Samson’s own people allied with their oppressors and bound him, underscoring themes of fear and divided loyalties in the Book of Judges.
So they said to him, ‘No, but we will bind you fast and give you into their hands; yet surely we will not kill you.’ Then they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock (Judges 15:13).
In this verse, we see the men of Judah responding to Samson’s request not to kill him as they turn him over to the Philistines. Although they are Samson’s fellow Israelites, they said to him, “No, but we will bind you fast and give you into their hands; yet surely we will not kill you,” affirming a complicated loyalty. Their promise is that they themselves will not harm Samson, but they still feel compelled to hand him over to foreign rulers. This compromise underscores the tension within Israel at the time, where the tribe of Judah is torn between preserving their own people and appeasing the Philistines, who held power over the region. The text then tells us that they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock. This reference to “new ropes” likely indicates a more secure binding, ensuring the Philistines would see the men of Judah’s attempt at full compliance in restraining Samson.
Historically, Samson is believed to have judged Israel in the 11th century BC, during a period when the Philistines were a dominant force in the southwestern coastal plain of Canaan. The men of Judah may have feared reprisal from the Philistines if they protected Samson. Offering Samson to the enemy, while refraining from killing him themselves, reveals a pragmatic but conflicted approach to leadership in a time of oppression. The phrase brought him up from the rock suggests that Samson had taken refuge or positioned himself in the rocky area of Etam, a strategic spot possibly chosen for its defensive advantages.
Despite being bound, Samson’s strength would soon be revealed as part of God’s ongoing deliverance of Israel. In the broader context, God used Samson’s extraordinary might multiple times to remind His people of His power and their need for trust in Him (Judges 14-16). Centuries later, the New Testament’s reminder in Hebrews 11:32 of Samson among the faithful draws attention to God working through imperfect individuals to accomplish His will, foreshadowing that true redemption for all humanity would come through Christ, who frees us from bondage to sin in a way that goes far beyond Samson’s temporary liberation of Israel.
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Judges 15:13 meaning
So they said to him, ‘No, but we will bind you fast and give you into their hands; yet surely we will not kill you.’ Then they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock (Judges 15:13).
In this verse, we see the men of Judah responding to Samson’s request not to kill him as they turn him over to the Philistines. Although they are Samson’s fellow Israelites, they said to him, “No, but we will bind you fast and give you into their hands; yet surely we will not kill you,” affirming a complicated loyalty. Their promise is that they themselves will not harm Samson, but they still feel compelled to hand him over to foreign rulers. This compromise underscores the tension within Israel at the time, where the tribe of Judah is torn between preserving their own people and appeasing the Philistines, who held power over the region. The text then tells us that they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock. This reference to “new ropes” likely indicates a more secure binding, ensuring the Philistines would see the men of Judah’s attempt at full compliance in restraining Samson.
Historically, Samson is believed to have judged Israel in the 11th century BC, during a period when the Philistines were a dominant force in the southwestern coastal plain of Canaan. The men of Judah may have feared reprisal from the Philistines if they protected Samson. Offering Samson to the enemy, while refraining from killing him themselves, reveals a pragmatic but conflicted approach to leadership in a time of oppression. The phrase brought him up from the rock suggests that Samson had taken refuge or positioned himself in the rocky area of Etam, a strategic spot possibly chosen for its defensive advantages.
Despite being bound, Samson’s strength would soon be revealed as part of God’s ongoing deliverance of Israel. In the broader context, God used Samson’s extraordinary might multiple times to remind His people of His power and their need for trust in Him (Judges 14-16). Centuries later, the New Testament’s reminder in Hebrews 11:32 of Samson among the faithful draws attention to God working through imperfect individuals to accomplish His will, foreshadowing that true redemption for all humanity would come through Christ, who frees us from bondage to sin in a way that goes far beyond Samson’s temporary liberation of Israel.