Judges 16 Summaries

*Judges 16:1 (NASB-95) reads:* *Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her* (v.1). In this brief but significant introduction, *Samson*—who is one of the last judges in Israel ...

*“When it was told to the Gazites, saying, ‘Samson has come here,’ they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. And they kept silent all night, saying, ‘Let us ...

Samson, who served as one of Israel’s judges around the late 12th century BC, finds himself in Gaza, a major Philistine city located in the southwest region near today’s Mediterranean Coast. The Scrip...

Samson’s story in Judges unfolds against the backdrop of ongoing conflict between the Israelites and the Philistines. Here, we read, *“After this it came about that he loved a woman in the valley of S...

In Judges 16:5, we read: *“The lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, ‘Entice him, and see where his great strength lies and how we may overpower him that we may bind him to afflict ...

*So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength is and how you may be bound to afflict you.”* (v.6) In this passage, the Philistine woman Delilah directly requests the secret of ...

Samson, one of the judges of Israel, lived during a turbulent period of Israel’s history, likely in the 12th or 11th century BC, when the Israelites were under constant threat from the Philistines. Hi...

*Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh cords that had not been dried, and she bound him with them* (v.8). The passage recounts how Delilah, under the influence of the Philist...

Samson has once again defied the attempts to weaken him. The text says *“Now she had men lying in wait in an inner room. And she said to him, ‘The Philistines are upon you, Samson!’ But he snapped the...

In this verse, we read, *“Then Delilah said to Samson, ‘Behold, you have deceived me and told me lies; now please tell me how you may be bound.’”* (v.10) Delilah, who is believed to be associated with...

Samson, a judge in Israel’s history around the late 11th century B.C., continues his deceptive game when Delilah demands to know the source of his incredible strength. In this verse, he changes his st...

Samson existed during the period of the judges in Israel’s history, which spanned roughly from about 1375 to 1050 BC (the dates are approximate). His life and exploits are recorded in Judges chapters ...

Samson’s complicated relationship with Delilah deepens as the narrative continues. We read, *“Then Delilah said to Samson, ‘Up to now you have deceived me and told me lies; tell me how you may be boun...

In this passage, we see Delilah intensifying her scheme to uncover the true source of Samson’s supernatural strength. The text says that *“So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his hair a...

Delilah’s question to Samson rings with urgency and frustration in Judges 16:15: *“Then she said to him, ‘How can you say, “I love you,” when your heart is not with me? You have deceived me these thre...

Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have deceived me these three times and have not told me where your great strength is.” It came about when she ...

Samson, one of the final judges of ancient Israel during the 11th century BC, reveals to Delilah the source of his God-given strength in the Valley of Sorek, a region lying between Israelite and Phili...

Delilah, a central figure during the era of the Judges in ancient Israel (roughly 12th–11th century BC), plays a pivotal role in revealing Samson’s vulnerability to his Philistine enemies. In Judges 1...

Then Delilah “made him sleep on her knees and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his hair. Then she began to afflict him, and his strength left him” (v.19). The story unfolds in...

In Judges 16:20 we read, *“And she said, ‘The Philistines are upon you, Samson!’ And he awoke from his sleep and said, ‘I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.’ But he did not know that...

The text says: *“Then the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze chains, and he was a grinder in the prison”* (v.21). This statemen...

*However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it was shaved off.* (Judges 16:22) signals a surprising turn in Samson’s story. Samson, who served as a judge and leader in Israel around the 1...

Now we read, *“Now the lords of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice, for they said, ‘Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hands.’”* (v.23). W...

*“When the people saw him, they praised their god, for they said, ‘Our god has given our enemy into our hands, Even the destroyer of our country, Who has slain many of us.’” (Judges 16:24)* The settin...

In the Philistine city—likely Gaza, located in the southwestern region of Canaan along the Mediterranean Sea—Samson finds himself at the mercy of his captors. We read that *“it so happened when they w...

*Then Samson said to the boy who was holding his hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.”* (v.26) In this scene, Samson is imprisoned in Gaza, a prominen...

*Now the house was full of men and women, and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and about three thousand men and women were on the roof looking on while Samson was amusing them* (Judges 16:...

*Then Samson called to the LORD and said, “O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.”* (v.28) Sam...

*Then Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left (v.29).* Samson was one of the judges of...

Samson, a judge of Israel during the 11th century B.C., found himself bound and humiliated by the Philistines after being betrayed by Delilah. In a final display of faith and resolve, the Scripture sa...

*“Then his brothers and all his father’s household came down, took him, brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. Thus he had judged Israel twenty year...