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Selected Verse: Judges 16:4 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Jud 16:4	Strong Concordance	And it came to pass afterward [0310], that he loved [0157] a woman [0802] in the valley [05158] of Sorek [07796], whose name [08034] was Delilah [01807].
	King James	And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
DELILAH CORRUPTED BY THE PHILISTINES. (Jdg 16:4-14) 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.

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

DELILAH CORRUPTED BY THE PHILISTINES. (Jdg 16:4-14)

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.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
A village to the north of Eleutheropolis, called Caphar-Sotek, was still existing in the time of Eusebius, near Zorah.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
Samson and Delilah. - Jdg 16:4. After this successful act, Samson gave himself up once more to his sensual lusts. He fell in love with a woman in the valley of Sorek, named Delilah (i.e., the weak or pining one), to whose snares he eventually succumbed. With reference to the valley of Sorek, Eusebius affirms in the Onom. (s. v. Σωρήχ), that there was a village called Βαρήχ (l. Καφὰρ σωρήχ according to Jerome) near Zorea, and ἐν ὁρίοις (l. βορείοις according to Jerome, who has ad septentrionalem plagam); and also (s. v. Σωρήκ) that this place was near to Eshtaol. Consequently the Sorek valley would have to be sought for somewhere in the neighbourhood of Samson's birthplace (Jdg 13:1), and the dwelling-place of his family (Jdg 16:31). Jdg 16:5 The princes of the Philistines offered Delilah a considerable sum (they would give her one thousand and one hundred shekels of silver each, i.e., a thousand shekels or more: cf. Jdg 17:2) if she would persuade Samson, and bring out from him "whereby his strength was great," and whereby they could overpower and bind him, לענּותו, to bend him, i.e., to oppress him. The Philistine princes thought that Samson's supernatural strength arose from something external, which he wore or carried about with him as an amulet. There was a certain truth at the foundation of this heathen superstition, inasmuch as this gift of divine grace was really bound up with the possession of a corporeal pledge, the loss of which was followed by the immediate loss of the gift of God (see at Jdg 16:17). Jdg 16:6-7 Allured by the reward in prospect, Delilah now sought to get from him the secret of his strength. But he deceived her three times by false statements. He first of all said to her (Jdg 16:7), "If they bound me with strings that have not been dried, I should be weak and like one of the men" (i.e., like any other man). יתר signifies a sinew or string, e.g., a bow-string, Psa 11:2, and in the different dialects either a bow-string or the string of a harp or guitar. As a distinction is made here between the יתרים and the עבתים in Jdg 16:11, the strings intended here are those of catgut or animal sinew. The number seven is that of a divine act, answering to the divine power which Samson possessed. Jdg 16:8-9 When Delilah told this to the princes of the Philistines, they brought the seven strings required, and Delilah bound Samson with them. "And the spy sat in the room (להּ, dat. com., lit. 'to her,' i.e.) to help her." namely, without Samson knowing it, as Delilah had certainly not told him that she should betray the secret of his strength to the Philistines. He was there, no doubt, that he might be at hand and overpower the fettered giant as soon as it became apparent that his strength was gone. She then cried out to him, "Philistines upon thee, Samson!" And he snapped the strings as one would snap a cord in two "when it smells fire," i.e., is held to the fire. Jdg 16:10-12 The second deception: Samson had himself bound with new cords, which had not yet been used for any purpose, and these also he burst from his arms like a thread. Jdg 16:13-14 The third deception: "If thou weavest together the seven locks of my hair with the warp. And she drove it in with the plug." These words are difficult to explain, partly because several technical terms are used which have more than one meaning, and partly because the account itself is contracted, both Samson's advice and her fulfilment of it being only given in a partial form, so that the one has to be completed from the other. In Jdg 16:19, the only other passage in which מחלפות occurs, it no doubt means the plaits into which Samson's long flowing hair was plaited. המּסּכת only occurs here (Jdg 16:13 and Jdg 16:14), and probably means the woven cloth, or rather what was still upon the loom, the warp of the cloth, δίασμα (lxx). Accordingly the meaning of the verse would be this: If thou weavest the seven plaits of my hair along with the warp upon the loom. The commentators are all agreed that, according to these words, there must be something wanting in the account, though they are not of one opinion as to whether the binding of Samson is fully given here, and all that has to be supplied is the clause "Then shall I be weal," etc. (as in Jdg 16:7 and Jdg 16:11), or whether the words בּיּתד ותּתקע add another fact which was necessary to the completeness of the binding, and if so, how these words are to be understood. In Bertheau's opinion, the words "and she thrust with the plug" probably mean nothing more than that she made a noise to wake the sleeping Samson, because it is neither stated here that she forced the plug into the wall or into the earth to fasten the plaits with (lxx, Jerome), nor that her thrusting with the plug contributed in any way to the further fastening of the hair. These arguments are sound no doubt, but they do not prove what is intended. When it is stated in Jdg 16:14, that "he tore out the weaver's plug and the cloth," it is certainly evident that the plug served to fasten the hair to the cloth or to the loom. Moreover, not only would any knocking with the plug to waken Samson with the noise have been altogether superfluous, as the loud cry, "Philistines upon thee, Samson," would be amply sufficient for this; but it is extremely improbable that a fact with so little bearing upon the main facts would be introduced here at all. We come therefore to the same conclusion as the majority of commentators, viz., that the words in question are to be understood as referring to something that was done to fasten Samson still more securely. היּתד = הארג היתד (Jdg 16:14) does not mean the roller or weaver's beam, to which the threads of the warp were fastened, and round which the cloth was rolled when finished, as Bertheau supposes, for this is called ארגים מנור in Sa1 17:7; nor the σπάθη of the Greeks, a flat piece of wood like a knife, which was used in the upright loom for the same purpose as our comb or press, viz., to press the weft together, and so increase the substance of the cloth (Braun, de vestitu Sacerd. p. 253); but the comb or press itself which was fastened to the loom, so that it could only be torn out by force. To complete the account, therefore, we must supply between Jdg 16:13 and Jdg 16:14, "And if thou fastenest it (the woven cloth) with the plug (the weaver's comb), I shall be weak like one of the other men; and she wove the seven plaits of his hair into the warp of the loom." Then follows in Jdg 16:14, "and fastened the cloth with the weaver's comb." There is no need, however, to assume that what has to be supplied fell out in copying. We have simply an ellipsis, such as we often meet with. When Samson as wakened out of his sleep by the cry of "Philistines upon thee," he tore out the weaver's comb and the warp (sc.,) from the loom, with his plaits of hair that had been woven in. The reference to his sleeping warrants the assumption that Delilah had also performed the other acts of binding while he was asleep. We must not understand the account, however, as implying that the three acts of binding followed close upon one another on the very same day. Several days may very probably have elapsed between them. In this third deception Samson had already gone so far in his presumptuous trifling with the divine gift entrusted to him, as to suffer the hair of his head to be meddled with, though it was sanctified to the Lord. "It would seem as though this act of sin ought to have brought him to reflection. But as that was not the case, there remained but one short step more to bring him to thorough treachery towards the Lord" (O. v. Gerlach). Jdg 16:15 This last step was very speedily to follow - Jdg 16:15 After this triple deception, Delilah said to him, "How canst thou say, I love thee, as thine heart is not with me" (ie, not devoted to me)? Jdg 16:16 With such words as these she plagued him every day, so that his soul became impatient even to death (see Judg 10;16). The ἁπ. λεγ. אלץ signifies in Aramaean, to press or plague. The form is Piel, though without the reduplication of the ל and Chateph-patach under (see Ewald, 90, b.). Jdg 16:17 "And he showed her all his heart," i.e., he opened his mind thoroughly to her, and told her that no razor had come upon his head, because he was a Nazarite from his mother's womb (cf. Jdg 13:5, Jdg 13:7). "If I should be shave, my strength would depart from me, and I should be weak like all other men." Jdg 16:18 When Delilah saw (i.e., perceived, namely from his words and his whole behaviour while making this communication) that he had betrayed the secret of his strength, she had the princes of the Philistines called: "Come up this time, ... for he had revealed to her all his heart." This last clause is not to be understood as having been spoken by Delilah to the princes themselves, as it is by the Masorites and most of the commentators, in which case להּ would have to be altered into לי; but it contains a remark of the writer, introduced as an explanation of the circumstance that Delilah sent for the princes of the Philistines now that she was sure of her purpose. This view is confirmed by the word ועלוּ (came up) which follows, since the use of the perfect instead of the imperfect with vav consec. can only be explained on the supposition that the previous clause is a parenthetical one, which interrupts the course of the narrative, and to which the account of the further progress of the affair could not be attached by the historical tense (ויּעלוּ). (Note: The Keri reading לי arose simply from a misunderstanding, although it is found in many MSS and early editions, and is without any critical worth. The Masorites overlooked the fact that the main point is all that is related of the message of Delilah to the princes of the Philistines, namely that they were to come this time, and that the rest can easily be supplied from the context. Studer admits how little ועלוּ suits that view of the clause which the Keri reading לי requires, and calls it "syntactically impossible." He proposes, however, to read ויּעלוּ, without reflecting that this reading is also nothing more than a change which is rendered necessary by the alteration of להּ into לי, and has no critical value.) The princes of the Philistines came up to Delilah on the receipt of this communication, bringing the money, the promised reward of her treachery (Jdg 16:5), in their hands. Jdg 16:19 "Then she made him sleep upon her knees, and called to the man," possibly the man lying in wait (Jdg 16:9 and Jdg 16:12), that she might not be alone with Samson when cutting off his hair; and she cut off the seven plaits of his hair, and began to afflict him, as his strength departed from him now. Jdg 16:20 She then cried out, "Philistines upon thee, Samson!" And he awaked out of his sleep, and thought ("said," i.e., to himself), "I will go away as time upon time (this as at other times), and shake myself loose," sc., from the fetters or from the hands of the Philistines; "but he knew not that Jehovah had departed from him." These last words are very important to observe in order to form a correct idea of the affair. Samson had said to Delilah, "If my hair were cut off, my strength would depart from me" (Jdg 16:17). The historian observes, on the other hand, that "Jehovah had departed from him." The superhuman strength of Samson did not reside in his hair as hair, but in the fact that Jehovah was with or near him. But Jehovah was with him so long as he maintained his condition as a Nazarite. As soon as he broke away from this by sacrificing the hair which he wore in honour of the Lord, Jehovah departed from him, and with Jehovah went his strength. (Note: "Samson was strong because he was dedicated to God, as long as he preserved the signs of his dedication. But as soon as he lost those signs, he fell into the utmost weakness in consequence. The whole of Samson's misfortune came upon him, therefore, because he attributed to himself some portion of what God did through him. God permitted him to lose his strength, that he might learn by experience how utterly powerless he was without the help of God. We have no better teachers than our own infirmities."-Berleb. Bible.) Jdg 16:21 The Philistines then seized him, put out his eyes, and led him to Gaza fettered with double brass chains. The chains are probably called nechushtaim (double brass) because both hands of both feet were fettered with them. King Zedekiah, when taken prisoner by the Chaldeans, was treated in the same manner (Kg2 25:7). There Samson was obliged to turn the mill in the prison, and grind corn (the participle טחן expresses the continuance of the action). Grinding a handmill was the hardest and lowest kind of slave labour (compare Exo 11:5 with Exo 12:29); and both Greeks and Romans sentenced their slaves to this as a punishment (see Od. xx. 105ff., vii. 103-4; Terent. Phorm. ii. 1, 19, Andr. i, 2. 29), and it is still performed by female slaves in the East (see Chardin in Harmar's Beob. b. d. Orient. iii. 64).

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]

Samson and Delilah. - Jdg 16:4. After this successful act, Samson gave himself up once more to his sensual lusts. He fell in love with a woman in the valley of Sorek, named Delilah (i.e., the weak or pining one), to whose snares he eventually succumbed. With reference to the valley of Sorek, Eusebius affirms in the Onom. (s. v. Σωρήχ), that there was a village called Βαρήχ (l. Καφὰρ σωρήχ according to Jerome) near Zorea, and ἐν ὁρίοις (l. βορείοις according to Jerome, who has ad septentrionalem plagam); and also (s. v. Σωρήκ) that this place was near to Eshtaol. Consequently the Sorek valley would have to be sought for somewhere in the neighbourhood of Samson's birthplace (Jdg 13:1), and the dwelling-place of his family (Jdg 16:31).

Jdg 16:5

The princes of the Philistines offered Delilah a considerable sum (they would give her one thousand and one hundred shekels of silver each, i.e., a thousand shekels or more: cf. Jdg 17:2) if she would persuade Samson, and bring out from him "whereby his strength was great," and whereby they could overpower and bind him, לענּותו, to bend him, i.e., to oppress him. The Philistine princes thought that Samson's supernatural strength arose from something external, which he wore or carried about with him as an amulet. There was a certain truth at the foundation of this heathen superstition, inasmuch as this gift of divine grace was really bound up with the possession of a corporeal pledge, the loss of which was followed by the immediate loss of the gift of God (see at Jdg 16:17).

Jdg 16:6-7

Allured by the reward in prospect, Delilah now sought to get from him the secret of his strength. But he deceived her three times by false statements. He first of all said to her (Jdg 16:7), "If they bound me with strings that have not been dried, I should be weak and like one of the men" (i.e., like any other man). יתר signifies a sinew or string, e.g., a bow-string, Psa 11:2, and in the different dialects either a bow-string or the string of a harp or guitar. As a distinction is made here between the יתרים and the עבתים in Jdg 16:11, the strings intended here are those of catgut or animal sinew. The number seven is that of a divine act, answering to the divine power which Samson possessed.

Jdg 16:8-9

When Delilah told this to the princes of the Philistines, they brought the seven strings required, and Delilah bound Samson with them. "And the spy sat in the room (להּ, dat. com., lit. 'to her,' i.e.) to help her." namely, without Samson knowing it, as Delilah had certainly not told him that she should betray the secret of his strength to the Philistines. He was there, no doubt, that he might be at hand and overpower the fettered giant as soon as it became apparent that his strength was gone. She then cried out to him, "Philistines upon thee, Samson!" And he snapped the strings as one would snap a cord in two "when it smells fire," i.e., is held to the fire.

Jdg 16:10-12

The second deception: Samson had himself bound with new cords, which had not yet been used for any purpose, and these also he burst from his arms like a thread.

Jdg 16:13-14

The third deception: "If thou weavest together the seven locks of my hair with the warp. And she drove it in with the plug." These words are difficult to explain, partly because several technical terms are used which have more than one meaning, and partly because the account itself is contracted, both Samson's advice and her fulfilment of it being only given in a partial form, so that the one has to be completed from the other. In Jdg 16:19, the only other passage in which מחלפות occurs, it no doubt means the plaits into which Samson's long flowing hair was plaited. המּסּכת only occurs here (Jdg 16:13 and Jdg 16:14), and probably means the woven cloth, or rather what was still upon the loom, the warp of the cloth, δίασμα (lxx). Accordingly the meaning of the verse would be this: If thou weavest the seven plaits of my hair along with the warp upon the loom. The commentators are all agreed that, according to these words, there must be something wanting in the account, though they are not of one opinion as to whether the binding of Samson is fully given here, and all that has to be supplied is the clause "Then shall I be weal," etc. (as in Jdg 16:7 and Jdg 16:11), or whether the words בּיּתד ותּתקע add another fact which was necessary to the completeness of the binding, and if so, how these words are to be understood. In Bertheau's opinion, the words "and she thrust with the plug" probably mean nothing more than that she made a noise to wake the sleeping Samson, because it is neither stated here that she forced the plug into the wall or into the earth to fasten the plaits with (lxx, Jerome), nor that her thrusting with the plug contributed in any way to the further fastening of the hair. These arguments are sound no doubt, but they do not prove what is intended. When it is stated in Jdg 16:14, that "he tore out the weaver's plug and the cloth," it is certainly evident that the plug served to fasten the hair to the cloth or to the loom. Moreover, not only would any knocking with the plug to waken Samson with the noise have been altogether superfluous, as the loud cry, "Philistines upon thee, Samson," would be amply sufficient for this; but it is extremely improbable that a fact with so little bearing upon the main facts would be introduced here at all. We come therefore to the same conclusion as the majority of commentators, viz., that the words in question are to be understood as referring to something that was done to fasten Samson still more securely. היּתד = הארג היתד (Jdg 16:14) does not mean the roller or weaver's beam, to which the threads of the warp were fastened, and round which the cloth was rolled when finished, as Bertheau supposes, for this is called ארגים מנור in Sa1 17:7; nor the σπάθη of the Greeks, a flat piece of wood like a knife, which was used in the upright loom for the same purpose as our comb or press, viz., to press the weft together, and so increase the substance of the cloth (Braun, de vestitu Sacerd. p. 253); but the comb or press itself which was fastened to the loom, so that it could only be torn out by force. To complete the account, therefore, we must supply between Jdg 16:13 and Jdg 16:14, "And if thou fastenest it (the woven cloth) with the plug (the weaver's comb), I shall be weak like one of the other men; and she wove the seven plaits of his hair into the warp of the loom." Then follows in Jdg 16:14, "and fastened the cloth with the weaver's comb." There is no need, however, to assume that what has to be supplied fell out in copying. We have simply an ellipsis, such as we often meet with. When Samson as wakened out of his sleep by the cry of "Philistines upon thee," he tore out the weaver's comb and the warp (sc.,) from the loom, with his plaits of hair that had been woven in. The reference to his sleeping warrants the assumption that Delilah had also performed the other acts of binding while he was asleep. We must not understand the account, however, as implying that the three acts of binding followed close upon one another on the very same day. Several days may very probably have elapsed between them. In this third deception Samson had already gone so far in his presumptuous trifling with the divine gift entrusted to him, as to suffer the hair of his head to be meddled with, though it was sanctified to the Lord. "It would seem as though this act of sin ought to have brought him to reflection. But as that was not the case, there remained but one short step more to bring him to thorough treachery towards the Lord" (O. v. Gerlach).

Jdg 16:15

This last step was very speedily to follow - Jdg 16:15 After this triple deception, Delilah said to him, "How canst thou say, I love thee, as thine heart is not with me" (ie, not devoted to me)?

Jdg 16:16

With such words as these she plagued him every day, so that his soul became impatient even to death (see Judg 10;16). The ἁπ. λεγ. אלץ signifies in Aramaean, to press or plague. The form is Piel, though without the reduplication of the ל and Chateph-patach under (see Ewald, 90, b.).

Jdg 16:17

"And he showed her all his heart," i.e., he opened his mind thoroughly to her, and told her that no razor had come upon his head, because he was a Nazarite from his mother's womb (cf. Jdg 13:5, Jdg 13:7). "If I should be shave, my strength would depart from me, and I should be weak like all other men."

Jdg 16:18

When Delilah saw (i.e., perceived, namely from his words and his whole behaviour while making this communication) that he had betrayed the secret of his strength, she had the princes of the Philistines called: "Come up this time, ... for he had revealed to her all his heart." This last clause is not to be understood as having been spoken by Delilah to the princes themselves, as it is by the Masorites and most of the commentators, in which case להּ would have to be altered into לי; but it contains a remark of the writer, introduced as an explanation of the circumstance that Delilah sent for the princes of the Philistines now that she was sure of her purpose. This view is confirmed by the word ועלוּ (came up) which follows, since the use of the perfect instead of the imperfect with vav consec. can only be explained on the supposition that the previous clause is a parenthetical one, which interrupts the course of the narrative, and to which the account of the further progress of the affair could not be attached by the historical tense (ויּעלוּ).

(Note: The Keri reading לי arose simply from a misunderstanding, although it is found in many MSS and early editions, and is without any critical worth. The Masorites overlooked the fact that the main point is all that is related of the message of Delilah to the princes of the Philistines, namely that they were to come this time, and that the rest can easily be supplied from the context. Studer admits how little ועלוּ suits that view of the clause which the Keri reading לי requires, and calls it "syntactically impossible." He proposes, however, to read ויּעלוּ, without reflecting that this reading is also nothing more than a change which is rendered necessary by the alteration of להּ into לי, and has no critical value.)

The princes of the Philistines came up to Delilah on the receipt of this communication, bringing the money, the promised reward of her treachery (Jdg 16:5), in their hands.

Jdg 16:19

"Then she made him sleep upon her knees, and called to the man," possibly the man lying in wait (Jdg 16:9 and Jdg 16:12), that she might not be alone with Samson when cutting off his hair; and she cut off the seven plaits of his hair, and began to afflict him, as his strength departed from him now.

Jdg 16:20

She then cried out, "Philistines upon thee, Samson!" And he awaked out of his sleep, and thought ("said," i.e., to himself), "I will go away as time upon time (this as at other times), and shake myself loose," sc., from the fetters or from the hands of the Philistines; "but he knew not that Jehovah had departed from him." These last words are very important to observe in order to form a correct idea of the affair. Samson had said to Delilah, "If my hair were cut off, my strength would depart from me" (Jdg 16:17). The historian observes, on the other hand, that "Jehovah had departed from him." The superhuman strength of Samson did not reside in his hair as hair, but in the fact that Jehovah was with or near him. But Jehovah was with him so long as he maintained his condition as a Nazarite. As soon as he broke away from this by sacrificing the hair which he wore in honour of the Lord, Jehovah departed from him, and with Jehovah went his strength.

(Note: "Samson was strong because he was dedicated to God, as long as he preserved the signs of his dedication. But as soon as he lost those signs, he fell into the utmost weakness in consequence. The whole of Samson's misfortune came upon him, therefore, because he attributed to himself some portion of what God did through him. God permitted him to lose his strength, that he might learn by experience how utterly powerless he was without the help of God. We have no better teachers than our own infirmities."-Berleb. Bible.)

Jdg 16:21

The Philistines then seized him, put out his eyes, and led him to Gaza fettered with double brass chains. The chains are probably called nechushtaim (double brass) because both hands of both feet were fettered with them. King Zedekiah, when taken prisoner by the Chaldeans, was treated in the same manner (Kg2 25:7). There Samson was obliged to turn the mill in the prison, and grind corn (the participle טחן expresses the continuance of the action). Grinding a handmill was the hardest and lowest kind of slave labour (compare Exo 11:5 with Exo 12:29); and both Greeks and Romans sentenced their slaves to this as a punishment (see Od. xx. 105ff., vii. 103-4; Terent. Phorm. ii. 1, 19, Andr. i, 2. 29), and it is still performed by female slaves in the East (see Chardin in Harmar's Beob. b. d. Orient. iii. 64).

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
Loved - Probably as an harlot: because the dreadful punishment now inflicted upon Samson for this sin, whom God spared for the first offence, is an intimation, that this sin was not inferior to the former.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
He loved a woman in the valley of Sorek - Some think Samson took this woman for his wife; others, that he had her as a concubine. It appears she was a Philistine; and however strong his love was for her, she seems to have had none for him. He always matched improperly, and he was cursed in all his matches. Where the valley or brook of Sorek was, is not easy to be ascertained. Eusebius and Jerome say it lay southward of Eleutheropolis; but where was Eleutheropolis? Ancient writers take all their measurements from this city; but as it is nowhere mentioned in the Scriptures, it is impossible to fix its situation for we know not its ancient name.

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⁴ And it came to pass afterward [0310], that he loved [0157] a woman [0802] in the valley [05158] of Sorek [07796], whose name [08034] was Delilah [01807].
⁵ And the lords [05633] of the Philistines [06430] came up [05927] unto her, and said [0559] unto her, Entice [06601] him, and see [07200] wherein his great [01419] strength [03581] lieth, and by what means we may prevail [03201] against him, that we may bind [0631] him to afflict [06031] him: and we will give [05414] thee every one [0376] of us eleven hundred [0505] [03967] pieces of silver [03701].
⁶ And Delilah [01807] said [0559] to Samson [08123], Tell [05046] me, I pray thee, wherein thy great [01419] strength [03581] lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound [0631] to afflict [06031] thee.
⁷ And Samson [08123] said [0559] unto her, If they bind [0631] me with seven [07651] green [03892] withs [03499] that were never dried [02717], then shall I be weak [02470], and be as another [0259] man [0120].
⁸ Then the lords [05633] of the Philistines [06430] brought up [05927] to her seven [07651] green [03892] withs [03499] which had not been dried [02717], and she bound [0631] him with them.
⁹ Now there were men lying in wait [0693], abiding [03427] with her in the chamber [02315]. And she said [0559] unto him, The Philistines [06430] be upon thee, Samson [08123]. And he brake [05423] the withs [03499], as a thread [06616] of tow [05296] is broken [05423] when it toucheth [07306] the fire [0784]. So his strength [03581] was not known [03045].
¹⁰ And Delilah [01807] said [0559] unto Samson [08123], Behold, thou hast mocked [02048] me, and told [01696] me lies [03577]: now tell [05046] me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound [0631].
¹¹ And he said [0559] unto her, If they bind [0631] me fast [0631] with new [02319] ropes [05688] that never were occupied [04399] [06213], then shall I be weak [02470], and be as another [0259] man [0120].
¹² Delilah [01807] therefore took [03947] new [02319] ropes [05688], and bound [0631] him therewith, and said [0559] unto him, The Philistines [06430] be upon thee, Samson [08123]. And there were liers in wait [0693] abiding [03427] in the chamber [02315]. And he brake [05423] them from off his arms [02220] like a thread [02339].
¹³ And Delilah [01807] said [0559] unto Samson [08123], Hitherto [02008] thou hast mocked [02048] me, and told [01696] me lies [03577]: tell [05046] me wherewith thou mightest be bound [0631]. And he said [0559] unto her, If thou weavest [0707] the seven [07651] locks [04253] of my head [07218] with the web [04545].
¹⁴ And she fastened [08628] it with the pin [03489], and said [0559] unto him, The Philistines [06430] be upon thee, Samson [08123]. And he awaked [03364] out of his sleep [08142], and went away [05265] with the pin [03489] of the beam [0708], and with the web [04545].

²⁹ And it came to pass, that at midnight [02677] [03915] the LORD [03068] smote [05221] all the firstborn [01060] in the land [0776] of Egypt [04714], from the firstborn [01060] of Pharaoh [06547] that sat [03427] on his throne [03678] unto the firstborn [01060] of the captive [07628] that was in the dungeon [01004] [0953]; and all the firstborn [01060] of cattle [0929].

⁵ And all the firstborn [01060] in the land [0776] of Egypt [04714] shall die [04191], from the firstborn [01060] of Pharaoh [06547] that sitteth [03427] upon his throne [03678], even unto the firstborn [01060] of the maidservant [08198] that is behind [0310] the mill [07347]; and all the firstborn [01060] of beasts [0929].

⁷ And they slew [07819] the sons [01121] of Zedekiah [06667] before his eyes [05869], and put out [05786] the eyes [05869] of Zedekiah [06667], and bound [0631] him with fetters [05178] of brass [05178], and carried [0935] him to Babylon [0894].

²¹ But the Philistines [06430] took [0270] him, and put out [05365] his eyes [05869], and brought him down [03381] to Gaza [05804], and bound [0631] him with fetters of brass [05178]; and he did grind [02912] in the prison [0631] house [01004].

¹⁷ That he told [05046] her all his heart [03820], and said [0559] unto her, There hath not come [05927] a razor [04177] upon mine head [07218]; for I have been a Nazarite [05139] unto God [0430] from my mother's [0517] womb [0990]: if I be shaven [01548], then my strength [03581] will go [05493] from me, and I shall become weak [02470], and be like any other man [0120].

²⁰ And she said [0559], The Philistines [06430] be upon thee, Samson [08123]. And he awoke [03364] out of his sleep [08142], and said [0559], I will go out [03318] as at other times before [06471], and shake [05287] myself. And he wist [03045] not that the LORD [03068] was departed [05493] from him.

¹² Delilah [01807] therefore took [03947] new [02319] ropes [05688], and bound [0631] him therewith, and said [0559] unto him, The Philistines [06430] be upon thee, Samson [08123]. And there were liers in wait [0693] abiding [03427] in the chamber [02315]. And he brake [05423] them from off his arms [02220] like a thread [02339].

⁹ Now there were men lying in wait [0693], abiding [03427] with her in the chamber [02315]. And she said [0559] unto him, The Philistines [06430] be upon thee, Samson [08123]. And he brake [05423] the withs [03499], as a thread [06616] of tow [05296] is broken [05423] when it toucheth [07306] the fire [0784]. So his strength [03581] was not known [03045].

¹⁹ And she made him sleep [03462] upon her knees [01290]; and she called [07121] for a man [0376], and she caused him to shave off [01548] the seven [07651] locks [04253] of his head [07218]; and she began [02490] to afflict [06031] him, and his strength [03581] went [05493] from him.

⁵ And the lords [05633] of the Philistines [06430] came up [05927] unto her, and said [0559] unto her, Entice [06601] him, and see [07200] wherein his great [01419] strength [03581] lieth, and by what means we may prevail [03201] against him, that we may bind [0631] him to afflict [06031] him: and we will give [05414] thee every one [0376] of us eleven hundred [0505] [03967] pieces of silver [03701].

¹⁸ And when Delilah [01807] saw [07200] that he had told [05046] her all his heart [03820], she sent [07971] and called [07121] for the lords [05633] of the Philistines [06430], saying [0559], Come up [05927] this once [06471], for he hath shewed [05046] me all his heart [03820]. Then the lords [05633] of the Philistines [06430] came up [05927] unto her, and brought [05927] money [03701] in their hand [03027].

⁷ But he said [0559] unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive [02030], and bear [03205] a son [01121]; and now drink [07941] no wine [03196] nor strong drink [08354], neither eat [0398] any unclean [02932] thing: for the child [05288] shall be a Nazarite [05139] to God [0430] from the womb [0990] to the day [03117] of his death [04194].

⁵ For, lo, thou shalt conceive [02030], and bear [03205] a son [01121]; and no razor [04177] shall come [05927] on his head [07218]: for the child [05288] shall be a Nazarite [05139] unto God [0430] from the womb [0990]: and he shall begin [02490] to deliver [03467] Israel [03478] out of the hand [03027] of the Philistines [06430].

¹⁶ And it came to pass, when she pressed [06693] him daily [03117] with her words [01697], and urged [0509] him, so that his soul [05315] was vexed [07114] unto death [04191];

¹⁵ And she said [0559] unto him, How [0349] canst thou say [0559], I love [0157] thee, when thine heart [03820] is not with me? thou hast mocked [02048] me these three [07969] times [06471], and hast not told [05046] me wherein thy great [01419] strength [03581] lieth.

¹⁴ And she fastened [08628] it with the pin [03489], and said [0559] unto him, The Philistines [06430] be upon thee, Samson [08123]. And he awaked [03364] out of his sleep [08142], and went away [05265] with the pin [03489] of the beam [0708], and with the web [04545].

⁷ And the staff [06086] [02671] of his spear [02595] was like a weaver's [0707] beam [04500]; and his spear's [02595] head [03852] weighed six [08337] hundred [03967] shekels [08255] of iron [01270]: and one bearing [05375] a shield [06793] went [01980] before [06440] him.

¹¹ And he said [0559] unto her, If they bind [0631] me fast [0631] with new [02319] ropes [05688] that never were occupied [04399] [06213], then shall I be weak [02470], and be as another [0259] man [0120].

⁷ And Samson [08123] said [0559] unto her, If they bind [0631] me with seven [07651] green [03892] withs [03499] that were never dried [02717], then shall I be weak [02470], and be as another [0259] man [0120].

¹³ And Delilah [01807] said [0559] unto Samson [08123], Hitherto [02008] thou hast mocked [02048] me, and told [01696] me lies [03577]: tell [05046] me wherewith thou mightest be bound [0631]. And he said [0559] unto her, If thou weavest [0707] the seven [07651] locks [04253] of my head [07218] with the web [04545].
¹⁴ And she fastened [08628] it with the pin [03489], and said [0559] unto him, The Philistines [06430] be upon thee, Samson [08123]. And he awaked [03364] out of his sleep [08142], and went away [05265] with the pin [03489] of the beam [0708], and with the web [04545].

¹⁰ And Delilah [01807] said [0559] unto Samson [08123], Behold, thou hast mocked [02048] me, and told [01696] me lies [03577]: now tell [05046] me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound [0631].
¹¹ And he said [0559] unto her, If they bind [0631] me fast [0631] with new [02319] ropes [05688] that never were occupied [04399] [06213], then shall I be weak [02470], and be as another [0259] man [0120].
¹² Delilah [01807] therefore took [03947] new [02319] ropes [05688], and bound [0631] him therewith, and said [0559] unto him, The Philistines [06430] be upon thee, Samson [08123]. And there were liers in wait [0693] abiding [03427] in the chamber [02315]. And he brake [05423] them from off his arms [02220] like a thread [02339].

⁸ Then the lords [05633] of the Philistines [06430] brought up [05927] to her seven [07651] green [03892] withs [03499] which had not been dried [02717], and she bound [0631] him with them.
⁹ Now there were men lying in wait [0693], abiding [03427] with her in the chamber [02315]. And she said [0559] unto him, The Philistines [06430] be upon thee, Samson [08123]. And he brake [05423] the withs [03499], as a thread [06616] of tow [05296] is broken [05423] when it toucheth [07306] the fire [0784]. So his strength [03581] was not known [03045].

² For, lo, the wicked [07563] bend [01869] their bow [07198], they make ready [03559] their arrow [02671] upon the string [03499], that they may privily [0652] [01119] shoot [03384] at the upright [03477] in heart [03820].

⁶ And Delilah [01807] said [0559] to Samson [08123], Tell [05046] me, I pray thee, wherein thy great [01419] strength [03581] lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound [0631] to afflict [06031] thee.
⁷ And Samson [08123] said [0559] unto her, If they bind [0631] me with seven [07651] green [03892] withs [03499] that were never dried [02717], then shall I be weak [02470], and be as another [0259] man [0120].

² And he said [0559] unto his mother [0517], The eleven hundred [0505] [03967] shekels of silver [03701] that were taken [03947] from thee, about which thou cursedst [0422], and spakest [0559] of also in mine ears [0241], behold, the silver [03701] is with me; I took [03947] it. And his mother [0517] said [0559], Blessed [01288] be thou of the LORD [03068], my son [01121].

³¹ Then his brethren [0251] and all the house [01004] of his father [01] came down [03381], and took [05375] him, and brought him up [05927], and buried [06912] him between Zorah [06881] and Eshtaol [0847] in the buryingplace [06913] of Manoah [04495] his father [01]. And he judged [08199] Israel [03478] twenty [06242] years [08141].

¹ And the children [01121] of Israel [03478] did [06213] evil [07451] again [03254] in the sight [05869] of the LORD [03068]; and the LORD [03068] delivered [05414] them into the hand [03027] of the Philistines [06430] forty [0705] years [08141].

⁴ And it came to pass afterward [0310], that he loved [0157] a woman [0802] in the valley [05158] of Sorek [07796], whose name [08034] was Delilah [01807].