Judges16

Samson's chapter begins with his escape from Gaza, where he carries away the city gates. He then falls for Delilah, who, bribed by the Philistines, repeatedly tries to discover the secret of his strength. After much persistence, Samson reveals his Nazarite vow and that his strength lies in his unshorn hair. Delilah betrays him, leading to his capture, blinding, and imprisonment, but in a final act, he collapses the Philistine temple, killing himself and many enemies.
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Samson's Escape from Gaza

1
Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her. ​
2
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. ​
3
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 an hill that is before Hebron. ​

Samson and Delilah

4
And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5
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. ​
6
And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.
7
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. ​
8
Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
9
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.
10
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.
11
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.
12
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.
13
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.
14
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.
15
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.
16
And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death; ​
17
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. ​

Samson Betrayed and Captured

18
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.
19
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.
20
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. ​
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. ​

The Final Triumph and Death

22
Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven. ​
23
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. ​
24
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.
25
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.
26
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.
27
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.
28
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. ​
29
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.
30
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. ​
31
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. ​

Study Notes for Judges 16

Verse 1

Gaza was one of the five major Philistine cities, deep within enemy territory. Samson's repeated pursuit of Philistine women highlights his personal desires overriding his sacred mission as a judge.

Verse 2

The Gazites waited until morning, confident in the city's massive defenses. This shows the immediate recognition of Samson as a major enemy and the seriousness of the threat he posed.

Verse 3

Carrying the entire gate structure (doors, posts, and bar) signifies superhuman strength. Hebron was about 40 miles away, demonstrating the extent of his mockery and humiliation of the Philistine city.

Verse 5

The immense bribe offered by the five Philistine lords (5500 pieces of silver total) illustrates the high value placed on neutralizing Samson and the extent of the danger he represented to their power.

Verse 7

Samson deliberately gives false answers during the first three attempts. While enjoying the gamesmanship, he continues to return to Delilah despite the clear and repeated attempts on his life, showing his recklessness.

Verse 16

Delilah's constant, manipulative pressure succeeds where physical force failed. Samson is defeated not by battle or a trap, but by emotional exhaustion and spiritual negligence.

Verse 17

Samson finally reveals the secret tied directly to his sacred Nazarite vow (Num. 6:5). His strength was not magic inherent in his hair, but the conditional empowerment granted by God contingent upon his obedience to the vow’s sign.

Verse 20

This is the tragic theological climax. Samson’s fatal assumption was that his strength was automatic; he did not realize that the Spirit's empowerment was conditional. 'The LORD was departed from him' signifies the removal of divine enablement due to his breaking the sacred vow.

Verse 21

Blinding was a common method of permanently incapacitating a powerful enemy. Being forced to grind grain—a task usually reserved for women and slaves—was the ultimate humiliation for the mighty warrior.

Verse 22

This seemingly minor detail is crucial, foreshadowing the possibility of renewed commitment or divine favor. The growing hair symbolized the physical restoration of the sign of the Nazarite vow.

Verse 23

Dagon was the chief grain and fertility god of the Philistines. The celebration frames Samson's capture as a divine victory for Dagon over Yahweh, setting the stage for God's ultimate vindication.

Verse 28

Samson’s final prayer is a desperate plea for strength, marking the only time in this chapter he directly calls upon the Lord God. Though motivated by vengeance, it is a final, repentant act of faith that God honors.

Verse 30

Samson’s death is a violent, sacrificial act of self-judgment and redemption. By destroying the Philistine leadership during this feast, he fulfills his mission as a judge, killing more enemies in his death than during his life.

Verse 31

This verse concludes the narrative, noting his burial in his family plot. Despite his many personal failings, Samson is remembered as one of the judges who delivered Israel, having served for twenty years.

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