Samson visits a prostitute in Gaza, escapes the city by carrying its gates away, then falls in love with Delilah. She extracts the secret of his strength — his uncut hair — and the Philistines capture him, gouge out his eyes, and put him to work grinding in prison. At a festival to Dagon, Samson pushes apart the pillars and kills more Philistines in death than in life.
What Makes This Chapter Remarkable
Delilah asks the secret of his strength three times with obvious intent to betray him, and he tells her the truth on the fourth attempt anyway. This is not stupidity but self-destruction — Samson has been violating his Nazirite vow incrementally (corpse contact in ch. 14, feast in ch. 14, now the razor), and telling Delilah completes the surrender of what he was supposed to be. His prayer in the temple (v. 28) is his most honest: 'O Lord GOD, remember me and strengthen me only this once' — revenge and deliverance merge in one final act.
Translation Friction
The phrase 'he did not know that the LORD had departed from him' (v. 20, vehu lo yada ki YHWH sar me'alav) is the most chilling sentence in the book. We rendered it directly. The departure of divine presence is unannounced and unnoticed — the horror is the unknowing. Samson's final prayer uses both Adonai and YHWH Elohim — the fullest divine address in his life comes at its end.
Connections
Samson's death in the Dagon temple anticipates the ark's humiliation of Dagon (1 Samuel 5). His grinding in prison (v. 21) — a woman's or animal's task — is the final humiliation of the strongman. The phrase 'he judged Israel twenty years' (v. 31) echoes 15:20 and brackets his career. Hebrews 11:32 includes Samson among the faithful — his final prayer is counted as faith.
Samson went to Gaza and saw a prostitute there, and he went in to her.
KJV Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Va-yelekh Shimshon Azzatah ('Samson went to Gaza') — Gaza is deep in Philistine territory, one of the five major Philistine cities. The narrative moves from Samson desiring a Philistine wife (ch. 14) to visiting an ishah zonah ('a prostitute'). The moral trajectory is unmistakable: from wanting marriage to purchasing sex. The verb va-yar ('he saw') echoes the pattern established in 14:1 — Samson's eyes lead him into trouble. Va-yavo eleiha ('he went in to her') is the standard euphemism for sexual intercourse. The Nazirite's separation from the world is now reduced to its final external marker: his uncut hair.
The people of Gaza were told, "Samson has come here." They surrounded the place and lay in ambush for him all night at the city gate, keeping quiet through the night, saying, "At first light we will kill him."
KJV And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Va-yassobbu va-ye'erevu lo kol ha-lailah ('they surrounded and ambushed him all night') — the Gazites plan a dawn attack. Their confidence is understandable: Samson is inside a walled city with a single gatehouse, surrounded by enemies. Va-yitchareshu kol ha-lailah ('they were quiet/silent all night') — the verb charash means 'to be silent, to hold peace.' They wait patiently, believing time is on their side. Ad or ha-boqer va-haraagnuhu ('until the morning light, and we will kill him') — they calculate that Samson will attempt to leave at dawn and walk into their trap.
Samson lay there until midnight. At midnight he got up, seized the doors of the city gate along with the two gateposts, and pulled them up — bar and all. He hoisted them onto his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.
KJV And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the hill that is before Hebron.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Va-ye'echoz be-daletot sha'ar ha-ir u-vishtei ha-mezuzot ('he seized the doors of the city gate and the two doorposts') — the city gate was the most fortified point of an ancient walled city, with massive wooden doors reinforced by a metal bar (beriach). Samson does not open the gate; he tears the entire gate structure out of the wall — doors, posts, crossbar, everything. Va-yissa'em im ha-beriach ('he uprooted them with the bar') — the verb nasa means 'to uproot, to pull out.' He carries the entire assembly al ketefav ('on his shoulders') to a hilltop facing Hebron — approximately thirty-eight miles uphill from Gaza at an elevation gain of over three thousand feet. The feat is superhuman, a demonstration of raw power that humiliates the Gazites and renders their city defenseless.
After this, he fell in love with a woman in the Sorek Valley whose name was Delilah.
KJV And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
Notes & Key Terms
1 term
Key Terms
דְּלִילָהDelilah
"Delilah"—A woman of the Sorek Valley, possibly meaning 'weak one' or 'night one,' who betrays Samson to the Philistines
Delilah is the only woman in Samson's life who is named. The Timnite wife is identified only by her origin; the Gaza prostitute has no description beyond her profession. That Delilah alone receives a name signals her narrative importance. She is not merely a romantic interest but the final agent of Samson's undoing — the woman who accomplishes what the Philistine army could not.
Translator Notes
Va-ye'ehav ishah be-nachal Soreq ('he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek') — for the first time in the narrative, the verb ahav ('to love') is used for Samson's attraction to a woman. Previously it was ra'ah ('to see') and yashar ('pleasing'). The Sorek Valley runs between Israelite and Philistine territory — Samson lives and loves in the border zone. Delilah's name (Delilah) may derive from the root dalal ('to hang down, to be weak, to impoverish') or from the word lailah ('night'). Either etymology is fitting: she will weaken him and bring his night. Whether she is Israelite or Philistine is never stated — the text leaves her identity ambiguous, focusing entirely on her function as the instrument of Samson's downfall.
The rulers of the Philistines came to her and said, "Seduce him and find out where his great strength comes from, and how we can overpower him so we can tie him up and subdue him. Each of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver."
KJV And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Sarnei Pelishtim ('the lords/rulers of the Philistines') — the seren (plural seranim) was the title for each ruler of the five Philistine city-states (Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, Gath). All five come together for this operation — Samson is that important a threat. The verb patti ('entice, seduce') is the same word used when the companions pressured Samson's wife (14:15). The payment — ish elef u-me'ah kasef ('each one, eleven hundred pieces of silver') — totals 5,500 silver pieces from the five lords. For comparison, Micah's mother in chapter 17 consecrates 1,100 pieces of silver. The sum is enormous — they are buying the defeat of Israel's champion.
Delilah said to Samson, "Tell me — where does your great strength come from? How could someone tie you up to overpower you?"
KJV And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Delilah's question ba-meh kokhakha gadol ('in what is your strength great?') is astonishingly direct. She does not approach the subject subtly or build up to it over weeks. She asks outright, on behalf of his enemies, and Samson does not seem alarmed. The addition u-va-meh te'aser le-annotekha ('and with what could you be bound to afflict you') explicitly asks for the method of his capture. That Samson engages with this question at all — rather than recognizing the obvious trap — reveals his fatal flaw: he believes his strength makes him invulnerable to any scheme. His physical power breeds spiritual recklessness.
Samson said to her, "If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, then I will become weak and be like any other man."
KJV And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Shiv'ah yetarim lachim asher lo chorevu ('seven moist/fresh bowstrings that have not been dried') — yeter refers to a bowstring made from animal sinew or gut. The specification 'fresh, not dried' implies maximum flexibility and strength. The number seven suggests completeness. Samson's first lie is elaborate enough to be believable — it sounds like a magical formula. Ve-chaliti ve-hayiti ke-achad ha-adam ('I will become weak and be like one of the men') — the verb chalah means 'to become weak, sick.' Samson plays a game with the truth, giving false answers that parody the real one.
The Philistine rulers brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him up with them.
KJV Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The Philistine lords supply the materials immediately — they are deeply invested in this operation. Delilah binds Samson herself (va-ta'asrehu bahem, 'she bound him with them'). The intimate setting — Delilah tying Samson while he allows it — suggests he treats the whole affair as a game, a lovers' contest. The Philistine lords are presumably hiding nearby, waiting to see if this attempt succeeds.
With an ambush party waiting in the room, she cried out, "The Philistines are on you, Samson!" He snapped the bowstrings as easily as a strand of flax snaps when it touches fire. So the secret of his strength remained unknown.
KJV Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Ha-orev yoshev lah ba-cheder ('the ambusher sitting for her in the room') — Philistine soldiers are hidden in the very room where this intimate scene plays out. Delilah's cry Pelishtim alekha Shimshon ('Philistines are upon you, Samson!') becomes a recurring alarm — she uses it four times (vv. 9, 12, 14, 20). Samson snaps the bowstrings ka-asher yinnataq petil ha-ne'oret ba-haricho esh ('as a flax thread is broken when it smells fire') — the simile reduces the supposedly unbreakable bonds to nothing. Ve-lo noda kocho ('his strength was not known') — the secret remains intact. But the pattern of testing has begun.
Delilah said to Samson, "You made a fool of me and lied to me! Now tell me — how can you really be tied up?"
KJV And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Hinneh hetalta bi va-tedabber elai kezavim ('you mocked me and spoke lies to me') — the verb hatal means 'to mock, to deceive.' Delilah accuses Samson of deception — which is true — while herself being the true deceiver. The irony is layered: she demands honesty in the service of betrayal. Her persistence is remarkable. After the first failure, most people would abandon the scheme or at least change tactics. Delilah simply asks again, with exactly the same directness. She has calculated that Samson's weakness is not physical but relational — he cannot resist her persistent emotional pressure.
He said to her, "If they tie me up securely with new ropes that have never been used, then I will become weak and be like any other man."
KJV And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Avotim chadashim asher lo na'asah vahem melakhah ('new ropes with which no work has been done') — the second lie escalates from bowstrings to ropes. The specification 'unused' echoes the new ropes in 15:13, which the Spirit also destroyed. Samson may be amusing himself with references to his own history. The formula ve-chaliti ve-hayiti ke-achad ha-adam ('I will become weak and be like any other man') is repeated verbatim from verse 7 — a refrain in this darkening game. Each false answer brings the truth closer to the surface.
So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them. Then she called out, "The Philistines are on you, Samson!" (The ambush party was waiting in the room.) He snapped them off his arms like thread.
KJV Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms like a thread.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The pattern repeats: Delilah binds, cries the alarm, and Samson breaks free. Va-yenattqem me-al zero'otav ka-chut ('he snapped them from his arms like thread') — the ropes are reduced to nothing. The ease of the escape is emphasized: like a thread (chut), not even like a cord. Yet the fact that Samson continues to play this game after Delilah has now twice attempted to betray him to waiting Philistine soldiers reveals either extraordinary arrogance or a death wish. The ambush party remains in the room — witnesses to the failed attempts.
Delilah said to Samson, "You keep making a fool of me and telling me lies! Tell me how you can be tied up." He said to her, "If you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric on the loom."
KJV And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The third false answer moves dangerously close to the truth. For the first time, Samson mentions his hair: sheva machlefot roshi ('the seven braids/locks of my head'). The word machlefot means 'braids, plaits, locks' — Samson's hair is braided into seven sections. The masekhet ('woven fabric, web on a loom') is the cloth currently being woven. He tells Delilah to weave his hair braids into the loom's fabric. The answer is a lie — weaving his hair will not make him weak — but it touches the true source of his strength. Each false answer has moved closer: bowstrings (nothing to do with hair), ropes (nothing to do with hair), hair woven into a loom (his hair, but the wrong action). The truth is approaching.
She fastened it with the pin of the loom and called out, "The Philistines are on you, Samson!" He woke from his sleep and pulled away the pin of the loom along with the fabric.
KJV And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Va-titqa ba-yated ('she drove in the peg/pin') — Delilah weaves his hair into the loom and secures it with the loom pin while he sleeps. He sleeps through the entire process — a remarkable detail that reveals both his trust and his recklessness. Va-yiqats mi-shenato ('he woke from his sleep') — this is the first mention of Samson sleeping during these encounters. Sleep will be his undoing in verse 19. He pulls away the yated ha-ereg ve-et ha-massekhet ('the pin of the loom and the fabric') — tearing the entire loom apart. Three attempts have failed. But Delilah now knows the answer is connected to his hair.
She said to him, "How can you say 'I love you' when your heart is not with me? Three times now you have made a fool of me and have not told me where your great strength comes from."
KJV And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Eikh tomar ahavtikh ve-libbeka ein itti ('how can you say I love you when your heart is not with me?') — Delilah weaponizes the language of love. She equates full disclosure with genuine love: if he truly loves her, he will reveal his deepest secret. The accusation zeh shalosh pe'amim hetalta bi ('three times now you have mocked me') echoes the pattern of three — a number of completion in biblical narrative. The fourth time will be the truth. Her argument mirrors the Timnite wife's tactic exactly (14:16) — 'you hate me, you don't love me' — but Delilah is far more persistent and far more dangerous.
When she pressured him with her words day after day and nagged him relentlessly, he became so exhausted that he wanted to die.
KJV And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Ki hetsiqah lo bi-devareha kol ha-yamim ('because she pressed him with her words every day') — the verb tsaqaq ('to press, squeeze, constrain') describes unrelenting emotional pressure. Va-te'altsehu ('she urged him, she forced him') — the verb alats means 'to compel, to press hard.' Va-tiqtsar nafsho lamut ('his soul was shortened to death' — he was exhausted to the point of death) — the idiom captures complete emotional and spiritual depletion. The man who could tear apart lions and rip city gates from their hinges is broken down by persistent words. Samson's physical strength has no defense against emotional manipulation — the same vulnerability that undid him in 14:17.
He told her everything in his heart and said to her, "A razor has never touched my head, because I have been a Nazirite of God from my mother's womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become weak and be like any other man."
KJV That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.
Notes & Key Terms
1 term
Key Terms
נְזִיר אֱלֹהִים אֲנִי מִבֶּטֶן אִמִּיnezir Elohim ani mi-beten immi
"I am a Nazirite of God from my mother's womb"—Samson's self-identification as one consecrated to God from before birth — spoken in the moment of his ultimate self-betrayal
The tragedy is concentrated in the gap between identity and action. Samson knows he is a Nazirite. He can articulate his consecration perfectly. But knowing what you are and living what you are are different things. He speaks the truth about himself while betraying it — the words of consecration become the instrument of desecration.
Translator Notes
Va-yagged lah et kol libbo ('he told her all his heart') — the phrase kol libbo ('all his heart') means he held nothing back. The disclosure is total. Morah lo alah al roshi ('a razor has never come upon my head') — this is the last remaining sign of his Nazirite consecration. He has already violated the prohibitions against contact with the dead (14:8-9, 15:15) and likely against grape products (14:10). Only the uncut hair remains. Ki nezir Elohim ani mi-beten immi ('for I am a Nazirite of God from my mother's womb') — Samson identifies himself by his consecration even as he is in the act of betraying it. He knows exactly what he is, and he tells anyway. Im gullachti ve-sar mimmenni kochi ('if I am shaved, my strength will depart from me') — the truth is out. The verb sar ('to depart, to turn away') will appear in the devastating verse 20 applied to God Himself.
When Delilah realized that he had told her everything in his heart, she sent for the Philistine rulers with the message, "Come up one more time — he has told me everything in his heart." The Philistine rulers came to her, bringing the silver with them.
KJV And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once; for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Va-tere Delilah ki higgid lah et kol libbo ('Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart') — the verb ra'ah ('to see, to perceive') signals Delilah's discernment. She can tell the difference between Samson's lies and his truth. How she knows this time is genuine — whether through his tone, his tears, his weariness, or intuition — the text does not say. Alu ha-pa'am ('come up this time') — her message to the lords carries the confidence of certainty. Va-ya'alu ha-kesef be-yadam ('they brought the silver in their hand') — the payment is brought in advance this time. They trust Delilah's judgment. The transaction is complete: Samson's secret for 5,500 pieces of silver.
She lulled him to sleep on her lap, then called for a man to shave off the seven braids of his head. She began to subdue him, and his strength left him.
KJV And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Va-teyashnehu al birkeiha ('she caused him to sleep on her knees/lap') — the intimacy of the scene makes the betrayal more devastating. He sleeps in a posture of complete trust and vulnerability. Va-tiqra la-ish va-tegallach et sheva machlefot rosho ('she called a man and he shaved the seven braids of his head') — Delilah does not shave him herself; she summons an ish ('a man') to do it. The seven braids — the last physical sign of his Nazirite consecration — are removed while he sleeps. Va-tachel le-annoto ('she began to afflict/subdue him') — the verb innah means 'to afflict, to humble, to overpower.' Va-yasar kocho me-alav ('his strength departed from him') — the verb sar ('departed') foreshadows the devastating parallel in the next verse.
She called out, "The Philistines are on you, Samson!" He woke from his sleep and thought, "I will get free just as I did before and shake myself loose." But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.
KJV And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.
Notes & Key Terms
1 term
Key Terms
יְהוָה סָר מֵעָלָיוYHWH sar me-alav
"the LORD had departed from him"—The withdrawal of God's empowering presence — the opposite of the Spirit 'rushing upon' him
The verb sar ('to depart, to turn aside') is the exact opposite of tsalach ('to rush upon'). Where three times the Spirit rushed upon Samson (14:6, 14:19, 15:14), now the LORD departs. The progression is complete: stirring (13:25) → rushing (14:6, 14:19, 15:14) → departing (16:20). The loss is total. And the most devastating aspect is Samson's ignorance — lo yada, 'he did not know.' He had grown so accustomed to operating in his own strength that he could not distinguish between divine empowerment and its absence.
Translator Notes
Etse ke-fa'am be-fa'am ve-inna'er ('I will go out as time after time and shake myself free') — Samson expects the same result as before. His confidence is based on past experience: three times Delilah tested him, three times he broke free effortlessly. Why should the fourth time be different? Ve-hu lo yada ki YHWH sar me-alav ('and he did not know that the LORD had departed from him') — this is the most devastating sentence in the Samson cycle, and one of the most terrifying in all of Scripture. The verb yada ('to know') is the same verb used throughout the narrative for knowledge and awareness. Samson does not know. The LORD (YHWH — the covenant name, the personal name of God) sar ('departed, turned away') me-alav ('from upon him'). The divine presence that rushed upon him three times has now withdrawn. And Samson cannot tell the difference. The most terrifying thing about the departure of God is that a person may not notice it has happened.
The Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles, and he was set to grinding grain in the prison.
KJV 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.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Va-yenaqru et einav ('they bored out/gouged his eyes') — the verb naqar means 'to bore, to pick out, to gouge.' The eyes that saw Philistine women and led Samson into temptation are destroyed. There is grim poetic justice: the man who lived by sight (va-yar ishah, 'he saw a woman,' 14:1; 16:1) now lives in permanent darkness. Va-yoridu oto Azzatah ('they brought him down to Gaza') — the last 'going down' (yarad) in Samson's life. He returns to Gaza, where he once carried the city gates in triumph (v. 3), now as a blind prisoner. Va-ya'asruhu ba-nechushtayim ('they bound him with bronze fetters') — nechushtayim is a dual form, suggesting shackles on both wrists or both ankles. Va-yehi tochen be-veit ha-asurim ('he was grinding in the prison house') — grinding grain was the work of slaves, women, and animals. The mighty judge is reduced to the lowest form of prison labor, walking in circles pushing a millstone.
But the hair of his head began to grow back after it had been shaved.
KJV Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Va-yachel se'ar rosho letsammeach ka-asher gullach ('the hair of his head began to sprout/grow after it was shaved') — this single verse is one of the most quietly powerful in the entire narrative. Amid the darkness — blindness, slavery, grinding — a seed of hope emerges. The verb tsamach ('to sprout, to grow') is used for plants sprouting from the earth. The hair growing back is the Nazirite sign renewing itself. The text does not say God's power is returning; it simply notes the hair growing. But the reader knows the connection. The Philistines, in their arrogance, do not think to keep shaving him. This single botanical observation is the turning point of the chapter.
The rulers of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate. They said, "Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hands."
KJV 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.
Notes & Key Terms
1 term
Key Terms
דָּגוֹןDagon
"Dagon"—The chief deity of the Philistines, associated with grain and fertility
The Dagon temple serves as the setting for the final confrontation. The Philistines interpret Samson's capture as evidence of Dagon's superiority over YHWH. This theological claim will be answered when YHWH enables Samson to destroy Dagon's temple and its worshippers — a vindication not of Samson but of God's power over false gods.
Translator Notes
Va-ne'esfu lizboach zevach gadol le-Dagon eloheihem ('they gathered to sacrifice a great sacrifice to Dagon their god') — Dagon was the chief deity of the Philistines, a grain and fertility god (the name may relate to dagan, 'grain,' or dag, 'fish'). The irony of Samson grinding grain in the temple of a grain god is devastating. The Philistines' declaration natan eloheinu be-yadenu et Shimshon oyevenu ('our god has given our enemy Samson into our hands') deliberately echoes the language Israel uses for YHWH's victories — natan be-yad ('gave into the hand of'). They credit Dagon with what Samson's own sin accomplished. The theological contest is now explicit: YHWH versus Dagon, the God of Israel versus the god of the Philistines.
When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, "Our god has given into our hands our enemy — the devastator of our land, who multiplied our dead."
KJV And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The people's hymn of praise to Dagon has three charges against Samson: oyevenu ('our enemy'), machariav artsenu ('the devastator of our land' — referring to the burned fields of 15:5), and asher hirbah et chalalenu ('who multiplied our slain'). The verb hillel ('to praise') is the same root used in the Hebrew word hallelujah ('praise the LORD'). The Philistines direct praise to the wrong god. This public liturgy of Dagon-worship sets the theological stage for the climax: when Samson prays to YHWH (v. 28), the two prayers — one to Dagon, one to YHWH — will be answered in radically different ways.
When they were in high spirits, they said, "Bring out Samson to entertain us!" So they brought Samson from the prison, and he performed for them. They stood him between the pillars.
KJV And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Ki tov libbam ('when their heart was good' — when they were merry/drunk) — the festive mood leads to cruelty. Qir'u le-Shimshon vi-ysacheq lanu ('call Samson that he may amuse/perform for us') — the verb tsachaq can mean 'to play, to perform, to make sport.' The mighty judge has become a court jester, a source of entertainment for drunk Philistines. The humiliation is total: the man empowered by the Spirit of the LORD is now a spectacle in the house of Dagon. Va-ya'amidu oto bein ha-ammudim ('they stood him between the pillars') — this seemingly minor staging detail is the pivot of the entire story. The pillars are load-bearing columns that support the temple roof.
Samson said to the boy who was leading him by the hand, "Let me feel the pillars that support the building, so I can lean against them."
KJV And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
El ha-na'ar ha-machaziq be-yado ('to the boy holding his hand') — the once-mighty Samson is now led by a na'ar ('boy, young attendant'). He is blind and needs a child's guidance. His request — hanichah oti va-hamisheni et ha-ammudim ('let me rest and let me feel the pillars') — sounds innocent: a tired, blind man wanting to lean against something for support. The stated reason ve-isha'en aleihem ('so I can lean on them') conceals his true intention. This is the first time in the Samson narrative that the protagonist plans strategically rather than acting on impulse. Blindness and suffering have produced something new in Samson: deliberation.
The building was full of men and women. All the Philistine rulers were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform.
KJV Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The narrator pauses to describe the scene: the temple is packed — male ha-anashim ve-ha-nashim ('full of men and women') — and all five sarnei Pelishtim ('Philistine rulers') are present. An additional kishlosheth alafim ish ve-ishah ('about three thousand men and women') watch from the roof. This is the concentrated leadership and populace of the Philistine nation, gathered in one building for a religious festival. Ha-ro'im bi-sechoq Shimshon ('watching Samson's entertainment') — they have come to see the defeated champion humiliated. The text carefully establishes the magnitude of the gathering before the collapse — every detail heightens the scale of what follows.
Samson called out to the LORD and said, "Lord GOD, remember me! Strengthen me just this one time, O God, so that I may take one act of revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes."
KJV And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
Notes & Key Terms
1 term
Key Terms
אֲדֹנָי יֱהוִה זׇכְרֵנִי נָאAdonai YHWH zokhreni na
"Lord GOD, remember me"—Samson's prayer — the only prayer in his entire life — combining divine titles of sovereignty and covenant with a plea for divine remembrance
This prayer is the most theologically significant moment in the Samson cycle. After a lifetime of self-reliance, the blind, shackled, humiliated Samson finally does what he never did while strong and free: he asks God for help. The prayer is imperfect — motivated partly by revenge — but it is real. And God answers it. The contrast between this prayer and the Philistines' praise to Dagon (vv. 23-24) is the theological verdict of the narrative.
Translator Notes
Va-yiqra Shimshon el YHWH ('Samson called out to the LORD') — this is Samson's only genuine prayer in the entire cycle. His earlier cry in 15:18 was a complaint driven by thirst; this is a plea driven by total dependence. Adonai YHWH ('Lord GOD') — the double divine address combines the title of sovereignty (Adonai) with the covenant name (YHWH), the most reverent form of address in Hebrew prayer. Zokhreni na ('remember me, please') — the verb zakhar ('to remember') in Hebrew does not mean merely to recall; it means to act on behalf of. Samson asks God not just to think of him but to intervene. Ve-chazzeqeni na akh ha-pa'am ha-zeh ('strengthen me just this one time') — the request is humble, limited, final. Yet even in this moment of genuine prayer, Samson's motivation remains mixed: ve-innaqemah neqam achat mi-shtei einai ('let me take one revenge for my two eyes'). His prayer mingles faith with vengeance, dependence on God with personal retribution.
Samson grasped the two central pillars on which the building rested and braced himself against them — one with his right hand and one with his left.
KJV And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Va-yilpot Shimshon et shenei ammudei ha-tavekh ('Samson grasped the two pillars of the middle') — the verb lafat means 'to grasp, to twist, to take hold of firmly.' These are the ammudei ha-tavekh ('central pillars') — the main load-bearing columns. Archaeological excavations of Philistine temples at Tell Qasile and elsewhere have revealed structures supported by two central wooden pillars resting on stone bases, set close enough together for a man to reach both. The description is architecturally plausible. Va-yissamekh aleihem ('he leaned/braced against them') — the verb samakh means 'to lean, to support oneself.' Samson positions himself to push outward.
Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines." He pushed with all his strength, and the building collapsed on the rulers and on all the people inside it. Those he killed at his death were more than those he had killed during his life.
KJV And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Tamot nafshi im Pelishtim ('let my soul/self die with the Philistines') — Samson's final words are simultaneously a prayer, a battle cry, and a death wish. The verb tamot ('let it die') is a jussive — an expressed wish. He wills his own death along with his enemies'. Va-yet be-koach ('he pushed/bent with strength') — the verb natah means 'to stretch, to bend, to push.' God has answered his prayer — strength has returned one final time. Va-yippol ha-bayit al ha-seranim ('the building fell on the rulers') — all five Philistine rulers are killed. The narrator's summary — ha-metim asher hemit be-moto rabbim me-asher hemit be-chayyav ('the dead he killed at his death were more than he killed in his life') — is both an epitaph and a judgment. Samson's greatest victory is his death. The man who was set apart for God from the womb returns to God in the rubble of a pagan temple.
His brothers and his father's entire household came down and carried him back. They buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. He had judged Israel for twenty years.
KJV Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Va-yeredu echav ve-khol beit avihu ('his brothers and all the house of his father came down') — Samson's family retrieves his body from the ruins of the Dagon temple. The verbs trace his final journey: they 'came down' (yaredu) to Gaza and 'brought him up' (va-ya'alu) to the hill country — the opposite of Samson's life pattern of always going down. He is buried bein Tsor'ah u-vein Eshta'ol ('between Zorah and Eshtaol') — the exact location where the Spirit of the LORD first began to stir him (13:25). The narrative forms a perfect circle: where his life as God's instrument began, there his body rests. Be-qever Manoach aviv ('in the tomb of Manoah his father') — he is gathered to his father. The closing formula ve-hu shafat et Yisra'el esrim shanah ('he judged Israel twenty years') repeats 15:20, forming a structural bracket. Samson's judgeship is complete, but the Philistine oppression continues — he only began the deliverance (13:5).