1 THEN went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.
2 And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.
3 And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.
4 And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5 And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
6 And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.
7 And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
9 Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.
10 And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.
11 And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
12 Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms like a thread.
13 And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.
14 And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.
15 And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.
16 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;
17 That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a rasor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.
18 And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.
19 And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him.
21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.
22 Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.
23 Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.
24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.
25 And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.
26 And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them.
27 Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.
28 And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.
30 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.
31 Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.

1Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in vnto her.

2And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and layd wait for him all night in the gate of the citie, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning when it is day, we shall kill him.

3And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and tooke the doores of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, barre and all, and put them vpon his shoulders, and caried them vp to the toppe of an hill that is before Hebron.

4 And it came to passe afterward, that he loued a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

5And the lords of the Philistines came vp vnto her, and said vnto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what meanes we may preuaile against him, that we may bind him, to afflict him: and we will giue thee euery one of vs, eleuen hundreth pieces of siluer.

6 And Delilah said to Samson, Tel me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lyeth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound, to afflict thee.

7And Samson said vnto her, If they binde mee with seuen greene withs, that were neuer dried, then shall I be weake, and be as another man.

8Then the lords of the Philistines brought vp to her seuen greene withs, which had not bene dried, & she bound him with them.

9Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber: and she said vnto him, The Philistines be vpon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a threed of tow is broken, when it toucheth the fire: so his strength was not knowen.

10And Delilah said vnto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told mee lies: now tell mee, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.

11And he said vnto her, If they bind me fast with newe ropes that neuer were occupied, then shall I bee weake, and be as another man.

12Delilah therfore tooke new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said vnto him, The Philistines be vpon thee, Samson. (And there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber.) and hee brake them from off his armes, like a threed.

13And Delilah said vnto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said vnto her, If thou weauest the seuen lockes of my head with the web.

14And she fastened it with the pinne, and said vnto him, The Philistines be vpon thee, Samson. And hee awaked out of his sleepe, and went away with the pinne of the beame, & with the web.

15 And shee said vnto him, How canst thou say, I loue thee, when thine heart is not with mee? Thou hast mocked mee these three times, and hast not told me wherin thy great strength lieth.

16And it came to passe, when she pressed him daily with her wordes, and vrged him so that his soule was vexed vnto death,

17That he told her all his heart, and said vnto her, There hath not come a rasor vpon mine head: for I haue bene a Nazarite vnto God from my mothers wombe: If I bee shauen, then my strength will goe from me, and I shall become weake, and bee like any other man.

18And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the Lords of the Philistines, saying, Come vp this once, for hee hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came vp vnto her, & brought money in their hand.

19And she made him sleepe vpon her knees, and she called for a man, and she caused him to shaue off the seuen lockes of his head, and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.

20And she said, The Philistines be vpon thee, Samson. And hee awoke out of his sleepe, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake my selfe. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him.

21 But the Philistines tooke him and put out his eyes, and brought him downe to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brasse, and he did grind in the prison house.

22Howbeit, the haire of his head began to grow againe, after he was shauen.

23Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together, for to offer a great sacrifice vnto Dagon their god, and to reioyce: for they said, Our god hath deliuered Samson our enemy into our hand.

24And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath deliuered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our countrey, which slew many of vs.

25And it came to passe when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that hee may make vs sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house, and he made them sport, and they set him betweene the pillars.

26And Samson said vnto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer mee, that I may feele the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may leane vpon them.

27Now the house was full of men and women, and all the lords of the Philistines were there: and there were vpon the roofe about three thousand men and women, that behelde while Samson made sport.

28And Samson called vnto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, & strengthen mee, I pray thee, onely this once, O God, that I may be at once auenged of the Philistines, for my two eyes.

29And Samson tooke hold of the two middle pillars, vpon which the house stood, and on which it was borne vp, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.

30And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines: & he bowed himselfe with all his might: and the house fel vpon the lords, and vpon all the people that were therein: so the dead which he slew at his death, were moe, then they which he slew in his life.

31Then his brethren, and all the house of his father, came downe, and tooke him, and brought him vp, and buried him betweene Zorah and Eshtaol, in the burying place of Manoah his father: and hee iudged Israel twentie yeeres.

II == 1st Sam; 23:26 ; Ps 118:10-12 ; Acts 9:24

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

V == Judg 14:15 ; Prov 2:16-19 ; 5:3-11 ; 6:24-26 ; 7:21-23

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XV == Judg 14:16

 

 

 

 

 

 

XVII == Num 6:5 ; Judg 13:5 ; Mic 7:5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XIX == Prov 7:26-27

 

 

XX == Num 14:9 , 42-43 ; Josh 7:12 ; 1st Sam 16:14 ; 18:12 ; 28:15-16 ; 2nd Chr 15:2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXIV == Dan 5:4

 

 

 

XXV == Judg 9:27

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXVII == Deut 22:8

 

 

 

XXVIII == Jer 15:15

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXXI == Judg 13:25

 

 

1 Once Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a harlot and visited her.

2 Informed that Samson had come there, the men of Gaza surrounded him with an ambush at the city gate all night long. And all the night they waited, saying, "Tomorrow morning we will kill him."

3 Samson rested there until midnight. Then he rose, seized the doors of the city gate and the two gateposts, and tore them loose, bar and all. He hoisted them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the ridge opposite Hebron.

4 After that he fell in love with a woman in the Wadi Sorek whose name was Delilah.

5 The lords of the Philistines came to her and said, "Beguile him and find out the secret of his great strength, and how we may overcome and bind him so as to keep him helpless. We will each give you eleven hundred shekels of silver."

6 So Delilah said to Samson, "Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you may be bound so as to be kept helpless."

7 "If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings which have not dried," Samson answered her, "I shall be as weak as any other man."

8 So the lords of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings which had not dried, and she bound him with them.

9 She had men lying in wait in the chamber and so she said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he snapped the strings as a thread of tow is severed by a whiff of flame; and the secret of his strength remained unknown.

10 Delilah said to Samson, "You have mocked me and told me lies. Now tell me how you may be bound."

11 "If they bind me tight with new ropes, with which no work has been done," he answered her, "I shall be as weak as any other man."

12 So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them. Then she said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" For there were men lying in wait in the chamber. But he snapped them off his arms like thread.

13 Delilah said to Samson again, "Up to now you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me how you may be bound." He said to her, "If you weave my seven locks of hair into the web and fasten them with the pin, I shall be as weak as any other man."

14 So while he slept, Delilah wove his seven locks of hair into the web, and fastened them in with the pin. Then she said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" Awakening from his sleep, he pulled out both the weaver's pin and the web.

15 Then she said to him, "How can you say that you love me when you do not confide in me? Three times already you have mocked me, and not told me the secret of your great strength!"

16 She importuned him continually and vexed him with her complaints till he was deathly weary of them.

17 So he took her completely into his confidence and told her, "No razor has touched my head, for I have been consecrated to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaved, my strength will leave me, and I shall be as weak as any other man."

18 When Delilah saw that he had taken her completely into his confidence, she summoned the lords of the Philistines, saying, "Come up this time, for he has opened his heart to me." So the lords of the Philistines came and brought up the money with them.

19 She had him sleep on her lap, and called for a man who shaved off his seven locks of hair. Then she began to mistreat him, for his strength had left him.

20 When she said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!", and he woke from his sleep, he thought he could make good his escape as he had done time and again, for he did not realize that the LORD had left him.

21 But the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes. Then they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze fetters, and he was put to grinding in the prison.

22 But the hair of his head began to grow as soon as it was shaved off.

23 The lords of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon and to make merry. They said,
"Our god has delivered into our power
Samson our enemy."

25 When their spirits were high, they said, "Call Samson that he may amuse us." So they called Samson from the prison, and he played the buffoon before them.

24 When the people saw him, they praised their god.
For they said,
"Our god has delivered into our power
our enemy, the ravager of our land,
the one who has multiplied our slain."
Then they stationed him between the columns.

26 Samson said to the attendant who was holding his hand, "Put me where I may touch the columns that support the temple and may rest against them."

27 The temple was full of men and women: all the lords of the Philistines were there, and from the roof about three thousand men and women looked on as Samson provided amusement.

28 Samson cried out to the LORD and said, "O Lord GOD, remember me! Strengthen me, O God, this last time that for my two eyes I may avenge myself once and for all on the Philistines."

29 Samson grasped the two middle columns on which the temple rested and braced himself against them, one at his right hand, the other at his left.

30 And Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" He pushed hard, and the temple fell upon the lords and all the people who were in it. Those he killed at his death were more than those he had killed during his lifetime.

31 All his family and kinsmen went down and bore him up for burial in the grave of his father Manoah between Zorah and Eshtaol. He had judged Israel for twenty years.

v 1-3. This account of Samson’s affair with another Philistine woman illustrates his extreme physical strength and moral weakness. They must have been caught by surprise to allow him to slip away carrying off their gates and posts. This was sandy area and he would have been sinking into it every step he took as he climbed the hill. This was surely hill El Montar just east of Gaza not all 37 miles to Hebron.

 

v 4,5. Delilah was at least the third Philistine woman with which Samson was involved, and her name, “devotee”, would indicate she was a temple prostitute. These lords were probably the rulers of the five confederated cities, and 1,100 shekels from each one was an enormous amount of money, thus showing their desperation.

 

v 6-9. Samson should not even have toyed with her regarding his strength. The Philistines probably remained hidden till they saw if the cords would hold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 10-14. The new ropes idea was still part of his game, but when he mentions hair involved, even with the weaver’s beam, he is beginning to succumb to her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 15-20. She had much to gain financially, so she gradually wore him down with her pleading. The sincerely of his answer was easily recognized, so she called the lords of the Philistines to come witness this, and she probably wanted them to have her fee with them. She probably caressed his hair so that in his sleep he was not aware of it being shaved. They probably bound him too, because he attempted to shake himself when he was awakened. His strength was not in his hair, but in his obedience to the Lord in keeping the Nazarite vow. Verse 20 has some of the saddest words in Scripture. “ He knew not that the Lord was departed from him.” This is stark contrast to Ex. 34:26 where “Moses knew not his face shone”. Many believers who fall away from the Lord are unaware that the Holy Spirit is quenched and not helping them in their lives, but they are struggling in their own strength. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 21,22. Killing him was not good enough for the Philistines. They took him back to where he had walked off with their gates, blinded him, and probably made him walk around in a circle grinding grain  as though he were a beast or a slave. (Although it could have been between millstones in a prison, humiliation of women’s work.) Since his was not in his hair, his strength did not grow in proportion to the length of his hair. Not until his hair was grown as it should be for a Nazarite would the Holy Spirit come upon him to empower him. 

v 23-25. In celebration of what the Philistines thought was Dagon’s victory over Samson, he was brought in to be mocked, probably as a blind dancer. Dagon was thought to be a god that was half man and half fish.

 

 

 

 

v 26-31. Samson was aware of the temple construction and knew that if the Lord gave him strength, he could pull building supports down. It is too bad that in Samson’s repentant state he did not ask the Lord to avenge the Israelites, instead of avenging the Philistines for his eyes. Nevertheless, it was a sincere prayer and God honored it, and more people died in the building collapse than all he had killed individually.
What wasted strength and ability. Think what a powerful influence and judge he could have been over Israel if he had served the Lord faithfully those many years. We need to examine our lives and see if we are wasting the potential God has given us.