Judges 16:16-26

16 And when she was dis-easeful to him, and cleaved to him continually by many days, and to him gave no space to rest, his life failed, and was made weary unto the death. (And when she had made his life miserable, and continually cleaved to him for many days, and gave him no time for any rest, his strength, or his resolve, failed, and he was made weary unto the death.)
17 (And) Then he opened the truth of the thing, and said to her, Iron came never yet upon mine head (No iron hath ever yet touched my head), for I am a Nazarite, that is, hallowed to the Lord, from my mother's womb; if mine head be shaven, my strength shall go away from me, and I shall fail, and I shall be (made as feeble) as other men.
18 And she saw that he [had] acknowledged to her all his will, either heart; and she sent to the princes of Philistines, and commanded, Go ye up yet (at) once, for now he hath opened his heart to me. The which went up, the money taken with them that they promised. (And she saw that he had spoken to her with all his heart; and she sent for the rulers of the Philistines, saying, Come ye up at once, for he hath now opened up all his heart to me. And they came to her immediately, bringing the money that they had promised.)
19 And she made him sleep upon her knees, and to lay his head in her bosom; and (then) she called (for) a barber, and he shaved (the) seven (locks of the) hairs of him; and (then) she began to shove him away, and to put him (off) from her; for at once the strength went away from him.
20 And she said, Samson, the Philistines be upon thee! And he rose (up) from sleep, and said in his soul, I shall go out, as I did before, and I shall shake me from these bonds; and he knew not, that the Lord had gone away from him.
21 And when the Philistines had taken him, anon they put out his eyes, and led him bound with chains to Gaza, and they closed him in prison, and made him to grind. (And when the Philistines had taken hold of him, at once they put out his eyes, and led him bound with chains to Gaza, and there they enclosed him in prison, and made him to grind with a wheel.)
22 And then his hairs began to grow again;
23 and [the] princes of (the) Philistines came together to offer great sacrifices to Dagon, their god, and they made feasts and ate, saying, Our god hath betaken Samson, our enemy, into our hands.
24 And the people seeing also this thing praised their god (And the people seeing this thing also praised their god), and said the same things, (Yea,) Our god hath betaken our adversary into our hands, which did away our land, and killed full many men.
25 And they were glad(dened) by (the) making of feasts, and then when they had eaten, they commanded that Samson should be called, and (to) play before them; the which was led out of (the) prison, and played before them; and they made him stand betwixt two pillars.
26 And Samson said to the boy that governed his steps, Suffer thou me, that I touch the pillars on which all the house standeth (Allow me to touch the pillars on which the whole house standeth), (so) that I (may) be bowed upon those, and rest a little.

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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.