Giudici 16:21

21 E i Filistei lo presero, e gli abbacinarono gli occhi, e lo menarono in Gaza, e lo legarono con due catene di rame. Ed egli se ne stava macinando nella prigione.

Giudici 16:21 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 16:21

But the Philistines took him
Being assured by Delilah that his strength was gone from him, of which perhaps she had made trial by binding him, and found he could not free himself from the bonds till she loosed them; or otherwise they would have been afraid to have ventured to lay hold upon him;

and put out his eyes;
that should his strength return to him, be might not be able to see where and whom to strike, and so be incapable of doing much mischief any more; the word signifies, they "dug" or "bored them" ^F9 out; they plucked or cut out his eye balls, so that it was impossible his sight should ever be recovered; according to the Arabic version, they blinded him by putting fire to his eyes; the Jews observe, that this was done in just retaliation, measure for measure; Samson, they say ^F11, went after his eyes; that is, by taking one harlot after another; therefore the Philistines put out his eyes:

and brought him down to Gaza:
which lay on the sea coast, and therefore they are said to bring him down to it; here he had been before of his own will, now against it; for in one instance he had acted to his own shame, by going in to an harlot; and in another, to the shame and disgrace of the city, and the inhabitants of it, by carrying off their city gates; through which they now brought him in triumph, in order to repair the dishonour done them: though, perhaps, the true reason of carrying him thither was, that he might be at the greater distance from the Israelites, should they think of rescuing him out of their hands; and especially because it was a very strong fortified city, it had its name from strength; hence Mela ^F12 calls it "Munita admodum Gaza", and says, that when Cambyses made war in Egypt, he carried his wealth and money to this place:

and bound him with fetters of brass;
the Targum calls them chains of brass, and the word being of the dual number, it is probable there were two of them, with which he was bound the greater security:

and he did grind in the prison house;
the motion of mills by water or wind was as yet not invented, but it was usual, as it is still in the eastern countries, to grind with hand mills, at which one or more worked; or with mills moved around by beasts or slaves, and was a work prisoners were employed in, ( Exodus 11:5 ) ( 12:29 ) ( Isaiah 47:1 Isaiah 47:2 ) and Samson being a strong man, they might expect much service from him this way. The Talmudists ^F13 understand this in a criminal sense, as they do ( Job 31:10 ) but this is justly rejected by Kimchi.

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FOOTNOTES:

F9 (wrqny) "effoderant", Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Junius & Tremelius, Piscator
F11 Misn. Sotah. c. sect. 8.
F12 De Situ Orbis, l. 1. c. 11.
F13 T. Bab. Sotah, fol. 10. 1.

Giudici 16:21 In-Context

19 Ed ella addormentò Sansone sopra le sue ginocchia; poi, chiamato un uomo, gli fece radere le sette ciocche del capo; e così fu la prima a domarlo, e la sua forza si partì da lui.

20 Allora ella gli disse: O Sansone, i Filistei ti sono addosso. Ed egli, risvegliatosi dal suo sonno, disse: Io uscirò come l’altre volte, e mi riscoterò; ma egli non sapeva che il Signore si era partito da lui.

21 E i Filistei lo presero, e gli abbacinarono gli occhi, e lo menarono in Gaza, e lo legarono con due catene di rame. Ed egli se ne stava macinando nella prigione.

22 Or i capelli del capo ricominciandogli a crescere, come erano quando fu raso,

23 i principi de’ Filistei si adunarono per fare un gran sacrificio a Dagon, loro dio, e per rallegrarsi; e dissero: Il nostro dio ci ha dato nelle mani Sansone, nostro nemico.