1Y FUÉ Samsón a Gaza, y vió allá una mujer ramera: y entró a ella. 2Y fué dicho a los de Gaza: Samsón es venido acá: y cercáronle, y pusiéronle espías toda aquella noche a la puerta de la ciudad: y estuvieron callados toda aquella noche, diciendo: Hasta la luz de la mañana: entónces le matarémos. 3Mas Samsón durmió hasta la media noche: y a la media noche levantóse, y tomando las puertas de la ciudad con sus dos pilares, y su tranca, echóselas al hombro, y fuése, y subióse con ellas en la cumbre del monte que está delante de Hebrón. 4Después de esto aconteció que se enamoró de una mujer en Nahal-sorec, la cual se llamaba Dalila. 5Y vinieron a ella los príncipes de los Filisteos, y dijéronle: Engáñale, y sabe en qué está su fuerza tan grande, y como le podríamos vencer para que le atemos, y le atormentemos: y cada uno de nosotros te dará mil y cien siclos de plata. 6Y Dalila dijo a Samson: Yo te ruego que me declares, en qué está tu fuerza tan grande: y como podrás ser atado, para ser atormentado. 7Y respondióle Samson: Si me ataren con siete sogas recientes, que aun no estén enjutas: entónces me enflaqueceré, y seré como cualquiera de los otros hombres. 8Y los príncipes de los Filisteos le trajeron siete sogas recientes, que aun no estaban enjutas: y ella le ató con ellas. 9Y las espías estaban escondidas en casa de ella en una cámara. Entónces ella le dijo: Samsón, los Filisteos sobre tí. Y él rompió las sogas, como se rompe una cuerda de estopa cuando siente el fuego: y su fuerza no fué conocida. 10Entónces Dalila dijo a Samson: He aquí, tú me has engañado, y me has dicho mentiras: descúbreme pues ahora, yo te ruego, como podrás ser atado. 11Y él le dijo: Si me ataren fuertemente con cuerdas nuevas, con las cuales ninguna cosa se haya hecho, yo me enflaqueceré, y seré como cualquiera de los otros hombres. 12Y Dalila tomó cuerdas nuevas, y atóle con ellas: y díjole: Samsón, los Filisteos sobre tí. Y las espías estaban en una cámara. Mas él las rompió de sus brazos como un hilo. 13Y Dalila dijo a Samson: Hasta ahora me engañas y tratas conmigo con mentiras. Descúbreme pues ahora como podrás ser atado. El entónces le dijo: Si tejieres siete guedejas de mi cabeza con la tela. 14Y ella hincó la estaca, y díjole: Samsón, los Filisteos sobre tí. Mas despertándose él de su sueño, arrancó la estaca del telar con la tela. 15Y ella le dijo: ¿Cómo dices: Yo te amo: pues que tu corazón no está conmigo? Ya me has engañado tres veces, y no me has aun descubierto en que está tu gran fuerza. 16Y aconteció, que apretándole ella cada día con sus palabras, y moliéndole, su alma se angustió para la muerte. 17Y descubrióle todo su corazón, y díjole: Nunca a mi cabeza llegó navaja: porque soy Nazareo de Dios desde el vientre de mi madre. Si fuere rapado, perderé mi fuerza, y seré debilitado, y como todos los otros hombres. 18Y viendo Dalila, que él le había descubierto todo su corazón, envió a llamar los príncipes de los Filisteos, diciendo: Veníd esta vez; porque él me ha descubierto todo su corazón. Y los príncipes de los Filisteos vinieron a ella, trayendo en su mano el dinero. 19Y ella hizo que él se durmiese sobre sus rodillas: y llamado un hombre, rapóle siete guedejas de su cabeza: y comenzó a afligirle: y su fuerza se apartó de él. 20Y ella le dijo: Samsón, los Filisteos sobre tí. Y él como se despertó de su sueño, dijo entre sí: Esta vez saldré como las otras, y escaparme he: no sabiendo que Jehová se había ya apartado de él. 21Mas los Filisteos echáron mano de él, y sacáronle los ojos, y lleváronle a Gaza: y atáronle con cadenas, para que moliese en la cárcel. 22Y el cabello de su cabeza comenzó a nacer, después que fué rapado. 23Y los príncipes de los Filisteos se juntáron para sacrificio a Dagón su dios, y para alegrarse, y dijeron: Nuestro dios entregó en nuestras manos a Samsón nuestro enemigo. 24Y el pueblo viéndolo, loaron a su dios, diciendo: Nuestro dios entregó en nuestras manos a nuestro enemigo, y al destruidor de nuestra tierra, el cual había muerto muchos de nosotros. 25Y aconteció, que yéndose alegrando el corazón de ellos, dijeron: Llamád a Samsón, para que juegue delante de nosotros. Y llamáron a Samsón de la cárcel, y jugaba delante de ellos: y pusiéronle entre las columnas. 26Y Samsón dijo al mozo que le guiaba de la mano: Llégame y házme tentar las columnas sobre que se sustenta la casa, para que me arrime a ellas. 27Y la casa estaba llena de hombres y mujeres, y todos los príncipes de los Filisteos estaban allí: y sobre la techumbre había como tres mil hombres y mujeres, que estaban mirando el juego de Samsón. 28Y Samsón clamó a Jehová y dijo: Señor Jehová, acuérdate ahora de mí, y esfuérzame ahora solamente esta vez ¡Oh Dios! para que de una vez tome venganza de los Filisteos de mis dos ojos. 29Entónces Samsón se abrazó con las dos columnas del medio sobre las cuales se sustentaba la casa, y estribó en ellas, la una con la mano derecha, y la otra con la izquierda. 30Y haciendo esto, dijo Samson: Muera mi alma con los Filisteos. Y estribando con esfuerzo cayó la casa sobre los príncipes, y sobre todo el pueblo que estaba en ella. Y fueron muchos más los que de ellos mató muriendo, que los que había muerto en su vida. 31Y descendieron sus hermanos, y toda la casa de su padre, y tomáronle, y lleváronle,y sepultáronle entre Saraa, y Estaol en el sepulcro de su padre Manue: y el juzgó 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).