Judges 13

CHAPTER 13

The Birth of Samson (13:1–25)

1 In these next four chapters we learn about the life of Samson, the last of Israel’s judges. Once again the Israelites had turned back to their evil ways—to the worshiping of false gods—and so God this time delivered Israel into the hands of the Philistines.⁵⁹

2–5 The writer doesn’t tell us whether or not the Israelites cried out to God, as they had during earlier oppressions (Judges 3:9,15; 4:3; 6:6; 10:10).Perhaps they had simply given up on God and turned completely to the gods of Canaan. If so, God’s raising up of Samson was an act of pure grace—all the more so because of its miraculous nature. Samson’s mother had been barren (verse 2), like other famous biblical mothers before her (Genesis 11:30; 25:21; 29:31) and after her (1 Samuel 1:2; Luke 1:7). So, as He had done for these other mothers, God enabled Samson’s mother to conceive and give birth to a son.

This great event was announced in advance⁶⁰by the angel of the LORD (verse 3), who appeared to Samson’s mother to be in the form of a man (see Genesis 16:710; 18:1–8; Judges 2:1 and comments); she did not realize at first that he was an angel (verse 6). The angel told her two important things about the son she would bear: first, he was to be a lifelong Nazirite;⁶¹ and second, he would begin delivering Israel from the Philistines (verse 5).

Because her son was to be a Nazirite from before birth, the angel told Samson’s mother that she also must not drink alcohol or eat anything unclean⁶² (verse 4). In addition, she must not eat any product of the grape vine (verse 14), another Nazirite restriction (Numbers 6:4).

6–14 The woman then went and told her husband Manoah what the man of God had said (verses 6–7). Manoah was concerned about how to raise such an unusual child, and so he prayed to the Lord that He might send the “man of God” back again with further instructions (verse 8). The angel came again; but when Manoah asked him what would be the rule for the boy’s life and work, the angel didn’t answer directly (verse 12). He had already told Manoah’s wife all they needed to know (verse 5).

15–18 Manoah and his wife surely sensed there was something unusual about this man of God (verse 6). But still not realizing he was an angel, they offered to give him a meal (verse 15) in accordance with the customs of the time (see Genesis 18:1–8; Judges 6:17–19). The angel declined and told Manoah to offer the goat to the Lord instead (verse 16). Then Manoah asked to know the angel’s name; names were very important in biblical times (Genesis 32:29). But the angel merely said that his name was beyond understanding (verse 18)—an expression which in Hebrew⁶³ can also mean “wonderful.”

19–21 Manoah then offered a burnt offering and a grain offering to the Lord⁶⁴ (verses16,19). When Manoah and his wife saw the angel ascend in the flame, they knew then he was indeed the angel of the Lord (verse 21). Gideon had a similar experience when he made an offering in the presence of the angel (Judges 6:20–22).

22–25 Manoah was afraid he and his wife would die (verse 22) because they had seen God (see Exodus 33:20; Judges 6:23). But his wife’s common sense reassured him. In due course Samson was born, just as the angel had said.