H.B. Pratt (1929)

1ENTONCES Samsón fué a Gaza, y vió allí a una mujer ramera, y llegóse a ella. 2Y avisaron a los de Gaza, diciendo: Samsón ha venido acá. Con lo cual ellos cercaron la casa, y le pusieron a Samsón celada toda aquella noche, a la puerta de la ciudad; y se estuvieron callados toda la noche, diciendo: Esperemos hasta la luz del alba., entonces le mataremos. 3Samsón empero permaneció acostado hasta la media noche; luego se levantó a media noche, y agarrando las hojas de la puerta de la ciudad y sus dos postes, los arrancó juntamente con la barra, y echándoselos a cuestas, los subió a la cumbre de un monte que está al frente de Hebrón. 4¶Sucedió también, después de esto, que amó a cierta mujer en el Valle de Sorec, la cual se llamaba Delila. 5Subieron pues a donde estaba ella los príncipes de los Filisteos, y le dijeron: Engáñale, para que veas en que consiste su gran fuerza, y de qué manera podremos prevalecer contra él, a fin de amarrarle, para poderle sujetar; y nosotros te daremos cada uno mil y cien siclos de plata. 6Por lo cual Delila dijo a Samsón: Ruégote me declares en qué consiste tu fuerza tan grande; y de qué manera podrás ser amarrado, para poderte sujetar. 7Y le respondió Samsón: Si me ataren con siete cuerdas de arco frescas, que aún no se hayan secado, seré débil y vendré a ser como cualquiera de los hombres. 8Entonces los príncipes de los Filisteos le trajeron siete cuerdas de arco frescas, que nunca se habían secado, y ella le amarró con ellas. 9Y tenía de emboscada gente sentada en la alcoba. Le dijo pues: ¡Samsón, los Filisteos te acometen! Y él rompió las cuerdas, como quien rompe un hilo de estopa cuando siente el fuego: de manera que no fué descubierto el secreto de su poder. 10¶Entonces Delila dijo a Samsón: He aquí que me has engañado y me has dicho mentiras: ahora bien, ruégote me declares con qué podrás ser atado. 11A lo cual le contestó: Si me ataren fuertemente con sogas nuevas, con las que nunca se haya hecho uso alguno, entonces seré débil y vendré a ser como cualquiera de los hombres. 12Tomó pues Delila sogas nuevas, y le ató con ellas; y le dijo: ¡Samsón, los Filisteos te acometen! En efecto, los de la emboscada estaban sentados en la alcoba. Mas éldestrozó las sogas de sobre sus brazos como un hilo. 13¶Por lo cual Delila dijo a Samsón: Hasta aquí me has engañado y me has dicho mentiras; declárame con qué podrás ser atado. Y él le dijo: Si me tejieres las siete trenzas de mi cabeza con la trama de la tela. 14Ella pues las aseguró con la estaca, y le dijo: ¡Samsón, los Filisteos te acometen! Y él, despertando de su sueño, arrancó la estaca del telar juntamente con la trama de la tela. 15¶Ella entonces le dijo: ¿Cómo sigues diciendo: Yo te amo, cuando tu corazón no está conmigo? estas tres veces te has burlado de mí, y no me has declarado en qué consiste tu fuerza tan grande. 16Y aconteció que como ella le acosaba con sus palabras todos los días y le apremiaba, por fin se impacientó su alma hasta desear morir; 17por lo cual le descubrió todo su corazón; y le dijo: Navaja no ha pasado nunca por mi cabeza; pues Nazareo de Dios he sido desde mi nacimiento. Si yo fuere rapado, entonces se apartará de mí mi fuerza y me debilitaré, y vendré a ser como todos los hombres. 18Y cuando Delila vió que le había descubierto todo su corazón, envió y llamó a los príncipes de los Filisteos, diciendo: Subid esta sola vez, porque me ha descubierto todo su corazón. Subieron pues los príncipes de los Filisteos a donde ella estaba, llevando el dinero en su mano. 19Por lo cual ella le hizo dormir sobre sus rodillas; luego llamó hombres, que tenía listos, y rapó las siete trenzas de su cabeza; y ella misma comenzó a sujetarle; y su fuerza se apartó de él.  20Ella entonces le dijo: ¡Samsón, los Filisteos te acometen! Y él, despertando de su sueño, dijo: Saldré como las demás veces, y sacudiré mis vínculos: mas no sabía que Jehová se había apartado de él. 21Le prendieron pues los Filisteos, y le sacaron los ojos, y le hicieron descender a Gaza, donde le sujetaron con grillos de bronce; y tuvo que moler en la casa de los encarcelados. 22Sin embargo comenzó el cabello de su cabeza a crecer después que fué rapado. 23¶Y los príncipes de los Filisteos se reunieron para ofrecer un gran sacrificio a Dagón, su dios, y para hacer alegrías; pues decían: ¡Nuestro dios ha entregado en nuestras manos a Samsón, nuestro enemigo! 24Y cuando le vió el pueblo, alabó a su dios; porque decían: ¡Nuestro dios ha entregado en nuestras manos a nuestro enemigo, el asolador de nuestro país, que mató a muchos de nosotros! 25Y aconteció que cuando tuvieron alegre el corazón, dijeron: Llamad a Samsón, para que él nos divierta.  Llamaron pues de la cárcel a Samsón, el cual jugó delante de ellos; y le colocaron en medio de las columnas. 26Entonces dijo Samsón al muchacho que le tenía de la mano: Déjame descansar, y permíteme palpar las columnas sobre las cuales se sustenta la casa, para que me recueste sobre ellas. 27Y la casa estaba llena de hombres y mujeres; hallábanse allí también todos los príncipes de los Filisteos; y sobre las azoteas había como tres mil hombres y mujeres, que miraban en tanto que Samsón los divertía. 28Clamó entonces Samsón a Jehová, y dijo: ¡Jehová, Señor, acuérdate de mí, yo te ruego, y dame esfuerzo, ruégote, solamente esta vez, oh Dios, para que de una vez me vengue de los Filisteos por mis dos ojos! 29En seguida Samsón se abrazó de las dos columnas de en medio, sobre las cuales se sustentaba la casa, apoyándose sobre ellas, de la una con su mano derecha, y de la otra con la izquierda. 30Entonces dijo Samsón: ¡Muera yo con los Filisteos! e inclinándose con fuerza, cayó la casa sobre los príncipes de los Filisteos, y sobre todo el pueblo que estaba dentro: de modo que fueron más los que mató muriendo, que los que había muerto en su vida. 31Y descendieron sus hermanos con toda la casa de su padre, y alzándole, le subieron y enterraron entre Zora y Estaol, en la sepultura de Manoa su padre. Y había él juzgado a Israel veinte años.


Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary
 1   SAMSON CARRIES AWAY THE GATES OF GAZA. (Judg 16:1-Judg 16:3)
Gaza--now Guzzah, the capital of the largest of the five Philistine principal cities, about fifteen miles southwest of Ashkelon. The object of this visit to this city is not recorded, and unless he had gone in disguise, it was a perilous exposure of his life in one of the enemy's strongholds. It soon became known that he was there; and it was immediately resolved to secure him. But deeming themselves certain of their prey, the Gazites deferred the execution of their measure till the morning.

 3   Samson . . . arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city--A ruinous pile of masonry is still pointed out as the site of the gate. It was probably a part of the town wall, and as this ruin is "toward Hebron," there is no improbability in the tradition.
carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron--That hill is El-Montar; but by Hebron in this passage is meant "the mountains of Hebron"; for otherwise Samson, had he run night and day from the time of his flight from Gaza, could only have come on the evening of the following day within sight of the city of Hebron. The city of Gaza was, in those days, probably not less than three-quarters of an hour distant from El-Montar. To have climbed to the top of this hill with the ponderous doors and their bolts on his shoulders, through a road of thick sand, was a feat which none but a Samson could have accomplished [VAN DE VELDE].

 4   DELILAH CORRUPTED BY THE PHILISTINES. (Judg 16:4-Judg 16:14)
he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek--The location of this place is not known, nor can the character of Delilah be clearly ascertained. Her abode, her mercenary character, and her heartless blandishments afford too much reason to believe she was a profligate woman.

 5   the lords of the Philistines--The five rulers deemed no means beneath their dignity to overcome this national enemy.
Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth--They probably imagined that he carried some amulet about his person, or was in the possession of some important secret by which he had acquired such herculean strength; and they bribed Delilah, doubtless by a large reward, to discover it for them. She undertook the service and made several attempts, plying all her arts of persuasion or blandishment in his soft and communicative moods, to extract his secret.

 7   Samson said . . ., If they bind me with seven green withs--Vine tendrils, pliant twigs, or twists made of crude vegetable stalks are used in many Eastern countries for ropes at the present day.

 8   she bound him with them--probably in a sportive manner, to try whether he was jesting or in earnest.

 9   there were men lying in wait, abiding . . . in the chamber--The Hebrew, literally rendered, is, "in the inner," or "most secret part of the house."

 10   And Delilah said--To avoid exciting suspicion, she must have allowed some time to elapse before making this renewed attempt.

 12   new ropes--It is not said of what material they were formed; but from their being dried, it is probable they were of twigs, like the former. The Hebrew intimates that they were twisted, and of a thick, strong description.

 13   If thou weavest the seven locks of my head--braids or tresses, into which, like many in the East, he chose to plait his hair. Working at the loom was a female employment; and Delilah's appears to have been close at hand. It was of a very simple construction; the woof was driven into the warp, not by a reed, but by a wooden spatula. The extremity of the web was fastened to a pin or stake fixed in the wall or ground; and while Delilah sat squatting at her loom, Samson lay stretched on the floor, with his head reclining on her lap--a position very common in the East.

 14   went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web--that is, the whole weaving apparatus.

 16   HE IS OVERCOME. (Judg 16:15-Judg 16:20)
she pressed him daily with her words--Though disappointed and mortified, this vile woman resolved to persevere; and conscious how completely he was enslaved by his passion for her, she assailed him with a succession of blandishing arts, till she at length discovered the coveted secret.

 17   if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me--His herculean powers did not arise from his hair, but from his peculiar relation to God as a Nazarite. His unshorn locks were a sign of his Nazaritism, and a pledge on the part of God that his supernatural strength would be continued.

 19   she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head--It is uncertain, however, whether the ancient Hebrews cut off the hair to the same extent as Orientals now. The word employed is sometimes the same as that for shearing sheep, and therefore the instrument might be only scissors.

 20   he wist not that the Lord was departed from him--What a humiliating and painful spectacle! Deprived of the divine influences, degraded in his character, and yet, through the infatuation of a guilty passion, scarcely awake to the wretchedness of his fallen condition!

 21   THE PHILISTINES TOOK HIM AND PUT OUT HIS EYES. (Judg 16:21-Judg 16:22)
the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes--To this cruel privation prisoners of rank and consequence have commonly been subjected in the East. The punishment is inflicted in various ways, by scooping out the eyeballs, by piercing the eye, or destroying the sight by holding a red-hot iron before the eyes. His security was made doubly sure by his being bound with fetters of brass (copper), not of leather, like other captives.
he did grind in the prison-house--This grinding with hand-millstones being the employment of menials, he was set to it as the deepest degradation.

 22   Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again--It is probable that he had now reflected on his folly; and becoming a sincere penitent, renewed his Nazarite vow. "His hair grew together with his repentance, and his strength with his hairs" [BISHOP HALL].

 23   THEIR FEAST TO DAGON. (Judg 16:23-Judg 16:25)
the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon--It was a common practice in heathen nations, on the return of their solemn religious festivals, to bring forth their war prisoners from their places of confinement or slavery; and, in heaping on them every species of indignity, they would offer their grateful tribute to the gods by whose aid they had triumphed over their enemies. Dagon was a sea idol, usually represented as having the head and upper parts human, while the rest of the body resembled a fish.

 27   HIS DEATH. (Judg 16:26-Judg 16:31)
there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport--This building seems to have been similar to the spacious and open amphitheaters well known among the Romans and still found in many countries of the East. They are built wholly of wood. The standing place for the spectators is a wooden floor resting upon two pillars and rising on an inclined plane, so as to enable all to have a view of the area in the center. In the middle there are two large beams, on which the whole weight of the structure lies, and these beams are supported by two pillars placed almost close to each other, so that when these are unsettled or displaced, the whole pile must tumble to the ground.

 28   Samson called unto the Lord--His penitent and prayerful spirit seems clearly to indicate that this meditated act was not that of a vindictive suicide, and that he regarded himself as putting forth his strength in his capacity of a public magistrate. He must be considered, in fact, as dying for his country's cause. His death was not designed or sought, except as it might be the inevitable consequence of his great effort. His prayer must have been a silent ejaculation, and, from its being revealed to the historian, approved and accepted of God.

 31   Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him--This awful catastrophe seems to have so completely paralyzed the Philistines, that they neither attempted to prevent the removal of Samson's corpse, nor to molest the Israelites for a long time after. Thus the Israelitish hero rendered by his strength and courage signal services to his country, and was always regarded as the greatest of its champions. But his slavish subjection to the domination of his passions was unworthy of so great a man and lessens our respect for his character. Yet he is ranked among the ancient worthies who maintained a firm faith in God (Heb 11:32).