Judges 13:13-23

13 The angel of the LORD answered, “Your wife must do all that I have told her.
14 She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her.”
15 Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “We would like you to stay until we prepare a young goat for you.”
16 The angel of the LORD replied, “Even though you detain me, I will not eat any of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the LORD.” (Manoah did not realize that it was the angel of the LORD.)
17 Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?”
18 He replied, “Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding.[a]
19 Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock to the LORD. And the LORD did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched:
20 As the flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground.
21 When the angel of the LORD did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it was the angel of the LORD.
22 “We are doomed to die!” he said to his wife. “We have seen God!”
23 But his wife answered, “If the LORD had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this.”

Judges 13:13-23 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 13

This chapter relates the birth of Samson, another of the judges of Israel, which was foretold by an angel to his mother, who told her husband of it, Jud 13:1-7 upon whose entreaty the angel appeared again, and related the same to them both, Jud 13:8-14 and who was very, respectfully treated by the man, and by the wonderful things he did was known by him to be an angel of the Lord, which greatly surprised him, Jud 13:15-23 and the chapter is closed with an account of the birth of Samson, and of his being early endowed with the Spirit of God, Jud 13:24,25.

Cross References 14

  • 1. Leviticus 10:9; Numbers 6:4
  • 2. S ver 4
  • 3. ver 3; Judges 6:19
  • 4. S Judges 11:31; Judges 6:20
  • 5. S Judges 6:22
  • 6. S Genesis 32:29
  • 7. S Genesis 32:29; Isaiah 9:6
  • 8. Judges 6:20
  • 9. S Leviticus 9:24
  • 10. S Genesis 17:3; 1 Chronicles 21:16; Ezekiel 1:28; Matthew 17:6
  • 11. ver 16; S Judges 6:22
  • 12. S Numbers 17:12; S Deuteronomy 5:26
  • 13. S Genesis 16:13; Genesis 32:30; S Exodus 3:6; S Exodus 24:10; S Judges 6:22
  • 14. Psalms 25:14

Footnotes 1

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