Judges 16

Judges 16 tells the famous story of Samson and Delilah, as well as the final acts of Samson's life. Samson, the judge of Israel, is known for his supernatural strength, but this chapter explores how his downfall comes through his weakness for women, particularly Delilah. Ultimately, this chapter highlights themes of betrayal, repentance, and God’s strength being made perfect even in Samson’s final moments.

Judges 16:1 (NKJV)
1 Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her.

Samson’s weakness for women leads him to Gaza, where he engages with a prostitute. His visit to this Philistine city is dangerous since it is within enemy territory. This act shows how Samson’s personal desires often led him into compromising situations, despite his calling as a judge of Israel. His behavior sets the stage for the Philistines to plot against him.

Judges 16:2 (NKJV)
2 When the Gazites were told, "Samson has come here!" they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. They were quiet all night, saying, "In the morning, when it is daylight, we will kill him."

Samson’s enemies, the Philistines, quickly learn of his presence and set a trap to kill him. They assume Samson is vulnerable, waiting for the morning to capture him. This highlights the Philistines’ eagerness to eliminate the man who had previously humiliated them in battle, but it also hints at Samson’s continued invincibility through his strength.

Judges 16:3 (NKJV)
3 And Samson lay low till midnight; then he arose at midnight, took hold of the doors of the gate of the city 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.

In an impressive display of strength, Samson leaves Gaza before the Philistines can capture him, lifting the city’s gate—a symbol of security and strength—and carrying it away. This act demonstrates his physical power, but also reveals his arrogance, as he taunts his enemies by taking their city’s protection. However, Samson’s actions are reckless, and his continued disobedience leads to consequences later.

Judges 16:4-5 (NKJV)
4 Afterward it happened that he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5 And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, "Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver."

Samson falls in love with Delilah, a woman from the Valley of Sorek. The Philistine leaders see this as an opportunity to finally defeat Samson and bribe Delilah with a substantial reward. Delilah’s willingness to betray Samson for money foreshadows the tragedy that will unfold, as she begins plotting against him. Samson’s continued involvement with Philistine women proves to be his downfall.

Judges 16:6-9 (NKJV)
6 So Delilah said to Samson, "Please tell me where your great strength lies, and with what you may be bound to afflict you."
7 And Samson said to her, "If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings, not yet dried, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man."
8 So the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings, not yet dried, and she bound him with them.
9 Now men were lying in wait, staying with her in the room. And she said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he broke the bowstrings as a strand of yarn breaks when it touches fire. So the secret of his strength was not known.

Delilah begins her attempts to discover the source of Samson’s strength. Samson, not realizing the seriousness of her intent, plays along by giving her false information. Despite being bound with the bowstrings, Samson easily breaks free. This first failed attempt shows Samson’s carelessness, as he continues to toy with a woman who clearly seeks his destruction.

Judges 16:10-12 (NKJV)
10 Then Delilah said to Samson, "Look, you have mocked me and told me lies. Now, please tell me what you may be bound with."
11 So he said to her, "If they bind me securely with new ropes that have never been used, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man."
12 Therefore Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them, and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" And men were lying in wait, staying in the room. But he broke them off his arms like a thread.

Delilah persists in her questioning, and again Samson provides false information. This time, he suggests using new ropes to bind him. When Delilah tries this method, Samson breaks free as easily as before. This second attempt indicates that Delilah is relentless, but it also shows Samson’s growing recklessness in testing his limits.

Judges 16:13-15 (NKJV)
13 Delilah said to Samson, "Until now you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me what you may be bound with." And he said to her, "If you weave the seven locks of my head into the web of the loom—"
14 So she wove it tightly with the batten of the loom, and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he awoke from his sleep, and pulled out the batten and the web from the loom.
15 Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great strength lies."

Delilah uses emotional manipulation to guilt Samson into revealing the secret of his strength. She accuses him of mocking her and not loving her fully. In response, Samson gives her another false answer, telling her to weave his hair into a loom. Samson is still toying with her, but this time, he is getting closer to revealing the truth, as his hair is mentioned for the first time.

Judges 16:16-17 (NKJV)
16 And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was vexed to death,
17 that 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, and be like any other man."

After relentless nagging from Delilah, Samson finally reveals the truth. He explains that his strength is tied to his Nazirite vow, particularly his uncut hair. This marks the turning point in the story, as Samson’s vulnerability is now fully exposed. His failure to guard the secret of his vow foreshadows his downfall, as he trusts Delilah despite her clear intentions.

Judges 16:18-21 (NKJV)
18 When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, "Come up once more, for he has told me all his heart." So the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand.
19 Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him.
20 And she said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" So he awoke from his sleep, and said, "I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!" But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.
21 Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison.

Delilah’s betrayal is complete. She calls the Philistines, and Samson’s hair is cut while he sleeps. This causes his strength to leave him, signifying the Lord’s departure from him. His overconfidence leads him to believe he can break free as before, but he soon realizes his power is gone. The Philistines capture Samson, blind him, and imprison him, rendering the once powerful judge helpless.

Judges 16:22 (NKJV)
22 However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaven.

Despite Samson’s failure and capture, this verse hints at a future hope. Samson’s hair begins to grow back, symbolizing that his strength and God’s favor may yet return. This verse foreshadows the final act of Samson’s life, where he seeks redemption.

Judges 16:23-25 (NKJV)
23 Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice. And they said: "Our god has delivered into our hands Samson our enemy!"
24 When the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said: "Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy, the destroyer of our land, and the one who multiplied our dead."
25 So it happened, when their hearts were merry, that they said, "Call for Samson, that he may perform for us." So they called for Samson from the prison, and he performed for them. And they stationed him between the pillars.

The Philistines celebrate their victory over Samson, attributing their success to their god, Dagon. They bring Samson out to mock him and make him perform, demonstrating his humiliation. They fail to realize, however, that Samson’s strength is tied to his relationship with the true God, and that this is not the end of his story.

Judges 16:26-27 (NKJV)
26 Then Samson said to the lad who held him by the hand, "Let me feel the pillars which support the temple, so that I can lean on them."
27 Now the temple was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there—about three thousand men and women on the roof watching while Samson performed.

Samson asks the boy guiding him to position him near the main pillars of the temple. The crowd of Philistines, including their leaders, is large and gathered for this occasion. They mock Samson’s weakness, unaware that he is about to call upon God for one final act of strength.

Judges 16:28-30 (NKJV)
28 Then Samson called to the Lord, saying, "O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!"
29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left.
30 Then Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life.

In his final moments, Samson prays for God’s strength one last time. His prayer signifies repentance and dependence on God. God grants him the strength, and Samson brings down the temple, killing himself and many Philistines. His death becomes a symbol of his redemption, as he accomplishes more in his death than during his life, showing that God can use even the broken for His purposes.

Judges 16:31 (NKJV)
31 And his brothers and all his father's household came down and took him, and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. He had judged Israel twenty years.

After Samson’s death, his family retrieves his body and buries him in his family tomb. Though his life ended tragically, his twenty years as a judge are marked by moments of great deliverance for Israel. Despite his failures, Samson remains a key figure in Israel’s history, showing the complexity of human weakness and God’s redemptive power.