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The name "Samson" is derived from the Hebrew word šemeš, which means "sun", [10] [1] [34] so that Samson bore the name of God, who is called "a sun and shield" in Psalms 84:11; [10] and as God protected Israel, so did Samson watch over it in his generation, judging the people even as did God. [10]
Sep 12, 2024 · Samson, legendary Israelite warrior and judge, or divinely inspired leader, renowned for the prodigious strength that he derived from his uncut hair. He is portrayed in the biblical Book of Judges (chapters 13–16). Learn more about the legend of Samson in this article.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Samson is described in the Book of Judges (chapters 13–16).
- Samson was a legendary Israelite warrior and judge, a member of the tribe of Dan, and a Nazirite. His immense physical strength, which he used for...
- Samson pushed over the pillars of the temple of the Philistine god Dagon, destroying the temple and killing himself and thousands of Philistines.
- Delilah asked Samson three times the source of his strength, and he gave her three wrong answers. She then “pressed him daily with her words, and u...
Jan 4, 2022 · Samson’s story begins with the announcement of his birth. A Danite man named Manoah was married to a woman who was unable to have children (Judges 13:2). The angel of the Lord visited the wife and told her, “You are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son” (verse 3).
- God Sends A Champion
- A Plan That Works
- Repentance and Punishment
God sends the Angel of the Lord to a Danite woman to announce she will be healed of her barrenness. She and her husband Manoah are instructed to raise their son as a Nazarite (Judges 13:3 - 14). This dedicated state of serving God is meant to last until death (verse 7). The Lord, as the child grows up, not only blesses him but also begins to stir w...
Desperate to stop Samson, five Philistine leaders decide to employ the services of a harlot named Delilah to discover how to render him powerless (Judges 16:4 - 5). His lust and weakness for women, coupled with her persistence, pays off. She learns from him that the source of his power is his dedicated service to God symbolized by his unshaved head...
The last act of Samson is to call upon God to strengthen him, one last time, so that the Philistines may be judged for what they have done to him. Standing with outstretched arms against the main supporting pillars of a pagan temple dedicated to Dagon, he pushes with all his might and causes the entire building to collapse! Not only does he kill hi...
- Name. The Biblical account gives no explanation, etymology, or significance to the name Samson. Nevertheless, it derives from shemesh, meaning “sun.” This is not unexpected, since Samson was born only a few m. from Beth-Shemesh, the city whose name means “house of the sun.”
- Historical background. Samson was born during the period of the judges, prob. around the beginning of the 11th cent. b.c. During this period God raised up national heroes to deliver His people from their enemies.
- Birth. The four chs. of Judges (chs. 13-16) devoted to Samson were built on the theme of a broken vow—a time-honored motif in the history of lit. Even before he was born, Samson was designated as a Nazirite, and the writer took a full chapter to emphasize that (Judg 13).
- Life. Samson’s life was the story of his breaking of the three prohibitions of the Nazirite vow. Hebrew storytelling is at its best in describing how Samson violated these prohibitions, climaxing with Delilah cutting his hair.
Aug 1, 2020 · After reading of Samson’s brief relationship with his Philistine wife—and with a prostitute—we are told, “After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah” (16:4). Samson’s sin will bring his story to an end. Delilah begins pressuring Samson to reveal the secret to his great strength. He lies to her three ...
Jan 5, 2023 · Samson (/ˈsæmsən/; Hebrew: שִׁמְשׁוֹן, Šīmšōn, “man of the sun”) was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (Judges 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who “judged” Israel before the institution of the monarchy.
