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Judges 16:1-11

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Samson and Delilah

1 Samson went to 1Gaza, and there he saw a prostitute, and he went in to her.
2 The Gazites were told, “Samson has come here. ” And they 2surrounded the place and set an ambush for him all night at the gate of the city. They kept quiet all night, saying, “Let us wait till the light of the morning; then we will kill him. ”
3 But Samson lay till midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts, and pulled them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that is in front of Hebron.
4 After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5 And 3the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, 4“Seduce him, and see where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to 5humble him. And we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver. ”
6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and how you might be bound, that one could 6subdue you. ”
7 Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, 7then I shall become weak and be like any other man. ”
8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
9 Now she had men lying in ambush in an inner chamber. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson! ” But he snapped the bowstrings, as a thread of flax snaps when it touches the fire. So the secret of his strength was not known.
10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have mocked me and told me lies. Please tell me how you might be bound. ”
11 And he said to her, “If they bind me with 8new ropes that have not been used, then I shall become weak and be like any other man. ”
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Judges 16:1-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 16

In this chapter we have an account of Samson's too great familiarity with two harlots; by the one he was brought into great danger, and narrowly escaped, Jud 16:1-3, and by the other he was betrayed into the hands of the Philistines, having got the secret out of him wherein his great strength lay, Jud 16:4-20 who having him in their hands, put out his eyes, imprisoned him, and in their idol temple made sport of him, Jud 16:21-25, where praying for renewed strength from the Lord, he pulled down the temple, and destroyed multitudes with the loss of his own life, Jud 16:26-31.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible
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Cross References 8

  • 1. 16:1 Josh. 15:47
  • 2. 16:2 [1 Sam. 23:26; Ps. 118:10-12; Acts 9:24]
  • 3. 16:5 Josh. 13:3
  • 4. 16:5 ch. 14:15
  • 5. 16:5 ver. 19
  • 6. 16:6 [See ver. 5 above]
  • 7. 16:7 ver. 11, 17
  • 8. 16:11 ch. 15:13, 14
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025

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