Samson

his sun; his service; there the second time

Samson

(like the sun), son of Manoah, a man of the town of Zorah in the tribe of Dan, on the border of Judah. (Joshua 15:33; 19:41) (B.C. 1161). The miraculous circumstances of his birth are recorded in Judges 13; and the three following chapters are devoted to the history of his life and exploits. Samson takes his place in Scripture, (1) as a judge --an office which he filled for twenty years, (Judges 15:20; 16:31) (2) as a Nazarite, (Judges 13:5; 16:17) and (3) as one endowed with supernatural power by the Spirit of the Lord. (Judges 13:25; 14:6,19; 15:14) As a judge his authority seems to have been limited to the district bordering upon the country of the Philistines. The divine inspiration which Samson shared with Othniel, Gideon and Jephthah assumed in him the unique form of vast personal strength, inseparably connected with the observance of his vow as a Nazarite: "his strength was in his hair." He married a Philistine woman whom he had seen at Timnath. One day, on his way to that city, he was attacked by a lion, which he killed; and again passing that way he saw a swarm of bees in the carcass of the lion, and he ate of the honey, but still he told no one. He availed himself of this circumstance, and of the custom of proposing riddles at marriage feasts, to lay a snare for the Philistines. But Samson told the riddle to his wife and she told it to the men of the city, whereupon Samson slew thirty men of the city. Returning to his own house, he found his wife married to another, and was refused permission to see her. Samson revenged himself by taking 300 foxes (or rather jackals) and tying them together two by two by the tails, with a firebrand between every pair of tails, and so he let them loose into the standing corn of the Philistines, which was ready for harvest, The Philistines took vengeance by burning Samson's wife and her father; but he fell hip upon them in return, and smote them with a great slaughter," after which he took refuge on the top of the rock of Etam, in the territory of Judah. The Philistines gathered an army to revenge themselves when the men of Judah hastened to make peace by giving up Samson, who was hound with cords, these, however, he broke like burnt flax and finding a jawbone of an ass at hand, he slew with it a thousand of the Philistines. The supernatural character of this exploit was confirmed by the miraculous bursting out of a spring of water to revive the champion as he was ready to die of thirst. This achievement raised Samson to the position of a judge, which he held for twenty years. After a time he began to fall into the temptations which addressed themselves to his strong animal nature; but he broke through every snare in which he was caught so long as he kept his Nazarite vow. While he was visiting a harlot in Gaza, the Philistines shut the gates of the city, intending to kill him in the morning; but at midnight he went out and tore away the gates, with the posts and bar and carried them to the top of a hill looking toward Hebron. Next he formed his fatal connection with Delilah, a woman who lived in the valley of Sorek. Thrice he suffered himself to be bound with green withes, with new ropes, but released himself until finally, wearied out with her importunity, he "told her all his heart," and while he was asleep she had him shaven of his seven locks of hair. His enemies put out his eyes, and led him down to Gaza, bound in brazen fetters, and made him grind in the prison. Then they held a great festival in the temple of Dagon, to celebrate their victory over Samson. They brought forth the blind champion to make sport for them, end placed him between the two chief pillars which supported the roof that surrounded the court. Samson asked the lad who guided him to let him feel the pillars, to lean upon them. Then, with a fervent prayer that God would strengthen him only this once, to be avenged on the Philistines, he bore with all his might upon the two pillars; they yielded, and the house fell upon the lords and all the people. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life." In (Hebrews 11:32) his name is enrolled among the worthies of the Jewish Church.

Samson

The son of Manoah, of the tribe of Dan, a deliverer and judge of the southern tribes of the Hebrews for twenty years, Jud 13:1; 16:31. His birth was miraculously foretold; he was a Nazarite from infancy and the strongest of men; and was equally celebrated for his fearless and wonderful exploits, for his moral infirmities, and for his tragical end. His exploits were not wrought without special divine aid; "the Spirit of God came mightily upon him," Jud 13:25 14:6,19 15:14 16:20,28. The providence of God was signally displayed in overruling for good the hasty passions of Samson, the cowardice of his friends, and the malice of his enemies. The sins of Samson brought him in great disgrace and misery; but grace and faith triumphed in the end, Hebrews 11:32. His story forcibly illustrates how treacherous and merciless are sin and sinners, and the watchful care of Christ over his people in every age. Compare Jud 13:22 Matthew 23:37.

Of the sun, the son of Manoah, born at Zorah. The narrative of his life is given in Judges 13-16. He was a "Nazarite unto God" from his birth, the first Nazarite mentioned in Scripture (Judges 13:3-5; Comp. Numbers 6:1-21). The first recorded event of his life was his marriage with a Philistine woman of Timnath (Judges 14:1-5). Such a marriage was not forbidden by the law of Moses, as the Philistines did not form one of the seven doomed Canaanite nations (Exodus 34:11-16; Deuteronomy 7:1-4). It was, however, an ill-assorted and unblessed marriage. His wife was soon taken from him and given "to his companion" (Judges 14:20). For this Samson took revenge by burning the "standing corn of the Philistines" (15:1-8), who, in their turn, in revenge "burnt her and her father with fire." Her death he terribly avenged (15:7-19). During the twenty years following this he judged Israel; but we have no record of his life. Probably these twenty years may have been simultaneous with the last twenty years of Eli's life. After this we have an account of his exploits at Gaza (16:1-3), and of his infatuation for Delilah, and her treachery (16:4-20), and then of his melancholy death (16:21-31). He perished in the last terrible destruction he brought upon his enemies. "So the dead which he slew at his death were more [in social and political importance=the elite of the people] than they which he slew in his life."

"Straining all his nerves, he bowed: As with the force of winds and waters pent, When mountains tremble, those two massy pillars With horrible convulsion to and fro He tugged, he shook, till down they came, and drew The whole roof after them, with burst of thunder Upon the heads of all who sat beneath, Lords, ladies, captains, counsellors, or priests, Their choice nobility and flower." Milton's Samson Agonistes.

(n.) An Israelite of Bible record (see Judges xiii.), distinguished for his great strength; hence, a man of extraordinary physical strength.SAMSON

sam'-sun (shimshon.

1. Name:

Derived probably from shemesh, "sun" with the diminutive ending -on, meaning "little sun" or "sunny," or perhaps "sun-man"; Sampson; Latin and English, Samson): His home was near Bethshemesh, which means "house of the sun." Compare the similar formation shimshay (Ezra 4:8, 9, 17, 23).

2. Character:

Samson was a judge, perhaps the last before Samuel. He was a Nazirite of the tribe of Dan (Judges 13:5); a man of prodigious strength, a giant and a gymnast-the Hebrew Hercules, a strange champion for Yahweh! He intensely hated the Philistines who had oppressed Israel some 40 years (Judges 13:1), and was willing to fight them alone. He seems to have been actuated by little less than personal vengeance, yet in the New Testament he is named among the heroes of faith (Hebrews 11:32), and was in no ordinary sense an Old Testament worthy. He was good-natured, sarcastic, full of humor, and fought with his wits as well as with his fists. Milton has graphically portrayed his character in his dramatic poem Samson Agonistes (1671), on which Handel built his oratorio, Samson (1743).

3. Story of His Life:

The story of Samson's life is unique among the biographies of the Old Testament. It is related in Judges 13-16. Like Isaac, Samuel and John the Baptist, he was a child of prayer (13:8, 12). To Manoah's wife the angel of Yahweh appeared twice (13:3, 9), directing that the child which should be born to them should be a Nazirite from the womb, and that he would "begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines" (13:5, 7, 14). The spirit of Yahweh first began to move him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol (13:25). On his arriving at manhood, five remarkable circumstances are recorded of him.

(1) His marriage with a Philistine woman of Timnah (Judges 14). His parents objected to the alliance (Judges 14:3), but Samson's motive in marrying her was that he "sought an occasion against the Philistines" At the wedding feast Samson propounded to his guests a riddle, wagering that if they guessed its answer he would give them 30 changes of raiment. Dr. Moore felicitously renders the text of the riddle thus:

`Out of the eater came something to eat,

And out of the strong came something sweet' (Judges 14:14).

The Philistines threatened the life of his bride, and she in turn wrung from Samson the answer; whereupon he retorted (in Dr. Moore's version):

`If with my heifer ye did not plow,

Ye had not found out my riddle, I trow' (Judges 14:18).

Accordingly, in revenge, Samson went down to Ashkelon, slew some 30 men, and paid his debt; he even went home without his wife, and her father to save her from shame gave her to Samson's "best man" (Judges 14:20). It has been suggested by W. R. Smith (Kinship and Marriage in Early Arabia, 70-76) that Samson did not from the first intend to take his bride to his home, his marriage being what is known among the Arabs as a tsadiqat, or gift marriage, by which is meant that the husband becomes a part of the wife's tribe. This assumes that the social relations of the Hebrews at that time were matriarchate, the wife remaining with her family, of which custom there are other traces in the Old Testament, the husband merely visiting the wife from time to time. But this is not so obvious in Samson's case in view of his pique (Judges 14:19), and especially in view of his parents' objection to his marrying outside of Israel (Judges 14:3). Not knowing that his bride had been given by her father to his friend, Samson went down to Timnah to visit her, with a kid; when he discovered, however, that he had been taken advantage of, he went out and caught 300 jackals, and putting firebrands between every two tails, he burned up the grain fields and olive yards of the Philistines. The Philistines, however, showed they could play with fire, too, and burned his wife and her father. Thereupon, Samson smote the Philistines in revenge, "hip and thigh" (Judges 15:1-8).

(2) When he escaped to Etam, an almost vertical rock cliff in Judah (by some identified with `Araq Ismain) not far from Zorah, Samson's home, the Philistines invaded Judah, encamped at Lehi above Etam, and demanded the surrender of their arch-enemy. The men of Judah were willing to hand Samson over to the Philistines, and accordingly went down to the cliff Etam, bound Samson and brought him up where the Philistines were encamped (Judges 15:9-13). When Samson came to Lehi the Philistines shouted as they met him, whereupon the spirit of Yahweh came mightily upon him, so that he broke loose from the two new ropes with which the 3,000 men of Judah had bound him, and seizing a fresh jawbone of an ass he smote with it 1,000 men of the Philistines, boasting as he did so in pun-like poetry, `With the jawbone of an ass, m-ass upon m-ass'; or, as Dr. Moore translates the passage, `With the bone of an ass, I ass-ailed my ass-ailants' (Judges 15:16). At the same time, Samson reverently gave Yahweh the glory of his victory (Judges 15:18). Samson being thirsty, Yahweh provided water for him at a place called En-hakkore, or "Partridge Spring," or "the Spring of the Caller"-another name for partridge (Judges 15:17-19).

(3) Samson next went down to Gaza, to the very stronghold of the Philistines, their chief city. There he saw a harlot, and, his passions not being under control, he went in unto her. It was soon noised about that Samson, the Hebrew giant, was in the city. Accordingly, the Philistines laid wait for him. But Samson arose at midnight and laid hold of the doors of the gate and their two posts, and carried them a full quarter of a mile up to the top of the mountain that looketh toward Hebron (Judges 16:1-3).

(4) From Gaza Samson betook himself to the valley of Sorek where he fell in love with another Philistine woman, named Delilah, through whose machinations he lost his spiritual power. The Philistine lords bribed her with a very large sum to deliver him into their hands. Three times Samson deceived her as to the secret of his strength, but at last he explains that he is a Nazirite, and that his hair, which has never been shorn, is the secret of his wonderful power. J. G. Frazer (Golden Bough, III, 390;) has shown that the belief that some mysterious power resides in the hair is still widespread among savage peoples, e.g. the Fiji Islanders. Thus, Samson fell. By disclosing to Delilah this secret, he broke his covenant vow, and the Spirit of God departed from him (Judges 16:4-20). The Philistines laid hold on him, put out his eyes, brought him down to Gaza, bound him with fetters, and forced him to grind in the prison house. Grinding was women's work! It is at this point that Milton catches the picture and writes,

"Eyeless in Gaza, at the mill with slaves."

Howbeit, the hair of his head began to grow again; but his eyes did not! (Judges 16:21, 22).

(5) The final incident recorded of Samson is in connection with a great sacrificial feast which the Philistine lords gave in honor of Dagon, their god. In their joyous celebration they sang in rustic rhythm:

`Our god has given us into our hand

The foe of our land,

Whom even our most powerful band

Was never able to withstand' (Judges 16:24).

This song was accompanied probably, as Mr. Macalister suggests, by hand-clapping (Gezer, 129). When they became still more merry, they called for Samson to play the buffoon, and by his pranks to entertain the assembled multitude. The house of Dagon was full of people; about 3,000 were upon the roof beholding as Samson made sport. With the new growth of his hair his strength had returned to him. The dismantled giant longed to be avenged on his adversaries for at least one of his two eyes (Judges 16:28). He prayed, and Yahweh heard his prayer. Guided by his attendant, he took hold of the wooden posts of the two middle pillars upon which the portico of the house rested, and slipping them off their pedestals, the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people that were therein. "So the dead that he slew at his death were more than they that he slew in his life" (Judges 16:29, 30). His kinsmen came and carried him up and buried him near his boyhood home, between Zorah and Eshtaol, in the family burying-ground of his father. "And he judged Israel twenty years" (Judges 16:31).

4. Historical Value:

The story of Samson is a faithful mirror of his times: "Every man did that which was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6; Judges 21:25). There was no king in those days, i.e. no central government. Each tribe was separately occupied driving out their individual enemies. For 40 years the Philistines had oppressed Samson's tribal compatriots. Their suzerainty was also recognized by Judah (Judges 14:4; Judges 15:11). Samson was the hero of his tribe. The general historicity of his story cannot be impeached on the mere ground of improbability. His deeds were those which would most naturally be expected from a giant, filled with a sense of justice. He received the local popularity which a man of extraordinary prowess would naturally be given. All peoples glory in their heroes. The theory that the record in Judges 13-16 is based upon some "solar myth" is now generally abandoned. That there are incidents in his career which are difficult to explain, is freely granted. For example, that he killed a lion (14:6) is not without a parallel; David and Benaiah did the same (1 Samuel 17:34-36 2 Samuel 23:20). God always inspires a man in the line of his natural endowments. That God miraculously supplied his thirst (Judges 15:19) is no more marvelous than what God did for Hagar in the wilderness (Genesis 21:19). That Samson carried off the doors of the gate of Gaza and their two posts, bar and all, must not confound us till we know more definitely their size and the distance from Gaza of the hill to which he carried them. The fact that he pulled down the roof on which there were 3,000 men and women is not at all impossible, as Mr. Macalister has shown. If we suppose that there was an immense portico to the temple of Dagon, as is quite possible, which was supported by two main pillars of wood resting on bases of stone, like the cedar pillars of Solomon's house (1 Kings 7:2), all that Samson, therefore, necessarily did, was to push the wooden beams so that their feet would slide over the stone base on which they rested, and the whole portico would collapse. Moreover, it is not said that the whole of the 3,000 on the roof were destroyed (Judges 16:30). Many of those in the temple proper probably perished in the number (R. A. S. Macalister, Bible Side-Lights from the Mound of Gezer, 1906, 127-38).

5. Religious Value:

Not a few important and suggestive lessons are deducible from the hero's life:

(1) Samson was the object of parental solicitude from even before his birth. One of the most suggestive and beautiful prayers in the Old Testament is that of Manoah for guidance in the training of his yet unborn child (Judges 13:8). Whatever our estimate of his personality is, Samson was closely linked to the covenant.

(2) He was endowed with the Spirit of Yahweh-the spirit of personal patriotism, the spirit of vengeance upon a foe of 40 years' standing (Judges 13:1, 25; Judges 14:6:19; 15:14).

(3) He also prayed, and Yahweh answered him, though in judgment (Judges 16:30). But he was prodigal of his strength. Samson had spiritual power and performed feats which an ordinary man would hardly perform. But he was unconscious of his high vocation. In a moment of weakness he yielded to Delilah and divulged the secret of his strength. He was careless of his personal endowment. He did not realize that physical endowments no less than spiritual are gifts from God, and that to retain them we must be obedient.

(4) He was passionate and therefore weak. The animal of his nature was never curbed, but rather ran unchained and free. He was given to sudden fury. Samson was a wild, self-willed man. Passion ruled. He could not resist the blandishments of women. In short, he was an overgrown schoolboy, without self-mastery.

(5) He accordingly wrought no permanent deliverance for Israel; he lacked the spirit of cooperation. He undertook a task far too great for even a giant single-handed. Yet, it must be allowed that Samson paved the way for Saul and David. He began the deliverance of Israel from the Philistines. He must, therefore, be judged according to his times. In his days there was unrestrained individual independence on every side, each one doing as he pleased. Samson differed from his contemporaries in that he was a hero of faith (Hebrews 11:32). He was a Nazirite, and therefore dedicated to God. He was given to revenge, yet he was ready to sacrifice himself in order that his own and his people's enemies might be overthrown. He was willing to lay down his own life for the sake of his fellow-tribesmen-not to save his enemies, however, but to kill them. (Compare Matthew 5:43 ff; Romans 5:10.)

LITERATURE.

(1) Comma. on Judges, notably those by G. F. Moore, ICC, 1895; Budde, Kurzer Handkommentar, 1897; Nowack, Handkommentar, 1900; E. L. Curtis, The Bible for Home and School, 1913; Bachmann, 1868; Keil, 1862; Farrar in Ellicott's Commentaries; Watson, Expositor's Bible. (2) Articles on "Samson" in the various Bible Dictionaries and Encyclopedias; in particular those by Budde, HDB; C. W. Emmet, in 1-vol HDB; S. A. Cook, New Encyclopedia Brit; Davis, Dict. of the Bible.

George L. Robinson

4546. Sampson -- Samson, a judge in Isr.
... 4545, 4546. Sampson. 4547 . Samson, a judge in Isr. ... Word Origin of Hebrew origin
Shimshon Definition Samson, a judge in Isr. NASB Word Usage Samson (1). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4546.htm - 6k4495. Manoach -- father of Samson
... 4494, 4495. Manoach. 4496 . father of Samson. Transliteration: Manoach
Phonetic Spelling: (maw-no'-akh) Short Definition: Manoah. ...
/hebrew/4495.htm - 6k

1807. Delilah -- Philistine mistress of Samson
... 1806, 1807. Delilah. 1808 . Philistine mistress of Samson. Transliteration:
Delilah Phonetic Spelling: (del-ee-law') Short Definition: Delilah. ...
/hebrew/1807.htm - 6k

8123. Shimshon -- a deliverer of Isr.
... a deliverer of Isr. Transliteration: Shimshon Phonetic Spelling: (shim-shone') Short
Definition: Samson. ... NASB Word Usage Samson (35), Samson's (3). Samson. ...
/hebrew/8123.htm - 6k

The Death of Samson.
... THE DEATH OF SAMSON. Samson's birth was foretold by an angel. He ... life?
[Illustration: SAMSON MAKING SPORT FOR THE PHILISTINES.]. ...
/.../anonymous/mother stories from the old testament/the death of samson.htm

Samson Conquered
... Samson Conquered. A Sermon (No.224). ... REV. CH SPURGEON. at the Music Hall, Royal Surrey
Gardens. "And she said, the Philistines be upon thee, Samson. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/samson conquered.htm

Samson the Strong.
... THE OLD TESTAMENT CHAPTER XV. SAMSON THE STRONG. All the days of Joshua ... come forth
sweetness.". [Illustration: The young Samson]. They tried ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter xv samson the strong.htm

The Story of Samson, the Strong Man
... THE STORY OF SAMSON, THE STRONG MAN. Now we are to learn of three judges who
ruled Israel in turn. ... The child was born and was named Samson. ...
/.../marshall/the wonder book of bible stories/the story of samson the.htm

Samson's Wedding Feast
... STORIES IV SAMSON'S WEDDING FEAST. And Samson went down to Timnah, and
saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. ...
/.../various/select masterpieces of biblical literature/iv samsons wedding feast.htm

Concerning the Fortitude of Samson, and what Mischiefs He Brought ...
... From The Death Of Moses To The Death Of Eli. CHAPTER 8. Concerning The Fortitude
Of Samson, And What Mischiefs He Brought Upon The Philistines. ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 8 concerning the fortitude.htm

At that Time Samson Ruled Over the Hebrews, the Philistines Having ...
... The Sacred History Of Sulpitius Severus. Book I. Chapter XXVIII. At that time Samson
ruled over the Hebrews, the Philistines having been subdued by the? ...
/.../severus/life and writings of sulpitius severus /chapter xxviii at that time.htm

Samson's Admonitory Fall.
... Chapter IX."Samson's Admonitory Fall. Hast thou not heard concerning Samson the
Nazarite, "with whom was the Spirit of God," [474] the man of great strength? ...
/.../two epistles concerning virginity/chapter ix samsons admonitory fall.htm

Samson who did to Others as they did to Him
... THE OLD TESTAMENT SAMSON WHO DID TO OTHERS AS THEY DID TO HIM. ... Once Samson
went down to Timnah and saw there a Philistine woman. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/samson who did to others.htm

Fragment xxvii. The Little Boy, Therefore, who Guided Samson by ...
... Fragment XXVII. The little boy, therefore, who guided Samson by the hand?
The little boy, therefore, who guided Samson by the ...
/.../fragments from the lost writings of irenaeus/fragment xxvii the little boy.htm

Samson (37 Occurrences)
... For this Samson took revenge by burning the "standing corn of the Philistines"
(15:1-8), who, in their turn, in revenge "burnt her and her father with fire ...
/s/samson.htm - 37k

Samson's (3 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Samson's (3 Occurrences). ... Judges 14:16 Samson's wife
wept before him, and said, "You just hate me, and don't love me. ...
/s/samson's.htm - 7k

Delilah (7 Occurrences)
... She was bribed by the "lords of the Philistines" to obtain from Samson the secret
of his strength and the means of overcoming it (Judges 16:4-18). ...
/d/delilah.htm - 10k

Manoah (14 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Rest, a Danite, the father of Samson (Judges 13:1-22,
and 14:2-4). ... The child was born according to the promise and was named Samson. ...
/m/manoah.htm - 13k

Tied (33 Occurrences)
... Judges 15:4 Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turned
tail to tail, and put a torch in the midst between every two tails. ...
/t/tied.htm - 16k

Riddle (11 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary (Hebrews hodah). The oldest and, strictly speaking, the
only example of a riddle was that propounded by Samson (Judges 14:12-18). ...
/r/riddle.htm - 11k

Etam (5 Occurrences)
... Into some cleft ("top, " AV, ; RV, "cleft") of a rock here Samson retired
after his slaughter of the Philistines (Judges 15:8, 11). ...
/e/etam.htm - 11k

Deli'lah (6 Occurrences)
... Judges 16:6 And Deli'lah said to Samson, "Please tell me wherein your great strength
lies, and how you might be bound, that one could subdue you." (DBY RSV). ...
/d/deli'lah.htm - 8k

Abdon (8 Occurrences)
... of the Philistines forty years, and with that statement the continuous account closes
and the series of personal stories begins-the stories of Samson, of Micah ...
/a/abdon.htm - 13k

Nazirite (10 Occurrences)
... and Origin 2. Conditions of the Vow 3. Initiation 4. Restoration 5. Completion and
Release 6. Semi-sacerdotal Character 7. Nazirites for Life 8. Samson's Case 9 ...
/n/nazirite.htm - 21k

Who was Samson in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

What should we learn from the account of Samson and Delilah? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Delilah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Samson: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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