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Commentary on Judges 16 verses 22–31
Though the last stage of Samson's life was inglorious, and one could wish there were a veil drawn over it, yet this account here given of his death may be allowed to lessen, though it does not quite roll away, the reproach of it; for there was honour in his death. No doubt he greatly repented of his sin, the dishonour he had by it done to God and his forfeiture of the honour God had put upon him; for that God was reconciled to him appears, 1. By the return of the sign of his Nazariteship (Jdg 16:22): His hair began to grow again, as when he was shaven, that is, to be as thick and as long as when it was cut off. It is probable that their general thanksgiving to Dagon was not long deferred, before which Samson's hair had thus grown, by which, and the particular notice taken of it, it seems to have been extraordinary, and designed for a special indication of the return of God's favour to him upon his repentance. For the growth of his hair was neither the cause nor the sign of the return of his strength further than as it was the badge of his consecration, and a token that God accepted him as a Nazarite again, after the interruption, without those ceremonies which were appointed for the restoration of a lapsed Nazarite, which he had not now the opportunity of performing, Num 6:9. It is strange that the Philistines in whose hands he was were not jealous of the growth of his hair again, and did not cut it; but perhaps they were willing his great strength should return to him, that they might have so much the more work out of him, and now that he was blind they were in no fear of any hurt from him. 2. By the use God made of him for the destruction of the enemies of his people, and that at a time when it would be most for the vindication of the honour of God, and not immediately for the defence and deliverance of Israel. Observe,
I. How insolently the Philistines affronted the God of Israel, 1. By the sacrifices they offered to Dagon, his rival. This Dagon they call their god, a god of their own making, represented by an image, the upper part of which was in the shape of a man, the lower part of a fish, purely the creature of fancy; yet it served them to set up in opposition to the true and living God. To this pretended deity they ascribe their success (Jdg 16:23, Jdg 16:24): Our god has delivered Samson our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, into our hands. So they dreamed, though he could do neither good nor evil. They knew Delilah had betrayed him, and they had paid her for doing it, yet they attribute it to their god, and are confirmed by it in their belief of his power to protect them. All people will thus walk in the name of their gods: they will give them the praise of their achievements; and shall not we pay this tribute to our God whose kingdom ruleth over all? Yet, considering what wicked arts they used to get Samson into their hands, it must be confessed it was only such a dunghill-deity as Dagon that was fit to be made a patron of the villany. Sacrifices were offered, and songs of praise sung, on the general thanksgiving day, for this victory obtained over one man; there were great expressions of joy, and all to the honour of Dagon. Much more reason have we to give the praise of all our successes to our God. Thanks be to him who causeth us to triumph in Christ Jesus! 2. By the sport they made with Samson, God's champion, they reflected on God himself. When they were merry with wine, to make them more merry Samson must be fetched to make sport for them (Jdg 16:25, Jdg 16:27), that is, for them to make sport with. Having sacrificed to their god, and eaten and drunk upon the sacrifice, they rose up to play, according to the usage of idolaters (Co1 10:7), and Samson must be the fool in the play. They made themselves and one another laugh to see how, being blind, he stumbled and blundered. It is likely they smote this judge of Israel upon the cheek (Mic 5:1), and said, Prophesy who smote thee. It was an instance of their barbarity to trample thus upon a man in misery, at the sight of whom awhile ago they would have trembled. It put Samson into the depth of misery, and as a sword in his bones were their reproaches, when they said, Where is now they God? Nothing could be more grievous to so great a spirit; yet, being a penitent, his godly sorrow makes him patient, and he accepts the indignity as the punishment of his iniquity. How unrighteous soever the Philistines were, he could not but own that God was righteous. He had sported himself in his own deceivings and with his own deceivers, and justly are the Philistines let loose upon him to make sport with him. Uncleanness is a sin that makes men vile, and exposes them to contempt. A wound and dishonour shall he get whose heart is deceived by a woman, and his reproach shall not be wiped away. Everlasting shame and contempt will be the portion of those that are blinded and bound by their own lusts. The devil that deceived them will insult over them.
II. How justly the God of Israel brought sudden destruction upon them by the hands of Samson. Thousands of the Philistines had got together, to attend their lords in the sacrifices and joys of this day, and to be the spectators of this comedy; but it proved to them a fatal tragedy, for they were all slain, and buried in the ruins of the house: whether it was a temple or a theatre, or whether it was some slight building run up for the purpose, is uncertain. Observe,
1.Who were destroyed: All the lords of the Philistines (Jdg 16:27), who had by bribes corrupted Delilah to betray Samson to them. Evil pursued those sinners. Many of the people likewise, to the number of 3000, and among them a great many women, one of whom, it is likely, was that harlot of Gaza mentioned, Jdg 16:1. Samson had been drawn into sin by the Philistine women, and now a great slaughter is made among them, as was by Moses's order among the women of Midian, because it was they that caused the children of Israel to trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, Num 31:16.
2.When they were destroyed. (1.) When they were merry, secure, and jovial, and far from apprehending themselves in any danger. When they saw Samson lay hold of the pillars, we may suppose, his doing so served them for a jest, and they made sport with that too: What will this feeble Jew do? How are sinners brought to desolation in a moment! They are lifted up in pride and mirth, that their fall may be the more dreadful. Let us never envy the mirth of wicked people, but infer from this instance that their triumphing is short and their joy but for a moment. (2.) It was when they were praising Dagon their god, and giving that honour to him which is due to God only, which is no less than treason against the King of kings, his crown and dignity. Justly therefore is the blood of these traitors mingled with their sacrifices. Belshazzar was cut off when he was praising his man-made gods, Dan 5:4. (3.) It was when they were making sport with an Israelite, a Nazarite, and insulting over him, persecuting him whom God had smitten. Nothing fills the measure of the iniquity of any person or people faster than mocking and misusing the servants of God, yea, though it is by their own folly that they are brought low. Those know not what they do, nor whom they affront, that make sport with a good man.
3.How they were destroyed. Samson pulled the house down upon them, God no doubt putting it into his heart, as a public person, thus to avenge God's quarrel with them, Israel's, and his own. (1.) He gained strength to do it by prayer, Jdg 16:28. That strength which he had lost by sin he, like a true penitent, recovers by prayer; as David, who, when he had provoked the Spirit of grace to withdraw, prayed (Psa 51:12), Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free Spirit. We may suppose that this was only a mental prayer, and that his voice was not heard (for it was made in a noisy clamorous crowd of Philistines); but, though his voice was not heard of men, yet his prayer was heard of God and graciously answered, and though he lived not to give an account himself of this his prayer, as Nehemiah did of his, yet God not only accepted it in heaven, but, by revealing it to the inspired penmen, provided for the registering of it in his church. He prayed to God to remember him and strengthen him this once, thereby owning that his strength for what he had already done he had from God, and begged it might be afforded to him once more, to give them a parting blow. That it was not from a principle of passion or personal revenge, but from a holy zeal for the glory of God and Israel, that he desired to do this, appears from God's accepting and answering the prayer. Samson died praying, so did our blessed Saviour; but Samson prayed for vengeance, Christ for forgiveness. (2.) He gained opportunity to do it by leaning on the two pillars which were the chief supports of the building, and were, it seems, so near together that he could take hold of them both at one time, v. 26, 29. Having hold of them, he bore them down with all his might, crying aloud, Let me die with the Philistines, v. 30. Animamque in vulnere ponit - While inflicting the wound he dies. The vast concourse of people that were upon the roof looking down through it to see the sport, we may suppose, contributed to the fall of it. A weight so much greater than ever it was designed to carry might perhaps have sunk of itself, at least it made the fall more fatal to those within: and indeed few of either could escape being either stifled or crushed to death. This was done, not by any natural strength of Samson, but by the almighty power of God, and is not only marvellous, but miraculous, in our eyes. Now in this, [1.] The Philistines were greatly mortified. All their lords and great men were killed, and abundance of their people, and this in the midst of their triumph; the temple of Dagon (as many think the house was) was pulled down, and Dagon buried in it. This would give a great check to the insolence of the survivors, and, if Israel had but had so much sense and spirit left them as to improve the advantages of this juncture, they might now have thrown off the Philistines' yoke. [2.] Samson may very well be justified, and brought in not guilty of any sinful murder either of himself or the Philistines. He was a public person, a declared enemy to the Philistines, against whom he might therefore take all advantages. They were now in the most barbarous manner making war upon him; all present were aiding and abetting, and justly die with him. Nor was he felo de se, or a self-murderer, in it; for it was not his own life that he aimed at, though he had too much reason to be weary of it, but the lives of Israel's enemies, for the reaching of which he bravely resigned his own, not counting it dear to him, so that he might finish his course with honour. [3.] God was very much glorified in pardoning Samson's great transgressions, of which this was an evidence. It has been said that the prince's giving a commission to one convicted amounts to a pardon. Yet, though he was a God that forgave him, he took vengeance of his inventions (Psa 99:8), and, by suffering his champion to die in fetters, warned all to take heed of those lusts which war against the soul. However, we have good reason to hope that though Samson died with the Philistines he had not his everlasting portion with them. The Lord knows those that are his. [4.] Christ was plainly typified. He pulled down the devil's kingdom, as Samson did Dagon's temple; and, when he died, he obtained the most glorious victory over the powers of darkness. Then when his arms were stretched out upon the cross, as Samson's to the two pillars, he gave a fatal shake to the gates of hell, and, through death, destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil (Heb 2:14, Heb 2:15), and herein exceeded Samson, that he not only died with the Philistines, but rose again to triumph over them.
Lastly, The story of Samson concludes, 1. With an account of his burial. His own relations, animated by the glories that attended his death, came and found out his body among the slain, brought it honourably to his own country, and buried it in the place of his fathers' sepulchres, the Philistines being in such a consternation that they durst not oppose it. 2. With the repetition of the account we had before of the continuance of his government: He judged Israel twenty years; and, if they had not been as mean and sneaking as he was brave and daring, he would have left them clear of the Philistines' yoke. They might have been easy, safe, and happy, if they would but have given God and their judges leave to make them so.
Satan the tyrant outwitted Samson with a woman,
the same tyrant outwitted Adam with a woman:
Samson had to grind at the mill, Adam had to labor wearily on the soil;
Samson prayed to be released,
whereas we pray to grow old in our misery.
Blessed is he who delivered Samson, releasing him from the grinding.
Samson is a type of the death of Christ the high priest:
Samson’s death returns prisoners to their towns,
whereas the High Priest’s death has returned us to our heritage.
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SUMMARY
Judges 16:31 serves as the poignant epilogue to the tumultuous life of Samson, detailing the respectful retrieval and burial of his body by his family in the ancestral plot between Zorah and Eshtaol. This verse also provides the standard concluding formula for a judge's narrative, affirming his twenty-year tenure as a divinely appointed leader over Israel. It marks a moment of closure, bringing Samson's story full circle to his origins and formally acknowledging his place within the lineage of Israel's deliverers, despite the unconventional and often tragic nature of his service.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Judges 16:31 employs several literary devices to bring Samson's narrative to a powerful close. The most prominent is Inclusio, as Samson's burial "between Zorah and Eshtaol" brings his life full circle, geographically returning him to the very region where he was born and where his Nazirite vow was initiated. This literary framing device provides a sense of completion and closure to his tumultuous journey. There is also a subtle Irony in the fact that Samson's most effective act of deliverance against the Philistines occurred in his death, achieving more in his final moments than in much of his life. This ironic twist underscores the paradoxical nature of God's working through human weakness. Finally, the concluding summary of his "twenty years" of judgeship acts as a Formulaic Conclusion, a recurring literary convention in the Book of Judges that formally places Samson within the lineage of Israel's divinely appointed deliverers, despite the unique and often tragic trajectory of his individual story.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Judges 16:31, in its quiet finality, powerfully underscores God's unwavering sovereignty and His ability to accomplish His purposes even through deeply flawed human instruments. Samson's story is a testament to divine grace, demonstrating that God's plan for Israel's deliverance was not contingent upon Samson's moral perfection but upon God's own faithfulness to His covenant. The family's act of retrieving and burying Samson highlights the enduring importance of familial love, honor, and the redemptive power of community, even in the face of scandal and failure. It reminds us that even when a life is marked by significant personal shortcomings, God can still weave it into His grand tapestry of redemption, ultimately using the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Samson's story, culminating in his burial and the summary of his judgeship in Judges 16:31, offers profound lessons for contemporary believers. It reminds us that God's call and purpose for our lives are not nullified by our imperfections or even our outright failures. While Samson's life serves as a cautionary tale against squandering divine gifts and succumbing to personal weaknesses, his ultimate inclusion among the faithful in Hebrews 11:32 testifies to God's enduring grace and His ability to bring about His will even through the most unlikely and flawed vessels. This verse also highlights the enduring importance of family and community in providing closure, honor, and a sense of belonging, even when a loved one's life has been challenging or controversial. It encourages us to extend grace and compassion, recognizing that God's redemptive work often unfolds in messy, unexpected ways, and that our ultimate hope rests not in our own strength or righteousness, but in His sovereign plan.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why did Samson's family retrieve his body from Philistine territory?
Answer: In ancient Near Eastern cultures, proper burial was a sacred duty and a profound act of honor for the deceased. To leave a body unburied or to allow it to be desecrated was considered a grave dishonor, not only to the individual but also to their family and community. Despite Samson's tumultuous life, his Philistine entanglements, and the devastating circumstances of his death in the temple, his "brethren and all the house of his father" demonstrated profound familial loyalty and courage by venturing into Philistine territory to retrieve his body. This act ensured he received a respectful burial in his ancestral land, connecting him back to his heritage and providing closure for his family. It underscores the enduring bond of kinship and the importance of fulfilling one's duty to the dead, even for a controversial figure.
What is the significance of the statement "And he judged Israel twenty years" for Samson's legacy?
Answer: This phrase is a standard, formulaic concluding statement used throughout the Book of Judges (e.g., Judges 3:11, Judges 3:30, Judges 8:28). Its inclusion for Samson, despite his highly unconventional and often self-serving "judgeship," formally validates his divinely appointed role as a leader and deliverer of Israel. It signifies that, for two decades, he was recognized as the one God was using to "begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines" (Judges 13:5). While his life was marked by personal failings, this statement affirms that God's overarching purpose for him was fulfilled, however paradoxically, and that he held a legitimate place among the judges who rescued Israel during times of oppression.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Samson's story, culminating in his death and burial, finds profound Christ-centered fulfillment not in a direct type-antitype relationship, but in the overarching theological themes it presents regarding divine deliverance and strength in weakness. Samson, though a flawed deliverer, ultimately achieved his greatest victory over Israel's enemies through his own death, a self-sacrificial act that foreshadows the ultimate, perfect deliverance accomplished by Jesus Christ. Just as Samson's family retrieved his body for burial, signifying a return to his roots, Christ's body was taken down from the cross and laid in a tomb (Matthew 27:57-60), only for Him to rise triumphantly, conquering sin and death. Samson's paradox—that his greatest strength and impact came in his moment of apparent weakness and death—points to the cross of Christ, where the Son of God, in His ultimate weakness and humility, defeated the powers of darkness and secured eternal redemption for humanity (Colossians 2:15). Christ is the perfect Judge and Deliverer, unlike Samson who was limited by his sin, offering not just temporary relief from an oppressor, but eternal freedom from the bondage of sin and death, fulfilling the true spiritual deliverance that Samson could only imperfectly foreshadow (Hebrews 9:12).