Judges 16:16-26

16 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death,
17 that he told her all his heart and said unto her, "There hath not come a razor upon mine head, for I have been a Nazirite unto God from my mother's womb. If I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man."
18 And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, "Come up this once, for he hath shown me all his heart." Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her and brought money in their hand.
19 And she made him sleep upon her knees. And she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
20 And she said, "The Philistines be upon thee, Samson." And he awoke out of his sleep and said, "I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself." And he knew not that the LORD had departed from him.
21 But the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grinding in the prison house.
22 However the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.
23 Then the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god and to rejoice, for they said, "Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand!"
24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said, "Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country who slew many of us."
25 And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, "Call for Samson, that he may make sport for us." And they called for Samson out of the prison house, and they made sport of him and they set him between the pillars.
26 And Samson said unto the lad who held him by the hand, "Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them."

Judges 16:16-26 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.

Third Millennium Bible (TMB), New Authorized Version, Copyright 1998 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc., Gary, SD 57237. All rights reserved.