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Commentary on Judges 16 verses 4–17
The burnt child dreads the fire; yet Samson, that has more than the strength of a man, in this comes short of the wisdom of a child; for, though he had been more than once brought into the highest degree of mischief and danger by the love of women and lusting after them, yet he would not take warning, but is here again taken in the same snare, and this third time pays for all. Solomon seems to refer especially to this story of Samson when, in his caution against uncleanness, he gives this account of a whorish woman (Pro 7:26), that she hath cast down many wounded, yea, many strong men have been slain by her; and (Pro 6:26) that the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. This bad woman, that brought Samson to ruin, is here named Delilah, an infamous name, and fitly used to express the person, or thing, that by flattery or falsehood brings mischief and destruction on those to whom kindness is pretended. See here,
I. The affection Samson had for Delilah: he loved her, Jdg 16:4. Some think she was his wife, but then he would have had her home to his own house; others that he courted her to make her his wife; but there is too much reason to suspect that it was a sinful affection he had for her, and that he lived in uncleanness with her. Whether she was an Israelite or a Philistine is not certain. If an Israelite, which is scarcely probable, yet she had the heart of a Philistine.
II. The interest which the lords of the Philistines made with her to betray Samson, Jdg 16:5. 1. That which they told her they designed was to humble him, or afflict him; they would promise not to do him any hurt, only they would disable him not to do them any. And so much conscience it should seem they made of this promise that even then, when he lay ever so much at their mercy, they would not kill him, no, not when the razor that cut his hair might sooner and more easily have cut his throat. 2. That which they desired, in order hereunto, was to know where his great strength lay, and by what means he might be bound. Perhaps they imagined he had some spell or charm which he carried about with him, by the force of which he did these great things, and doubted not but that, if they could get this from him, he would be manageable; and therefore, having had reason enough formerly to know which was his blind side, hoped to find out his riddle a second time by ploughing with his heifer. They engaged Delilah to get it out of him, telling her what a kindness it would be to them, and perhaps assuring her it should not be improved to any real mischief, either to him or her. 3. For this they bid high, promised to give her each of them 1100 pieces of silver, 5500 in all. So many shekels amounted to above 1000l. sterling; with this she was hired to betray one she pretended to love. See what horrid wickedness the love of money is the root of. Our blessed Saviour was thus betrayed by one whom he called friend, and with a kiss too, for filthy lucre. No marvel if those who are unchaste, as Delilah, be unjust; such as lose their honesty in one instance will in another.
III. The arts by which he put her off from time to time, and kept his own counsel a great while. She asked him where his great strength lay, and whether it were possible for him to be bound and afflicted (Jdg 16:6), pretending that she only desired he would satisfy her curiosity in that one thing, and that she thought it was impossible he should be bound otherwise than by her charms.
1.When she urged him very much, he told her, (1.) That he might be bound with seven green withs, Jdg 16:7. The experiment was tried (Jdg 16:8), but it would not do: he broke the withs as easily as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire, Jdg 16:9. (2.) When she still continued her importunity (Jdg 16:10) he told her that with two new ropes he might be so cramped and hampered that he might be as easily dealt with as any other man, Jdg 16:11. This experiment was tried too, but it failed: the new ropes broke from off his arm like a thread, Jdg 16:12. (3.) When she still pressed him to communicate the secret, and upbraided him with it as an unkindness that he had bantered her so long, he then told her that the weaving of the seven locks of his head would make a great alteration in him, Jdg 16:13. This came nearer the matter than any thing he had yet said, but it would not do: his strength appeared to be very much in his hair, when, upon the trial of this, purely by the strength of his hair, he carried away the pin of the beam and the web.
2.In the making of all these experiments, it is hard to say whether there appears more of Samson's weakness or Delilah's wickedness. (1.) Could any thing be more wicked than her restless and unreasonable importunity with him to discover a secret which she knew would endanger his life if ever it were lodged any where but in his own breast? What could be more base and disingenuous, more false and treacherous, than to lay his head in her lap, as one whom she loved, and at the same time to design the betraying of him to those by whom he was mortally hated? (2.) Could any thing be more weak than for him to continue a parley with one who, he so plainly saw, was aiming to do him a mischief, - that he should lend an ear so long to such an impudent request, that she might know how to do him a mischief, - that when he perceived liers in wait for him in the chamber, and that they were ready to apprehend him if they had been able, he did not immediately quit the chamber, with a resolution never to come into it any more, - nay, that he should again lay his head in that lap out of which he had been so often roused with that alarm, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson? One can hardly imagine a man so perfectly besotted, and void of all consideration, as Samson now was; but whoredom is one of those things that take away the heart. It is hard to say what Samson meant in suffering her to try so often whether she could weaken and afflict him; some think he did not certainly know himself where his strength lay, but, it should seem, he did know, for, when he told her that which would disable him indeed, it is said, He told her all his heart. It seems, he designed to banter her, and to try if he could turn it off with a jest, and to baffle the liers in wait, and make fools of them; but it was very unwise in him that he did not quit the field as soon as ever he perceived that he was not able to keep the ground.
IV. The disclosure he at last made of this great secret; and, if the disclosure proved fatal to him, he must thank himself, who had not power to keep his own counsel from one that manifestly sought his ruin. Surely in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird, but in Samson's sight is the net spread, and yet he is taken in it. If he had not been blind before the Philistines put out his eyes, he might have seen himself betrayed. Delilah signifies a consumer; she was so to him. Observe, 1. How she teazed him, telling him she would not believe he loved her, unless he would gratify her in this matter (Jdg 16:15): How canst thou say, I love thee, when they heart is not with me? That is, "when thou canst not trust me with the counsels of they heart?" Passionate lovers cannot bear to have their love called in question; they would do any thing rather than their sincerity should be suspected. Here therefore Delilah had this fond fool (excuse me that I call him so) at an advantage. This expostulation is indeed grounded upon a great truth, that those only have our love, not that have our good words or our good wishes, but that have our hearts. That is love without dissimulation; but it is falsehood and flattery in the highest degree to say we love those with whom our hearts are not. How can we say we love either our brother, whom we have seen, or God, whom we have not seen, if our hearts be not with him? She continued many days vexatious to him with her importunity, so that he had no pleasure of his life with her (Jdg 16:16); why then did he not leave her? It was because he was captivated to her by the power of love, falsely so called, but truly lust. This bewitched and perfectly intoxicated him, and by the force of it see, 2. How she conquered him (Jdg 16:17): He told her all his heart. God left him to himself to do this foolish thing, to punish him for indulging himself in the lusts of uncleanness. The angel that foretold his birth said nothing of his great strength, but only that he should be a Nazarite, and particularly that no razor should come upon his head, Jdg 13:5. His consecration to God was to be his strength, for he was to be strengthened according to the glorious power of that Spirit which wrought in him mightily, that his strength, by promise, not by nature, might be a type and figure of the spiritual strength of believers, Col 1:11, Col 1:29. Therefore the badge of his consecration was the pledge of his strength; if he lose the former, he knows he forfeits the latter. "If I be shaven, I shall no longer be a Nazarite, and then my strength will be lost." The making of his bodily strength to depend so much on his hair, which could have no natural influence upon it either one way or other, teaches us to magnify divine institutions, and to expect God's grace, and the continuance of it, only the use of those means of grace wherein he has appointed us to attend upon him, the word, sacraments, and prayer. In these earthen vessels is this treasure.
Overcome by love of money, Achan led to destruction all the people of the fathers. So Joshua the son of Nun, who could stay the sun from setting, could not stay the love of money in people from creeping on. At the sound of his voice the sun stood still, but love of money stayed not. When the sun stood still, Joshua completed his triumph, but when love of money went on, he almost lost the victory.Why? Did not the woman Delilah’s love of money deceive Samson, the bravest man of all? So he who had torn apart the roaring lion with his hands; who, when bound and handed over to his enemies, alone, without help, burst his bonds and killed a thousand of them; who broke the cords interwoven with sinews as though they were but the slight threads of a net; he, I say, having laid his head on the woman’s knee, was robbed of the decoration of his victory-bringing hair, that which gave him his might. Money flowed into the lap of the woman, and the favor of God forsook the man.
Love of money, then, is deadly. Money is seductive, as it defiles those who have it and does not help those who do not.
But now his licence transgressed the limits not only of his paternal territory, but of good morals, such as ancient discipline had prescribed, and this brought upon him destruction in the end. For although he had experienced in his first marriage the treachery of a foreign wife, and ought to have avoided it in future, he did not shun connecting himself with the harlot Delilah, and by his passionate love of her opened a way for the craft of his enemies to assail him. For the Philistines came up to her, and promised each of them to give her eleven hundred pieces of silver if she would disclose to them wherein his assurance of strength lay, that by means of this knowledge they might entrap and take him.
But she having once prostituted herself for money, began during the banquet and the blandishments of love, cunningly and craftily to inquire of him in what respect his strength excelled that of others, and at the same time, as if solicitous and fearful for his safety, to entreat him to confide to his beloved by what means he could be bound and subdued into the power of others. But he, still self-possessed and unshaken, opposed craft to the allurements of the harlot, and told her that if he were bound with withs yet green and not dried, his strength would be like that of other men. When the Philistines learnt this from Delilah, they bound him while asleep with green withs, and then awoke him as though on a sudden, but found that he had not fallen off from his accustomed fortitude, but bursting its bonds his freed strength was able to resist and drive back a host of assailants.
Why was the mighty man Samson rejected by God, he who was set apart and consecrated to God while still in the womb; whose birth was announced by an angel, like John, the son of Zacharias; who was granted great power and worked great wonders [and who by the supernatural strength which God poured into his body smote a thousand men with the jawbone of an ass and became a saviour and judge unto Israel]? Was it not because he defiled his holy members by union with a harlot? For this reason God departed from him and surrendered him to his enemies.
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SUMMARY
Judges 16:7 records Samson's initial, deceptive response to Delilah's persistent interrogation regarding the secret of his extraordinary strength. This pivotal moment in the narrative exposes Samson's dangerous overconfidence and casual approach to a situation of profound spiritual and physical peril. It initiates a series of escalating deceptions, ultimately leading to his betrayal, capture, and humiliation at the hands of the Philistines, powerfully illustrating the severe consequences of spiritual compromise and underestimating the enemy's relentless resolve.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: This verse is intricately woven into the dramatic narrative of Samson and Delilah, spanning Judges chapter 16. It follows Samson's previous encounters with Philistine women, such as the woman of Timnah and the harlot in Gaza, revealing a recurring pattern of moral compromise that culminates in his relationship with Delilah. Judges 16:4-6 establishes Delilah's agreement with the Philistine lords, who offer an immense bribe to uncover the source of Samson's power. Samson's reply in Judges 16:7 marks the first of three false answers, each designed to mislead Delilah while maintaining a facade of playful banter. Yet, each successive lie subtly hints closer to the truth, building narrative tension and foreshadowing the inevitable revelation of his secret and his tragic downfall. This sequence highlights the escalating stakes and the deepening treachery.
Historical & Cultural Context: Samson's judgeship occurred during a tumultuous period for Israel, characterized by cycles of apostasy and foreign oppression, as vividly depicted throughout the book of Judges. The Philistines, a formidable maritime people who had settled on the southwestern coast of Canaan, were technologically superior (possessing iron weaponry) and frequently oppressed the Israelites. Their culture was polytheistic, with Dagon serving as a primary deity. The staggering sum offered to Delilah—1,100 shekels of silver from each of the five Philistine lords, totaling 5,500 shekels—underscores their desperate resolve to neutralize Samson, who had become an existential threat to their dominance. Israelite law generally discouraged marriage and intimate relationships with foreign women due to the inherent risk of idolatry and cultural assimilation, a principle Samson repeatedly disregarded. The "green withs" mentioned in the verse were likely fresh, undried animal sinews or strong plant fibers, commonly used for binding. Their "green" or moist state implies initial pliability and strength, which would significantly diminish upon drying, a detail Samson cleverly exploits in his deceptive and seemingly plausible answer.
Key Themes: Judges 16:7 significantly contributes to several overarching themes present in Samson's narrative and the broader book of Judges. The theme of Deception and Betrayal is central, as Delilah actively plots against Samson, and Samson, in turn, attempts to deceive her. This treacherous dynamic underscores the profound danger of intimate relationships built on ulterior motives and the destructive nature of infidelity. Overconfidence and Spiritual Arrogance are starkly evident in Samson's playful engagement with Delilah's probing questions, revealing his presumption that he can toy with temptation and spiritual peril without suffering severe consequences. This stands in sharp contrast to the divine source of his strength, which is a recurring theme: his power is not inherent but a miraculous gift from God, directly tied to his Nazirite vow as established in Judges 13:5. The verse also subtly introduces the theme of Vulnerability and Compromise, as Samson's consistent yielding to forbidden relationships and his casual attitude toward his sacred calling ultimately expose him to profound danger, illustrating the perilous path of spiritual compromise detailed throughout the book of Judges.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Judges 16:7 masterfully employs several potent literary devices. Dramatic Irony is profoundly evident, as the audience is fully cognizant of the true source of Samson's strength—his Nazirite vow, specifically his uncut hair, as revealed in Judges 13:5—while Delilah and the Philistines remain tragically ignorant. This creates palpable tension and suspense, rendering Samson's deceptive answers all the more precarious and his eventual downfall more tragic. Foreshadowing is subtly woven into the narrative; while the "seven green withs" constitute a lie, the emphasis on a specific number and a physical condition hints at the true, specific condition of his strength (the seven locks of his hair). Samson's casual and playful engagement in this dangerous game, despite his sacred divine calling, also exemplifies a Tragic Flaw, as his overconfidence, impulsiveness, and susceptibility to temptation ultimately pave the way for his catastrophic downfall. The entire narrative functions as a compelling Cautionary Tale, vividly illustrating the perils of spiritual compromise and the dire consequences of underestimating the persistence and insidious nature of evil.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Judges 16:7, though a deceptive utterance, carries profound theological implications. It starkly underscores the theme of divine power versus human weakness and pride. Samson's strength was not an inherent attribute but a miraculous gift from God, contingent upon his Nazirite vow and, by extension, his obedience. His casual attitude toward the secret of this strength reflects a dangerous disconnect from the sacredness of his calling, a pattern of spiritual compromise that pervades his entire story. The Philistines' relentless pursuit of the source of his strength mirrors the spiritual battle believers face against unseen forces that seek to undermine their walk with God and rob them of their spiritual vitality. Samson's overconfidence serves as a stark warning against spiritual arrogance, reminding us that true strength lies not in our own abilities, cleverness, or perceived invincibility, but in humble reliance on God alone. The narrative highlights the insidious nature of temptation and the devastating consequences of playing with sin, even when one mistakenly believes they are in control.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Samson's initial deceptive answer to Delilah in Judges 16:7 serves as a powerful and timeless cautionary tale for believers today. It vividly illustrates the insidious nature of persistent temptation and the grave danger of spiritual compromise, particularly when we mistakenly believe we are in control or immune to its effects. Samson, though endowed with supernatural strength for God's purposes, playfully engaged with a woman actively seeking his destruction, demonstrating a profound spiritual naivety and overconfidence. This narrative urgently calls us to take temptation seriously, recognizing that sin often approaches subtly, disguised as harmless amusement, a minor deviation, or an insignificant dalliance. We are called to diligently guard our hearts and minds, to exercise discernment about our relationships and associations, and to flee from situations that threaten our spiritual integrity, rather than to test the boundaries of our resilience or toy with spiritual danger. True spiritual strength is found not in our own presumed ability to resist temptation on our own terms, but in our humble and unwavering reliance on God's empowering grace and our steadfast commitment to His divine commands.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why did Samson give a false answer instead of simply refusing to tell Delilah the truth?
Answer: Samson's decision to give a false answer, rather than an outright refusal, stems from a complex interplay of factors, primarily his profound overconfidence, his playful yet dangerous engagement with Delilah, and likely a desire to maintain the illusion of control and affection in their relationship. He probably believed he could outwit her and the Philistines indefinitely, enjoying the thrill of the deception without truly comprehending the gravity of her treacherous intentions. His character throughout the book of Judges reveals a consistent pattern of impulsiveness and a tendency to indulge his desires, often leading him into perilous situations. He may have also been testing Delilah's persistence or simply attempting to buy time, but his repeated false answers ultimately reveal a tragic underestimation of the enemy's relentless resolve and the depth of Delilah's betrayal. This behavior stands in stark contrast to the wisdom found in Proverbs 26:28, which warns against the destructive nature of deceit.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Samson, the Nazirite judge, was set apart from birth, endowed with supernatural strength by God's Spirit to begin the deliverance of Israel from the Philistines. Yet, his story, particularly his casual compromise and deceptive play in Judges 16:7, highlights the tragic failure of human strength and faithfulness, even when divinely empowered. Samson's strength was external, tied to a vow he ultimately broke, leading to his literal and spiritual blindness and humiliation. In profound contrast, Jesus Christ is the true and perfect Nazirite, set apart not by a temporary vow but by His very nature as God incarnate, eternally consecrated to the Father's will. His strength was not merely physical, but spiritual, moral, and redemptive, demonstrated in His perfect obedience to the Father, even unto death on the cross (as described in Philippians 2:8). Where Samson played with temptation and succumbed to compromise, Jesus faced every temptation, including the devil's cunning deceptions in the wilderness (powerfully recounted in Matthew 4:1-11), yet remained utterly sinless. Samson's "weakness" was a consequence of his disobedience, leading to his capture and humiliation; Christ's "weakness" on the cross was a voluntary act of self-sacrifice, bringing about ultimate victory over sin and death, becoming the true Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. His apparent defeat was the very means of our salvation, demonstrating that true power is found not in physical might or clever deception, but in humble obedience, sacrificial love, and unwavering faithfulness to God's redemptive plan.