Judges 13:3

3 The angel ^[a] of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “It is true that you are barren and have no children; but you will conceive and give birth to a son.

Judges 13:3 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 13:3

And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman
According to Josephus ^F11, it was in a plain without the city; and that he appeared in the form of a man is certain from ( Judges 13:6 ) but was not a mere man, a prophet of the Lord, nor a created angel, but the uncreated one, the Angel of the covenant, the Son and Word of God, who often appeared in an human form; since his name is said to be "Wonderful", and he to do wonderful things, and is called "Jehovah", ( Judges 13:18 Judges 13:23 ) ,

and said unto her, behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not;
barren at that time, and so she had been ever since she was married to that time; and this is observed, that it might appear the more wonderful that she should after this have a child:

but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son;
which to do, must be ascribed to divine power, that one in her circumstances should bear a son; as the prediction of it was owing to divine omniscience, and a proof of it.

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FOOTNOTES:

F11 Antiqu. l. 5. c. 8. sect. 2.

Judges 13:3 In-Context

1 Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD, so He delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.

2 Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children.

3 The angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “It is true that you are barren and have no children; but you will conceive and give birth to a son.

4 Now please be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, and not to eat anything unclean.

5 For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”

Footnotes

• [a] Or Angel; here and throughout chapter 13; corresponding pronouns may also be capitalized.