SAMSON

&

DELILAH

One would think that Samson might have learned something from his first wife. As big and strong as he is, he is weak in resisting the temptations of the flesh and does not learn his lessons. In this way, he could be considered arrogant, as well as a fool.

After his escape from the Philistines, Samson goes to Gaza. It is there that he meets Delilah, who is described as "an harlot." Contrary to what has become the meaning of this term today -- a woman who sells her sexual favors for money -- a harlot was actually a temple priestess of certain pagan divinities. The Greeks called them 'heirodules' and they acted as vehicles to ecstasies and presumably revelations of a divine nature in much the same context of what is known today as 'sex-magic'. This is an indicator that Samson lives by his passions -- and they are not for the Lord.

Because of what he had done previously in Timnath, the Philistines decide to use Samson's infatuation with this priestess to find out the secret of his strength. He'd been tricked once before and it seemed to work. They go to Delilah and bribe her to get from Samson the secret of his great strength. We are not told how many of them there are, but they tell her that they will each give her eleven hundred pieces of silver. An extremely tempting offer, no doubt. One that Delilah does not refuse.

Working her feminine wiles on him, she confronts him in much the same manner as his first wife, telling him that if he truly trusted and respected her, he would tell her the secret of his strength.

First, he tells her that if he is bound with new ropes (or un-dried reeds - withies), he would be like anyone else. We know, this doesn't work, but she doesn't. Some of the Philistines are lying in wait in their chamber, while Delilah binds him. As before, when they fall upon him, the ropes were broken off from his arms like a thread. The second time she asks him, he tells her that if "thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web" that he will be as weak as any man. This too proves to be false. The third time, she pesters and vexes him to the point that he finally tells her the truth. If his hair is shorn from his head, he will be weak....

That he told her with all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man. [Ju. 16:17]

Delilah then lulls Samson to sleep in her lap and calls for a man to come and shave his head. The Philistines finally capture him, and put out both of his eyes. Here, we have the connection with Samael, as 'the blind god'. They take him to Gaza and bind him with fetters of brass and he is set to grinding grain like a donkey in the prison house. Donkeys were often used in this capacity. They were either blindfolded or blinders were applied to their harnesses to keep them looking and walking straight ahead - i.e., around in a circle.

While he is imprisoned, Samson's hair begins to grow back. He realizes this and he also realizes what a fool he's been. The strength of the Lord returns to him.

The Philistines are having a great feast to their god Dagon and they are congratulating themselves on the fact that they have captured the mighty Samson. Once they all become quite merry (drunk), they decide that they wish to make sport of Samson and humiliate him. They have him brought from the prison house, presumably to the temple. It is merely termed "a house", but there are said to be three thousand people standing on the roof and that the house was full of many, many people. In any event, we get the impression that this is a very large and important building. The temple of Dagon seems the most logical assumption.

Samson asks them to stand him between the two pillars that support the roof of the house. The people jeer and make sport of him in the meanwhile.

And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life. [Ju. 16:29-30]

 

SAMSON'S SEVEN LOCKS