Judges 13:20-25

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.”

24 The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the LORD blessed him,

25 and the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Judges 13:20-25 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

• 1. S Leviticus 9:24
• 2. S Genesis 17:3; 1 Chronicles 21:16; Ezekiel 1:28; Matthew 17:6
• 3. ver 16; S Judges 6:22
• 4. S Numbers 17:12; S Deuteronomy 5:26
• 5. S Genesis 16:13; Genesis 32:30; S Exodus 3:6; S Exodus 24:10; S Judges 6:22
• 6. Psalms 25:14
• 7. Judges 14:1; Judges 15:1; Judges 16:1; Hebrews 11:32
• 8. 1 Samuel 2:21,26; 1 Samuel 3:19
• 9. Luke 1:80
• 10. S Judges 3:10
• 11. Judges 18:12