The Birth of Samson
Samson, who gets more attention in the book...
Samson, who gets more attention in the book of Judges than any other judge, is more mysterious than Jephthah. Samson shows great inspiration as a leader. He also represents the unstoppable move toward chaos, which shows the need for a more organized society under a godly ruler.
1Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD, so He delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.
2Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children.
Manoah's wife was promised a son who would...
Manoah's wife was promised a son who would be dedicated as a Nazirite from birth (see Numbers 6:1–21; compare 1 Samuel 1:11). Samson's uncut hair would play a key role in his story.
3The angel† of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “It is true that you are barren and have no children; but you will conceive and give birth to a son. 4Now please be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, and not to eat anything unclean. 5For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite† to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”
In the Bible, angels often appeared to women...
In the Bible, angels often appeared to women who could not have children (Judges 13:2). They announced that God would help them have a child (see Luke 1:5–25; compare Genesis 18; 1 Samuel 1).
6So the woman went and told her husband, “A man of God came to me. His appearance was like the angel of God, exceedingly awesome. I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name. 7But he said to me, ‘Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. Now, therefore, do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb until the day of his death.’”
8Then Manoah prayed to the LORD, “Please, O Lord, let the man of God You sent us come to us again to teach us how to raise the boy who is to be born.”
9And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God returned to the woman as she was sitting in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her. 10The woman ran quickly to tell her husband, “Behold, the man who came to me the other day has reappeared!”
11So Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he asked, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife?” “I am,” he said.
Considering Judges 13:4–5, Manoah's question might seem repetitive....
Considering Judges 13:4–5, Manoah's question might seem repetitive. However, Judges 13:8 shows that Manoah felt a strong personal duty to raise the child. The angel responded kindly but emphasized the wife's responsibility. This explains why the angel first approached her, not Manoah.
12Then Manoah asked, “When your words come to pass, what will be the boy’s rule of life and mission?”
13So the angel of the LORD answered Manoah, “Your wife is to do everything I told her. 14She must not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor drink any wine or strong drink, nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her.”
Manoah would only let a visitor leave after...
Manoah would only let a visitor leave after offering a meal, following eastern hospitality customs. The angel insisted that any food be given as a sacrifice to the Lord. This, along with his reluctance to eat (compare with Gideon’s visitor, Judges 6:17–22), suggests this was a theophany (an appearance of God). Until then, Manoah had not recognized his visitor's divine nature.
15“Please stay here,” Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “and we will prepare a young goat for you.”
16And the angel of the LORD replied, “Even if I stay, I will not eat your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the LORD.” For Manoah did not know that it was the angel of the LORD.
The Lord’s name is a divine secret (Genesis...
The Lord’s name is a divine secret (Genesis 32:29; Exodus 3:13–14). God knows our names, but we use words of wonder and adoration to address him. The true essence of the infinite cannot be fully expressed or understood by the finite.
17Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes to pass?”
18“Why do you ask my name,” said the angel of the LORD, “since it is beyond comprehension?”
Humans cannot fully experience God's holy presence and...
Humans cannot fully experience God's holy presence and survive (see Judges 6:20–24; Exodus 19:21; 33:20). The Old Testament often describes God visiting earth in human form. These visits hint at God's complete appearance on earth through Jesus's incarnation.
19Then Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered them on a rock to the LORD. And as Manoah and his wife looked on, the LORD did a marvelous thing. 20When the flame went up from the altar to the sky, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame.
When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell facedown to the ground. 21And when the angel of the LORD did not appear again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it had been the angel of the LORD.
22“We are going to die,” he said to his wife, “for we have seen God!”
23But his wife replied, “If the LORD had intended to kill us, He would not have accepted the burnt offering and the grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things or spoken to us this way.”
24So the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew, and the LORD blessed him. 25And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him at Mahaneh-dan,† between Zorah and Eshtaol.