Judges 13

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The seventh and final cycle opens with the standard formula va-yosifu benei Yisra'el la'asot ha-ra ('the Israelites again did the evil'). This is the longest oppression in Judges — arba'im shanah ('forty years'), a full generation under Philistine domination. Unlike previous cycles, there is no cry for deliverance recorded. The absence of Israel's cry is striking: the people seem to have accepted Philistine rule as normal. The decline of the judges era reaches its nadir.

Translator Notes

1. The introduction follows the birth-announcement pattern found with Isaac (Genesis 18), Samuel (1 Samuel 1), and John the Baptist (Luke 1). The word aqarah ('barren') followed by ve-lo yaladah ('and she had not given birth') is emphatic — the situation is humanly impossible. Notably, the wife is never named; she remains 'the wife of Manoah' throughout, yet she proves to be the more perceptive and theologically astute of the pair. Zorah sits on the border between Israelite and Philistine territory in the Shephelah — the zone of conflict that defines Samson's entire life.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. Malakh YHWH ('the angel of the LORD') — this figure in Judges is consistently presented as more than a mere messenger. In chapter 6, the malakh YHWH is identified with God Himself (6:14, 22). The appearance to the woman rather than to her husband is significant — God chooses to reveal the birth announcement to the one who will carry the child. The promise structure — present impossibility (aqarah, 'barren') followed by future certainty (veharit, 'you will conceive') — echoes the Abrahamic promise pattern.

Translator Notes

1. The prohibitions begin with the mother, not the child — she must observe Nazirite-like restrictions during pregnancy. Yayin ('wine') and shekhar ('strong drink, fermented beverage') cover all alcoholic drinks. The term tame ('impure, unclean') refers to foods forbidden under the Levitical dietary laws. The mother's body must be consecrated because the child she carries is already set apart. This prenatal holiness requirement is unique to Samson among all the judges.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. Morah lo ya'aleh al rosho ('a razor shall not come upon his head') — the uncut hair is the visible sign of the Nazirite vow (Numbers 6:5). The full Nazirite vow includes three prohibitions: no grape products, no contact with the dead, no cutting the hair. Samson will eventually violate all three. The word nezir ('Nazirite, set apart one') comes from the root nazar ('to separate, consecrate'). The phrase min ha-baten ('from the womb') marks this as a lifelong consecration — unlike voluntary Nazirite vows which had a set duration (Numbers 6:13). The verb yachel ('he will begin') is critically important: Samson will only begin the deliverance from the Philistines. The full liberation requires Samuel, Saul, and David. Even before his birth, Samson's mission is framed as incomplete.

Translator Notes

1. She describes the visitor as ish ha-Elohim ('a man of God') with an appearance like malakh ha-Elohim ('an angel of God') — she senses the divine nature without fully identifying it. The adjective nora me'od ('very terrible/awesome, utterly awe-inspiring') captures the numinous terror of the divine presence. Her restraint in not asking his origin or name shows either reverence or awe-struck inability to question. The rendering uses 'awe-inspiring' rather than KJV's 'terrible' because the modern English sense of 'terrible' has shifted to mean 'bad' rather than 'fear-inducing.'

Translator Notes

1. The woman's report to Manoah subtly differs from the angel's original words. She adds ad yom moto ('until the day of his death') — a phrase the angel did not use in verse 5. She also omits the angel's statement about the razor and about the child beginning to deliver Israel. Whether this represents imperfect memory, interpretive expansion, or the narrator's intentional shaping is debated. The addition of 'until the day of his death' foreshadows the tragic end of the Samson story — his consecration and his death are linked from the beginning.

Translator Notes

1. Va-ye'tar Manoach ('Manoah prayed earnestly') — the verb atar means 'to pray, to entreat,' carrying a sense of persistent, heartfelt petition. Manoah's request is understandable — he wants practical parenting instructions (mah na'aseh la-na'ar, 'what shall we do for the boy'). But it also reveals that he needs to see and hear the messenger for himself. The prayer addresses God (YHWH) while asking for the return of the ish ha-Elohim ('man of God') — Manoah correctly connects the messenger with his Sender.

Translator Notes

1. God answers Manoah's prayer but sends the angel to the woman again — not to Manoah. The detail that Manoah ein immah ('was not with her') creates a pattern: the angel consistently seeks the woman. She is the primary recipient of the revelation. This may be because she demonstrates greater spiritual perception throughout the narrative — she recognizes the divine nature of the visitor (v. 6) and later offers the correct theological response when Manoah panics (v. 23).

Translator Notes

1. Va-temaher... va-tarots ('she hurried... she ran') — the double verb conveys urgency and excitement. Despite the angel appearing to her a second time, she immediately shares the experience with Manoah. The phrase ba-yom ('the day,' or 'the other day') is ambiguous — it could mean 'that day' or 'recently.' The woman serves as mediator between the divine messenger and her husband, a reversal of typical ancient Near Eastern patriarchal patterns.

Translator Notes

1. Va-yelekh Manoach acharei ishto ('Manoah went after his wife') — he follows her lead, literally and figuratively. His question ha-attah ha-ish ('Are you the man?') seeks confirmation of identity. The angel's terse response ani ('I am') is simply affirmative here, though the word carries deeper resonances throughout the Hebrew Bible as a form of divine self-identification.

Translator Notes

1. Mishpat ha-na'ar u-ma'asehu ('the rule of the boy and his work/deed') — mishpat here means 'prescribed manner, regulation, custom' rather than 'judgment.' Manoah wants a practical manual for raising a Nazirite child. The term ma'asehu ('his deed, his work') asks about the boy's future mission. Manoah's question is well-intentioned but slightly presumptuous — he is asking for details beyond what the angel offered.

Translator Notes

1. The angel redirects Manoah to what was already said to the woman — tishamer ('she must guard, be careful'). The angel does not provide the additional instructions Manoah sought. The revelation was sufficient the first time. There is a gentle rebuke implied: Manoah does not need new information; he needs to heed what his wife already received.

Translator Notes

1. The angel now expands the earlier prohibition: not just wine and strong drink, but mikol asher yetse mi-gefen ha-yayin ('anything that comes from the vine of wine') — grapes, raisins, grape juice, vinegar. This matches the full Nazirite requirements of Numbers 6:3-4. The expansion suggests that even the mother must observe the complete Nazirite dietary restrictions, not just abstain from alcohol. The threefold prohibition (no vine products, no fermented drinks, no impure food) creates a comprehensive framework of consecrated living.

Translator Notes

1. Na'atserah na otekha ('please let us detain you') — Manoah offers hospitality, as Gideon did in 6:18. The gedi izzim ('kid of the goats, young goat') is a standard meal offering for a guest of honor (cf. Genesis 18:7, Judges 6:19). Manoah still thinks he is dealing with a human prophet and offers appropriate hospitality. The parallel with Gideon's theophany in chapter 6 is deliberate — both hosts offer a goat meal, and both encounters end with fire from the altar.

Translator Notes

1. The angel refuses to eat — lo okhal be-lachmekha ('I will not eat of your bread/food') — because he is not a human guest. Instead, he redirects the offering: if Manoah wants to prepare something, it should be an olah ('burnt offering, whole offering') directed to YHWH, not a meal shared with a visitor. The narrator's aside — ki lo yada Manoach ki malakh YHWH hu ('for Manoah did not know he was the angel of the LORD') — explains Manoah's confusion. The dramatic irony deepens: the reader knows what Manoah does not.

Translator Notes

1. Manoah's question mi shemekha ('what is your name?') seeks to know the identity of the messenger so he can give proper recognition (kibbadnukha, 'we may honor you'). In the ancient Near East, knowing someone's name implied a relationship and the ability to invoke that person. Manoah still operates in a human framework — he wants to credit the prophet when the prediction comes true. The request for a name will receive one of the most mysterious answers in Scripture.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. Ve-hu peli ('and it is wonderful/incomprehensible') — the word peli comes from the root pala, meaning 'to be extraordinary, beyond human understanding, wonderful.' KJV renders this as 'secret,' but the word does not mean hidden or confidential; it means transcendent, beyond the capacity of human categories. The angel does not refuse to give a name out of secrecy but because his identity cannot be contained in a name. This is the language of theophany — compare Isaiah 9:6 where the Messianic figure's name is pele yo'ets ('Wonderful Counselor'). The angel's refusal signals that Manoah is not dealing with a prophet or even an ordinary angel, but with the divine presence itself.

Translator Notes

1. The goat intended as a meal for the guest becomes an olah ('burnt offering') on the tsur ('rock') — an improvised altar. The phrase u-mafli la'asot ('and doing wonderfully, performing something extraordinary') uses the same root pala as verse 18. What was 'beyond comprehension' in the angel's name now becomes visible in the angel's action. The transition from minchat hospitality to sacrificial worship marks the shift from human interaction to divine encounter. Manoah and his wife are witnesses — ro'im ('watching, seeing') — to something that defies natural explanation.

Translator Notes

1. Va-ya'al malakh YHWH be-lahav ha-mizbeach ('the angel of the LORD went up in the flame of the altar') — the angel does not merely depart; he ascends within the sacrificial fire itself. The image fuses the messenger with the offering — the angel rides the flame heavenward, uniting the divine presence with the sacrifice in a single ascending movement. This directly parallels Gideon's experience in 6:21, where fire springs from the rock and consumes the offering. The prostration (va-yippelu al peneihem artsah, 'they fell on their faces to the ground') is the instinctive response to theophany — the same posture of worship and terror seen throughout Scripture when humans encounter God's unmediated presence.

Translator Notes

1. Az yada Manoach ('then Manoah knew') — the recognition comes only after the angel's departure. Throughout the encounter, Manoah operated under the assumption that he was hosting a human prophet. The supernatural ascent in the flame makes the truth undeniable. The verb yada ('to know') marks a cognitive and spiritual shift — what the woman perceived intuitively from the start (v. 6), Manoah grasps only through dramatic demonstration. His slower perception is not presented as a moral failing but as a narrative device that heightens the revelation.

Translator Notes

1. Mot namut ki Elohim ra'inu ('dying we shall die, for God we have seen') — the infinitive absolute mot namut intensifies the certainty of death. Manoah's fear is rooted in the widespread ancient belief that seeing God means death (Exodus 33:20, Genesis 32:30, Isaiah 6:5). His identification of the angel as Elohim ('God') is theologically significant — the malakh YHWH is God appearing in visible form. The panic is understandable, but his wife will immediately demonstrate superior theological reasoning.

Translator Notes

1. The unnamed woman's logic is flawless: lu chafets YHWH lahamitenu ('if the LORD desired to kill us') — she reasons from God's actions to His intentions. God accepted the sacrifice (evidence of favor, not wrath), revealed visions (investment in their future, not their destruction), and announced a birth (promise, not threat). Her three-part argument moves from worship (offering accepted) to revelation (things shown) to promise (birth announced). This is one of the finest examples of practical theology in Judges — she reads God's character from God's behavior. The contrast with Manoah is striking: he leaps to fear; she reasons toward faith.

Translator Notes

1. Shimshon — the name likely derives from shemesh ('sun'), possibly meaning 'little sun' or 'sun-like one.' Zorah, Samson's hometown, overlooks the Sorek Valley to the west, facing the setting sun — the direction of Philistine territory. The name may also be wordplay with the nearby site Beth-Shemesh ('house of the sun'). Va-yevarakhehu YHWH ('and the LORD blessed him') — a brief note of divine favor that will make Samson's later rebellion all the more tragic. The boy is blessed, consecrated, and named for the sun — yet his story will end in darkness and blindness.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. Va-tachel ruach YHWH lefa'amo ('the Spirit of the LORD began to stir/impel him') — the verb pa'am means 'to thrust, strike, impel, stir.' The Spirit's action on Samson begins as stirrings — impulses toward action. This is the first of several Spirit-empowerment statements in the Samson cycle. The verbs will escalate: here the Spirit 'stirs' (pa'am), in 14:6 and 14:19 and 15:14 the Spirit 'rushes upon' (tsalach), and in 16:20 the Spirit departs (sar). The geography — Machaneh Dan ('camp of Dan'), between Zorah and Eshtaol — is the same place where Samson will be buried (16:31), forming an inclusio around his entire life.