Treatise iii. On the Lapsed.
... and wicked veil [3214] with which the captive heads of ... it away in the destructiveness
of its own cruelty. ... the terrible persecution so to have blinded the mind ...
/.../cyprian/the treatises of cyprian/treatise iii on the lapsed.htm

Ephesians iv. 31
... other the thoughts, and carries away its captive to the ... of his father, in all other
things he was blinded. ... thine own, all will condemn thy cruelty and harshness ...
/.../homily xv ephesians iv 31.htm

No Sorrow Like Messiah's Sorrow
... among the nations, but now a captive, dishonoured, spoiled ... But sin has so blinded
our understandings, and hardened ... than a detail of the cruelty and wickedness ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/messiah vol 1/sermon xxiii no sorrow like.htm

The Destruction of Jerusalem.
... Lord's flock that was carried away captive.(20) What ... been fulfilled; yet pride and
unbelief blinded their minds ... In their hatred and cruelty toward the disciples ...
/.../1 the destruction of jerusalem.htm

The Destruction of Jerusalem
... for the Lord's flock that was carried away captive. ... been fulfilled; yet pride and
unbelief blinded their minds ... In their hatred and cruelty toward the disciples ...
/.../white/the great controversy/chapter 1 the destruction of.htm

The Princesses of the Comneni
... annihilated, and Romanus himself was taken captive, on the ... Constantinople, Ducas
had him seized and blinded and left ... at the thought of such cruelty, Anna made ...
/.../brittain/women of early christianity/xiv the princesses of the.htm