Samson and Delilah: Betrayal and Capture
Judges 16:1-22
Jud.16.1 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- וילך: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- עזתה: NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
- וירא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שם: ADV
- אשה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- זונה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויבא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אליה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Judg 14:1 (verbal): Very similar wording and narrative pattern: Samson 'went down' and 'saw a woman' (a Philistine), initiating another episode where a woman becomes the focal point of Samson's actions.
- Judg 16:4 (thematic): Continues the pattern of Samson's attraction to women (here Delilah); both passages show relationships with women leading to vulnerability and later conflict with the Philistines.
- Gen 39:7-12 (thematic): Motif of sexual temptation and a powerful man confronted by a woman's seduction; serves as a contrast in response (Joseph resists) to Samson's yielding to women.
- Prov 7:6-27 (thematic): Wisdom warning about the seductive 'strange woman' whose allure leads men into ruin; thematically parallels Samson's encounter with a harlot and the dangers of sexual entanglement.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Samson went to Gaza and saw there a prostitute, and he went in to her.
Jud.16.2 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- לעזתים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- בא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- הנה: PART
- ויסבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ויארבו: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,pl
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- כל: DET
- הלילה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בשער: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ויתחרשו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- הלילה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- עד: PREP
- אור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הבקר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והרגנהו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Judg.16.1 (structural): Immediate context: Samson goes to Gaza and lies with a prostitute; sets the scene for the Philistines’ ambush at the city gate.
- Judg.16.3 (verbal): Direct narrative continuation/contrast: after the Philistines lie in wait all night, Samson rises at midnight and carries away the city gate—showing the result of the ambush attempt.
- Judg.16.4-21 (thematic): Same episode-cycle: the Philistines repeatedly plot to capture Samson (here by lying in wait; later by bribing Delilah) — the motif of entrapment and pursuit recurs throughout the chapter.
- Judg.15.8-13 (thematic): Earlier pattern of Philistine pursuit of Samson: after Samson’s earlier attacks they gather and seek to capture him, illustrating recurring hostile schemes against him.
- Judg.7.19-22 (thematic): Night-time military action and surprise: Gideon’s nocturnal attack and ambush on the Midianite camp parallels the use of night as the moment for hostile maneuvers and surprise in Judges.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the Gazites were told, “Samson has come!” and they surrounded and lay in ambush for him all night at the city gate; they kept silent all night, saying, “Let us wait till morning light and kill him.”
Jud.16.3 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- וישכב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- עד: PREP
- חצי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הלילה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויקם: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- בחצי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הלילה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויאחז: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- בדלתות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,cs
- שער: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ובשתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- המזוזות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- ויסעם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עם: PREP
- הבריח: NOUN,m,sg,def
- וישם: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- כתפיו: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ויעלם: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- ראש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ההר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- על: PREP
- פני: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- חברון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Judg.16.30 (structural): Samson again moves large architectural elements (pulling down temple pillars) — both scenes highlight his superhuman strength manifested in lifting/manipulating monumental structural features.
- Judg.15.15 (thematic): Samson single‑handedly defeats Philistines (killing a thousand with a jawbone) — parallels the motif of lone, divinely‑enabled martial prowess against Philistine foes.
- Judg.14.6 (verbal): ‘The Spirit of the LORD came upon him’ enabling extraordinary physical action (tearing the lion) — links Samson’s feats of strength to divine empowerment, a theme behind carrying the city gates.
- Ps.144.1 (thematic): ’Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war…’ — theological parallel attributing human martial ability to God’s enabling, resonant with Samson’s God‑given strength.
Alternative generated candidates
- Samson lay till midnight; at midnight he rose, took hold of the doors of the city gate and the two gateposts, pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.
Jud.16.4 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אחרי: PREP
- כן: ADV
- ויאהב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אשה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בנחל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,const
- שרק: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- ושמה: CONJ+ADV,loc
- דלילה: NOUN,f,sg,prop
Parallels
- Judges 14:1–3 (verbal): Samson 'sees' and 'loves' a woman (the Timnah episode); the language and narrative pattern of a hero falling for a woman closely parallels Judges 16:4.
- Judges 16:1–3 (thematic): Earlier Samson episode in Gaza (the visit to a harlot) — another instance of Samson’s sexual liaisons that expose his vulnerability and lead to compromised behavior.
- Proverbs 7:6–27 (thematic): The figure of the seductive/treacherous woman who lures a man to ruin echoes Delilah’s role as temptress and betrayer.
- 2 Samuel 11 (thematic): David’s affair with Bathsheba — a powerful leader’s sexual entanglement that leads to moral failure and disastrous consequences, thematically comparable to Samson’s relationship with Delilah.
Alternative generated candidates
- Afterward he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
Jud.16.5 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אליה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- סרני: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- פלשתים: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- לה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- פתי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אותו: PRON,3,m,sg,obj
- וראי: VERB,qal,imperat,2,f,sg
- במה: PREP+WH
- כחו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- גדול: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ובמה: CONJ+PREP+WH
- נוכל: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- ואסרנהו: VERB,qal,imperfect,1,pl+PRON,3,m,sg
- לענתו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ואנחנו: CONJ+PRON,1,pl
- נתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אלף: NUM,m,sg
- ומאה: CONJ+NUM,f,sg,abs
- כסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Judges 16:6-17 (structural): Direct continuation of the scene: Delilah's repeated attempts to learn Samson's strength and the Philistines' strategy to bind and subdue him.
- Judges 13:2-25 (allusion): Background narrative establishing Samson as a Nazirite set apart from birth and the divine source of his strength, which the Philistines now seek to discover.
- Numbers 6:1-21 (thematic): The Nazirite laws (no cutting hair, abstaining from wine, etc.) provide the legal/ritual context for Samson's vow and explain why his hair is tied to his supernatural strength.
- Matthew 26:14-16 (thematic): A parallel motif of betrayal for money: Judas agrees to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, echoing the Philistine offer to Delilah to betray Samson for payment.
Alternative generated candidates
- The rulers of the Philistines went up to her and said to her, “Entice him, see wherein his great strength lies, and in what we may prevail against him; bind him to afflict him, and we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”
Jud.16.6 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- דלילה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- הגידה: VERB,piel,imp,2,m,sg
- נא: PART
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- במה: PREP+PRON,interrog,sg
- כחך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- גדול: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ובמה: CONJ+PREP+PRON,interrog,sg
- תאסר: VERB,niphal,impf,2,m,sg
- לענותך: PREP+INF,qal+PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Judg.16:7-9 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: Delilah presses Samson three times, he gives false answers about the source of his strength, and the Philistines seize him—directly related to her question in v.6.
- Judg.16:17 (verbal): Samson finally tells Delilah that his strength lies in his uncut hair (Nazirite vow); this verse supplies the direct answer sought in v.6.
- Judg.13:5 (allusion): The birth announcement of Samson notes he is to be a Nazirite and that 'no razor shall come upon his head,' which is the origin of the secret Delilah seeks.
- Num.6:5 (verbal): The Nazirite law forbids cutting the hair—provides the legal/ritual background for Samson's uncut hair as the locus of his vow and strength.
- Prov.7:6-23 (thematic): Portrait of a seductive woman who entices and betrays a man; thematically parallels Delilah's role in extracting Samson's secret through seduction and deceit.
Alternative generated candidates
- Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me wherein your great strength lies, and how you may be bound that you may be subdued.”
Jud.16.7 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אליה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- אם: CONJ
- יאסרני: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בשבעה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יתרים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לחים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- חרבו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m
- וחליתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- והייתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- כאחד: PREP
- האדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Judges 16:6 (thematic): Describes Delilah’s repeated pressing of Samson for the source of his strength—the immediate context that explains why Samson entertains the idea of being bound (the persistent interrogation that leads to his vulnerability).
- Judges 16:9 (verbal): Reports the actual attempt to immobilize Samson by fastening him with cords/cords in bed—closely parallels the binding motif and the mechanics of how Delilah engages the men to capture him.
- Judges 16:17 (allusion): Samson reveals that his hair (his Nazirite vow) is the secret of his strength; this undercuts the efficacy of physical bindings like the 'seven fresh bowstrings' and explains the true source of his power and eventual defeat.
- Judges 16:19–21 (structural): Narrates the culmination of Delilah’s scheme—Samson is put to sleep, his seven locks are cut, and he is bound and delivered to the Philistines; the ‘seven’ motif and the outcome directly echo and fulfill the threat contained in 16:7.
Alternative generated candidates
- Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I shall become weak and be as any man.”
Jud.16.8 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- לה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- סרני: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- פלשתים: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- שבעה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יתרים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לחים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- חרבו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m
- ותאסרהו: VERB,qal,imf,3,f,sg
- בהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Judges 16:7 (verbal): Immediate verbal parallel: Delilah binds Samson with "seven green withs" — the same motif of being bound by seven (fresh) items as in 16:8's mention of seven new garments/cords.
- Judges 16:11–12 (structural): Continuation of the same threefold pattern—Delilah ties Samson with new ropes (v.11), he breaks them (v.12); shows the escalating attempts to bind him that culminate in v.8–19.
- Judges 16:19 (thematic): Delilah shaves Samson’s hair and his strength leaves him; thematically linked as the betrayal sequence that follows the attempted bindings in 16:8 and leads to final capture.
- Judges 16:21 (thematic): After the betrayals, the Philistines seize Samson, gouge out his eyes and bind him with bronze fetters—an outcome-connected parallel to the Philistines’ involvement and binding in 16:8.
- Judges 16:6 (structural): Describes Delilah’s repeated entreaties "day after day"—parallels the pattern of persistent seduction and eventual capture that frames the binding incident in 16:8.
Alternative generated candidates
- So the rulers of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried; and she bound him with them.
Jud.16.9 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- והארב: VERB,qal,part,3,m,sg
- ישב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- בחדר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- פלשתים: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- עליך: PREP+2ms
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- וינתק: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- היתרים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- כאשר: CONJ
- ינתק: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- פתיל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הנערת: NOUN,f,sg,def
- בהריחו: PREP+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- נודע: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- כחו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Judg.16:19 (quotation): The fuller account of Delilah cutting Samson’s hair and his consequent loss of strength — direct continuation/parallel of the same event (successful betrayal).
- Judg.13:5 (allusion): God’s command that no razor shall touch the Nazirite’s head; Samson’s uncut hair is the sign of his vow and source of his consecration (background to why cutting causes loss).
- Judg.13:25 (thematic): ‘The Spirit of the LORD began to stir him’ links Samson’s power to the Spirit; loss of strength after his hair is cut parallels withdrawal/interruption of divine empowerment.
- 1 Sam.16:14 (thematic): ‘The Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul’ — similar theological motif of a leader’s power/ability being removed when divine favor/spirit is withdrawn.
- 2 Sam.18:9 (thematic): Absalom’s long hair as both symbol of pride and point of vulnerability (caught in a tree) — parallels motif of hair as source of identity/power and a locus of downfall.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now she had men lying in wait in the inner chamber, and she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” and he snapped the bowstrings off his arms as a thread is snapped when it feels the fire. Thus his strength was not known.
Jud.16.10 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- דלילה: NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- הנה: PART
- התלת: VERB,hitpael,perf,2,m,sg
- בי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ותדבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- כזבים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- עתה: ADV
- הגידה: VERB,piel,imp,2,m,sg
- נא: PART
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- במה: PREP+INT
- תאסר: VERB,niphal,impf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Judg.16.15-17 (structural): Immediate literary parallel in the same episode: Delilah persists in coaxing Samson with deceitful words until he finally reveals the secret of his strength.
- Proverbs 7:6-23 (thematic): Parallels the motif of a seductive woman using flattering and deceitful speech to entrap a man and bring about his ruin.
- Psalm 55:12-14,21 (verbal): Speaks of betrayal by a close companion whose smooth, deceitful words mask hostile intent—echoing Delilah’s false speech and treachery.
- Genesis 27:6-13 (thematic): Rebekah’s orchestration of deception (instructing Jacob to deceive Isaac) parallels the theme of a woman engineering a plot through covert instruction and manipulation.
- Matthew 26:14-16,47-50 (structural): The betrayal by a trusted associate (Judas) who leads to the arrest of a hero/leader structurally parallels Delilah’s betrayal that results in Samson’s capture.
Alternative generated candidates
- Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me and told me lies; now tell me how you may be bound.”
Jud.16.11 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אליה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- אם: CONJ
- אסור: ADJ,ptcp,pas,m,sg
- יאסרוני: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בעבתים: PREP,NOUN,m,pl,abs
- חדשים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- נעשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- בהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- מלאכה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וחליתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- והייתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- כאחד: PREP
- האדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Judg.16:6-9 (verbal): The same episode: Delilah binds Samson with new bowstrings/ropes and each time he breaks free — directly parallels the binding motif in v.11.
- Judg.16:17 (verbal): Samson finally reveals the source of his strength (his Nazirite vow/hair) to Delilah, explaining why binding or cutting his hair would make him like other men.
- Judg.16:19-20 (structural): After Delilah has his hair cut and he is bound, Samson is captured and blinded by the Philistines — the narrative consequence of the vulnerability described in v.11.
- Num.6:5 (allusion): Law of the Nazirite: 'no razor shall come upon his head' — legal background for Samson’s claim that becoming bound/cut would make him 'as one of the people'.
- Judg.13:5 (thematic): The angel’s announcement that Samson will be a Nazirite from the womb establishes the vow/dedication that underlies the claim in v.11 about loss of special strength if the vow is broken.
Alternative generated candidates
- He said to her, “If they bind me with new ropes that have never been used for work, I shall become weak and be as any man.”
Jud.16.12 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ותקח: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- דלילה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עבתים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- חדשים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ותאסרהו: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,f,sg+PRON,3,m,sg
- בהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- פלשתים: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- עליך: PREP+2ms
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- והארב: VERB,qal,imperfect,1,c,sg
- ישב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בחדר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,cons
- וינתקם: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg+PRON,3,m,pl
- מעל: PREP
- זרעתיו: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- כחוט: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Judges 15:13-14 (thematic): Samson is bound by men (with cords/ropes) and the bonds fall away when the Spirit of the LORD comes upon him; parallels the motif of binding and breaking (bonds becoming like flax/thread).
- Judges 16:10-11 (verbal): Immediate repetition within the Delilah episode: an earlier attempt where Delilah binds Samson with fresh bowstrings/new cords and he snaps them off—very similar wording and action.
- Judges 16:19-21 (structural): Contrastive resolution of the binding motif: after Delilah has his hair cut, Samson is bound with fetters of brass and delivered to the Philistines—shows how binding succeeds only when his secret/strength is removed.
- Judges 16:28-30 (thematic): Samson's final restoration of strength and destruction of the Philistine temple offers a thematic counterpoint—divine/extraordinary strength that can both snap bonds and, when restored after bondage, overturn captors.
Alternative generated candidates
- So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them, and she called, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” and men were lying in wait in the inner chamber; and he snapped them from off his arms like a thread.
Jud.16.13 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- דלילה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- עד: PREP
- הנה: PART
- התלת: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ותדבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- כזבים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- הגידה: VERB,piel,imp,2,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- במה: PREP+INT
- תאסר: VERB,qal,impf,2,f,sg
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אליה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- אם: CONJ
- תארגי: VERB,qal,impf,2,f,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- שבע: NUM,card
- מחלפות: NOUN,f,pl,cstr
- ראשי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- עם: PREP
- המסכת: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Judg.16.7 (verbal): The first of the three false disclosures: Samson says ‘if you bind me…’ (with fresh bowstrings). Same formula of a conditional binding used as a deceptive response to Delilah’s questioning.
- Judg.16.11 (verbal): The second false disclosure: Samson tells Delilah ‘if you bind me with new ropes…’. Continues the repetitive, verbal pattern of false secrets that precede the true revelation.
- Judg.16.17 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel where Samson finally tells Delilah the truth about his hair and Nazirite vow. This verse is the fulfillment/contrast to the earlier false answers in 16:13.
- Judg.16:19 (structural): Direct consequence of the deception sequence: Delilah has Samson’s seven locks cut, his strength departs, and he is seized by the Philistines—shows the outcome of the lie-and-betrayal motif begun in 16:13.
- Prov.7:6-27 (thematic): Portrait of a seductive woman who entices and betrays a naïve man, leading to his ruin. Thematically parallels Delilah’s role as seductress/agent of betrayal that brings about Samson’s downfall.
Alternative generated candidates
- She pressed him hard with her words and urged him; and he told her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head into the web and fasten them with the pin, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.”
Jud.16.14 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ותתקע: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- ביתד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- פלשתים: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- עליך: PREP+2ms
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- וייקץ: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- משנתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3ms
- ויסע: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- היתד: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הארג: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ואת: CONJ
- המסכת: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Judges 16:17 (verbal): Immediate narrative link: Samson reveals that his uncut hair is the source of his strength, explaining why Delilah wakes him and summons the Philistines.
- Judges 16:20–21 (structural): Direct consequence of 16:14–17: after Delilah has Samson bound and his hair shaved, the Philistines seize him, blind him, and take him captive.
- Judges 13:5; 13:24–25 (allusion): Background motif: Samson's birth announcement and early life establish his Nazirite status and the Spirit of the LORD as the source of his strength, with hair as the visible sign of consecration.
- Numbers 6:5 (thematic): Legal/theological background for hair's meaning: the Nazirite vow forbids cutting hair, making uncut hair a recognized sign of vow-consecration and dedication to God.
- Psalm 41:9 (thematic): Theme of intimate betrayal: like the friend who 'lifted his heel' in Psalm 41:9, Delilah's act is a close companion's treachery leading to the hero's downfall.
Alternative generated candidates
- While he slept upon her knees she wove the web and fastened it with the pin of her loom; and she called, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” and he awoke from his sleep, pulled away the pin, the loom, and the web.
Jud.16.15 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- איך: ADV
- תאמר: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- אהבתיך: VERB,qal,perf,1,sg
- ולבך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- אין: PART,neg
- אתי: PRON,1,sg
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- שלש: NUM,card,f,sg
- פעמים: NOUN,m,du,abs
- התלת: VERB,hitp,perf,2,m,sg
- בי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- הגדת: VERB,hiph,perf,2,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- במה: PREP+PRON,interr
- כחך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- גדול: ADJ,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Judg.16:17 (quotation): Samson finally answers Delilah’s question by revealing the secret of his strength (his uncut hair), directly continuing and resolving the challenge posed in v.15.
- Judg.16:20 (structural): Narrative consequence: after Delilah has his hair cut (the result of his disclosing the secret), Samson loses his strength—this verse completes the episode begun in v.15.
- Judg.13:5 (allusion): The angel’s announcement that Samson is to be a Nazirite from the womb (including that no razor shall touch his head) provides the background and theological rationale for the secrecy about his strength.
- Numbers 6:5 (verbal): The Nazirite regulation 'no razor shall touch his head' is the legal/ritual precedent echoed in Samson’s story and in Delilah’s demand to know where his strength lies.
- 1 Sam.17:34-37 (thematic): David’s explanation that his effectiveness against beasts came from the LORD parallels the broader biblical theme of personal strength deriving from divine empowerment—a contrast to Samson’s secret tied to his hair.
Alternative generated candidates
- She said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and not told me wherein your great strength lies.”
Jud.16.16 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- הציקה: VERB,hifil,perf,3,f,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- בדבריה: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs,3,f,sg_suffix
- כל: DET
- הימים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ותאלצהו: VERB,hifil,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg,ob3,m,sg
- ותקצר: VERB,qal,impf,3,fs
- נפשו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- למות: VERB,qal,inf
Parallels
- Genesis 39:7-10 (verbal): Potiphar’s wife 'spoke to Joseph day by day' and persistently solicited him; parallels the daily pressing/solicitation language and the testing of resolve in Judges 16:16.
- 1 Samuel 1:6 (thematic): Peninnah repeatedly provoked Hannah 'to make her fret' (cause distress); thematically similar—female provocation producing deep emotional anguish.
- Proverbs 27:15 (thematic): A 'continual dripping' is compared to a contentious woman—an image of persistent nagging that wears a person down, echoing 'pestered him every day' and 'vexed unto death.'
- Proverbs 21:9 (thematic): ‘It is better to dwell in a corner… than with a contentious woman’—another proverb linking a quarrelsome/pressing woman with intolerable distress, resonant with Samson’s experience.
Alternative generated candidates
- And she pressed him daily with her words and urged him; his soul was vexed to death.
Jud.16.17 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויגד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- לה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- לבו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- מורה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- עלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- ראשי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- כי: CONJ
- נזיר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- מבטן: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אמי: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אם: CONJ
- גלחתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,sg
- וסר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ממני: PREP,suff,1,m,sg
- כחי: NOUN,m,sg,poss,1,sg
- וחליתי: VERB,qal,imf,1,sg
- והייתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- ככל: PREP
- האדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Numbers 6:1-5 (verbal): Defines the Nazirite vow: separation to the LORD and prohibition on cutting hair—the legal background for Samson’s claim that his strength depends on uncut hair.
- Judges 13:5 (quotation): Angel’s announcement that the child (Samson) shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb—direct prophecy that Samson will be set apart, underpinning his statement to Delilah.
- Judges 13:14 (quotation): Further instruction to Samson’s mother that the boy must be a Nazirite all his life; this earlier instruction is the precedent for Samson’s lifelong vow mentioned in 16:17.
- Judges 16:19-20 (structural): Immediate narrative fulfillment: Delilah has Samson’s hair cut, his strength leaves him, and he is ‘as any other man,’ echoing the condition Samson stated in 16:17.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then he told her all his heart and said to her, “No razor has come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me and I shall become weak and be like other men.”
Jud.16.18 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ותרא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg
- דלילה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- הגיד: VERB,hifil,perf,3,m,sg
- לה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- לבו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ותשלח: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ותקרא: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- לסרני: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- פלשתים: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- עלו: PREP+3ms_suff
- הפעם: NOUN,f,sg,def
- כי: CONJ
- הגיד: VERB,hifil,perf,3,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- לבו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ועלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אליה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- סרני: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- פלשתים: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- ויעלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- הכסף: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בידם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Matt.26:14-16 (thematic): A close associate agrees to hand over the protagonist to hostile authorities in exchange for money — betrayal for silver parallels Delilah calling the Philistine leaders after he has revealed himself.
- Gen.37:28 (thematic): Joseph is handed over to foreign traders for pieces of silver; like Samson, a leader is delivered into enemy hands as a result of compatriots' actions motivated by money.
- Zech.11:12-13 (allusion): Payment of thirty pieces of silver and the idea of wages/compensation for betrayal; this prophetic image is thematically linked to betrayal for money as in Delilah’s summons of the Philistine lords.
- Ps.55:12-14 (thematic): Complaint about betrayal by a close companion/trusted friend — the personal treachery of someone intimate (as Delilah was to Samson) that enables the enemy to act against the sufferer.
Alternative generated candidates
- When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called the rulers of the Philistines, saying, “Come up this once; for he has told me all his heart.” So the rulers of the Philistines came up to her, and she brought the money in their hands.
Jud.16.19 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ותישנהו: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- על: PREP
- ברכיה: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ותקרא: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- לאיש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ותגלח: VERB,piel,perf,3,f,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- שבע: NUM,card
- מחלפות: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- ראשו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ותחל: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- לענותו: PREP+VERB,piel,inf,3,m,sg
- ויסר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- כחו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מעליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Judges 16:17 (verbal): Samson reveals the secret of his Nazirite hair to Delilah—direct verbal parallel explaining why his hair is the source of his strength.
- Judges 16:20 (verbal): Immediate continuation: after his hair is cut his strength departs—same language/result as v.19 (his strength leaves him).
- Judges 15:14 (thematic): The Spirit of the Lord comes upon Samson enabling superhuman strength (he breaks bonds); contrasts with 16:19 where his strength departs when the Spirit is removed.
- Numbers 6:5 (structural): Law governing the Nazirite vow: no razor shall come on the head—provides the legal/ritual background linking Samson’s uncut hair to his consecration and power.
- 1 Samuel 16:14 (thematic): The Spirit of the Lord departs from Saul—a thematic parallel of divine/spiriritual empowerment leaving a person, analogous to Samson’s loss of strength.
Alternative generated candidates
- She made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength left him.
Jud.16.20 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- פלשתים: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- עליך: PREP+2ms
- שמשון: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- ויקץ: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- משנתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3ms
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אצא: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- כפעם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בפעם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg
- ואנער: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
- והוא: CONJ+PRON,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- ידע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- סר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מעליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Judg.13:25 (structural): Introduces the motif that 'the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times' — sets up the earlier presence of God's empowering Spirit that contrasts with 16:20's report that the LORD had departed from Samson.
- Judg.14:6 (verbal): Says 'the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him,' paralleling the language and function of divine empowerment later lost in 16:20.
- Judg.14:19 (verbal): Another episode where 'the Spirit of the LORD came upon him' enabling supernatural strength — highlights the pattern of Spirit‑empowerment that is absent when God departs in 16:20.
- Judg.15:14 (verbal): Records the Spirit's coming enabling Samson to break his bonds and rout enemies, providing a direct functional parallel to the earlier empowerment contrasted by the divine departure in 16:20.
- 1 Sam.16:14 (thematic): States that 'the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul,' a close thematic parallel about the withdrawal of God's Spirit and the accompanying loss of divine favor and protection.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” and he awoke from his sleep and thought, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free,” not knowing that the LORD had departed from him.
Jud.16.21 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאחזוהו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- פלשתים: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- וינקרו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- עיניו: NOUN,f,pl,suff
- ויורידו: VERB,hiph,impf,3,m,pl
- אותו: PRON,3,m,sg,obj
- עזתה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויאסרוהו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בנחשתים: PREP,NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- טוחן: VERB,qal,ptcp,ms,sg
- בבית: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- האסורים: NOUN,m,pl,def
Parallels
- 2 Kings 25:7 (verbal): Nebuchadnezzar puts out Zedekiah’s eyes and binds him with bronze fetters — a close verbal and structural echo (same act of blinding and binding with bronze).
- Jeremiah 52:11 (verbal): Parallel account of Zedekiah’s capture that repeats the language of his eyes being put out and being bound with bronze, reinforcing the motif of blinded leaders led away in chains.
- 2 Kings 6:18–23 (thematic): Elisha prays for the Aramean army to be struck with blindness and then leads them into Samaria — a related motif of divinely caused or reversed blindness and the use of blindness within covenant-history narratives, contrasted with Samson’s enemy-inflicted blinding.
- Hebrews 11:32 (allusion): Samson is named among the heroes of faith; this New Testament reference frames his suffering and captivity (including his blinding) within the tradition of faithful yet afflicted deliverers.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, brought him down to Gaza, bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prisonhouse; and he ground in the prison.
Jud.16.22 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויחל: VERB,qal,imf,3,m,sg
- שער: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ראשו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- לצמח: VERB,qal,infc
- כאשר: CONJ
- גלח: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Judg.16:19 (quotation): Describes the act by which Samson's hair was shaved (Delilah called for a man to shave off his hair) — the immediate antecedent to the regrowth noted in 16:22.
- Judg.13:5 (quotation): The angel's announcement that the child will be a Nazirite and 'no razor shall come upon his head' — establishes the vow/identity tied to Samson's uncut hair.
- Num.6:5 (verbal): The Nazirite law forbids cutting the hair 'all the days of the vow' — provides the legal/ritual background for hair as sign of consecration and power in Samson's story.
- Judg.16:28-30 (structural): The narrative culmination where Samson's strength returns as his hair has grown back, enabling him to pull down the Philistine temple — shows the regained hair accompanying restored power.
Alternative generated candidates
- But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shorn.
And Samson went to Gaza and saw there a prostitute, and went in to her.
Then the Gazites were told, “Samson has come!” and they assembled and lay in ambush for him all night at the city gate, keeping silence all night, saying, “Let us wait until the morning light and kill him.” But Samson lay until midnight; then he arose at midnight, took hold of the doors of the city gate and of the two gateposts, pulled them up with the bar, put them upon his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.
Afterward he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
The lords of the Philistines went up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and see in what his great strength lies, and by what means we may prevail against him and bind him to afflict him; and we will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.”
Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me wherein your great strength lies, and how you may be bound and subdued.”
Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” So the lords of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried; and she bound him with them.
Those who lay in ambush were in the inner chamber; and she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” He snapped the bowstrings as a string of flax snaps when it meets the flame, and his strength was not revealed.
Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me and lied to me; now tell me by what you may be bound.”
He said to her, “If they bind me with new ropes that have never been used for work, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” So she took new ropes and bound him with them, and she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” Those who lay in ambush were in the inner chamber; and he broke them off from his arms like a thread.
Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have mocked me and spoken lies; tell me by what you may be bound.” He said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head into the web of a loom,”
she fastened it with a pin and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” He awoke from his sleep and pulled away the pin of the loom and the web.
She said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? These three times you have mocked me and have not told me wherein your great strength lies.” And she pressed him daily with her words; and she wearied his soul to death. So he told her all his heart and said to her, “No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb; if I am shaven, then my strength will leave me and I shall become weak like any other man.”
When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up this once, for he has told me all his heart.” So the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and she had the silver in her hand.
She made him sleep upon her knees; and she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to afflict him, and his strength left him. And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” He awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as before and shake myself,” not knowing that the LORD had departed from him. But the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, brought him down to Gaza, bound him with bronze fetters, and he was made to grind in the prisonhouse.
His hair began to grow again after it had been shaven.