Judges 13:22

22 And Mano'ah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, for we have seen God."

Judges 13:22 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 13:22

And Manoah said unto his wife
Being risen from the ground, where they fell on their faces:

we shall surely die, because we have seen God;
by which it appears that he not only believed him to be an angel, and not a man, but a divine Person; for though angels are sometimes called "Elohim", the word here used, yet good men were not wont to fear death, or conclude they should die on sight of an angel; but their notion was, that an appearance of God to them was death, and were surprised when it did not follow, ( Genesis 32:30 ) ( Judges 6:22 Judges 6:23 ) ( Exodus 33:20 ) .

Judges 13:22 In-Context

20 And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar while Mano'ah and his wife looked on; and they fell on their faces to the ground.

21 The angel of the LORD appeared no more to Mano'ah and to his wife. Then Mano'ah knew that he was the angel of the LORD.

22 And Mano'ah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, for we have seen God."

23 But his wife said to him, "If the LORD had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and a cereal offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us such things as these."

24 And the woman bore a son, and called his name Samson; and the boy grew, and the LORD blessed him.