Samson and Delilah

Context & Setting

• Main Biblical Reference: Judges 16:4–31
• Historical Period: Time of the Judges (Israel before the monarchy)
• Geographic Location: Valley of Sorek; Gaza; Philistine territory in the coastal plain
• Key Characters: Samson; Delilah; Philistine rulers; the LORD (YHWH)

The Narrative

The Beginning:
Samson, an Israelite judge empowered by the LORD, loves a woman named Delilah in the Valley of Sorek. The Philistine rulers approach Delilah and offer her a large payment to discover the source of Samson’s strength. Delilah agrees and begins pressing Samson to reveal his secret.

The Middle:
Samson misleads Delilah several times, but she persists “day after day” until he finally tells her his strength is tied to his Nazirite consecration—no razor has ever come upon his head. Delilah has his hair shaved while he sleeps, and the Philistines seize him when his strength leaves him. They gouge out his eyes, bind him with bronze shackles, and force him to grind grain in prison, while his hair begins to grow back.

The End:
During a public celebration in the temple of Dagon, the Philistines bring Samson out to entertain them. Samson prays to the LORD for strength one last time and pulls down the temple’s supporting pillars. The collapse kills Samson and many Philistines, and the text concludes that he killed more in his death than during his life; his family later buries him in his father’s tomb.

Theological Meaning

This account shows the seriousness of covenant calling: Samson’s strength is not portrayed as mere physical ability but as linked to his consecration and the LORD’s enabling presence. The narrative highlights both human weakness and divine sovereignty—Samson’s compromise leads to humiliation, yet God remains able to accomplish judgment on Israel’s oppressors through a flawed deliverer. Samson’s final prayer underscores dependence on God, and his death functions as both judgment on the Philistines and deliverance for Israel within the cycle of Judges.

Historical & Cultural Insight

The Philistines are consistently associated in Judges with the southern coastal plain and cities such as Gaza, reflecting a real regional power in Iron Age Canaan. Large public temples were common civic-religious centers in the ancient Near East, and the story’s setting in a crowded temple during a victory feast fits known patterns of state-sponsored worship and celebration.

Key Memory Verse

“But he did not know that the LORD had left him.” — Judges 16:20