The big picture
Samson escapes an ambush at Gaza, loves Delilah, repeatedly misleads her about his strength, and finally reveals his consecration. His hair is cut, the LORD departs, and the Philistines blind and imprison him. At their feast, he prays and pulls down the temple on himself and his captors.
Scripture beside the summary
Judges · King James Version · 31Judges 16:1-3
Samson carries Gaza’s gate away
Samson enters Gaza and visits a prostitute. Gazites surround the place and wait to kill him at morning, but at midnight he tears up the city gate and carries it to a hill facing Hebron.
Deep dive
The episode gives no moral defense of Samson’s visit. His enemies assume appetite has made him easy to trap, but his strength overturns their plan. Removing the gate is more than escaping a doorway. A city gate represents security and civic strength, and Samson publicly carries Gaza’s defenses away.
Physical victory does not resolve Samson’s vulnerability. He can remove a gate while remaining governed by desire and secrecy. The abrupt scene prepares the longer Delilah account, where force will not be the decisive weapon. A gifted person may defeat visible barriers and still be endangered by patterns left unexamined.
Words to trace: Samson, city, gate, midnight, night, arose
Verse-by-verse path
- Judges 16:1
“Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.” Naming Gaza and Samson keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Judges 16:2
“And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
- Judges 16:3
“And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts…” The number two makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
Judges 16:1-3
King James Version1Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.
2And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.
3And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.
Judges 16:4-22
Delilah presses until Samson reveals his consecration
Philistine rulers pay Delilah to discover Samson’s strength. After three false explanations and repeated tests, Samson tells her about his uncut hair. She has it shaved, the LORD departs, and the Philistines blind, bind, and imprison him as his hair begins to grow.
Deep dive
The narrative repeatedly shows the danger before the final disclosure. Delilah binds Samson exactly as he describes, calls the Philistines, and complains that he has not trusted her. Her persistence is coercive, yet Samson knowingly remains and eventually tells all his heart. The text does not portray betrayal as proof that trust is foolish; it portrays a relationship structured by payment, manipulation, concealment, and ignored warnings.
The hair is the sign of Samson’s Nazirite consecration, not an independent magical substance. The decisive line is that the LORD departed from him, something Samson does not initially know. His captors remove sight, freedom, and dignity. The quiet notice that his hair begins to grow introduces possibility, but it is not yet a statement that every consequence has been reversed.
Words to trace: Philistines, Samson, bound, Delilah, strength, told
Verse-by-verse path
- Judges 16:4
“And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.” This familiar narrative signal moves the clock forward. What follows is a new scene, consequence, or answer to an earlier tension.
- Judges 16:5
“And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength…” The number one makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
- Judges 16:6
“And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be…” Naming Delilah and Samson keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Judges 16:7
“And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
- Judges 16:8
“Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with…” The number seven makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
- Judges 16:9
“Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon…” Naming Philistines and Samson keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Judges 16:10
“And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou…” Naming Delilah and Samson keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Judges 16:11
“And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
- Judges 16:12
“Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson…” Naming Delilah and Philistines keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Judges 16:13
“And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be…” The number seven makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
- Judges 16:14
“And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his…” Naming Philistines and Samson keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Judges 16:15
“And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these…” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.
- Judges 16:16
“And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;” This familiar narrative signal moves the clock forward. What follows is a new scene, consequence, or answer to an earlier tension.
- Judges 16:17
“That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
- Judges 16:18
“And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying…” Naming Philistines and Come keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Judges 16:19
“And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of…” The number seven makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
- Judges 16:20
“And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other…” Naming Philistines and Samson keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Judges 16:21
“But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass…” Naming Gaza and Philistines keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Judges 16:22
“Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.” Naming Howbeit keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Judges 16:4-22
King James Version4And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
6And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.
7And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
8Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
9Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.
10And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.
11And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
12Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms like a thread.
13And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.
14And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.
15And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.
16And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;
17That he told her 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.
18And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.
19And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
20And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.
21But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.
22Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.
Judges 16:23-31
The temple falls during Philistine celebration
Philistine leaders praise Dagon and bring Samson out for entertainment. He asks to stand by the pillars, prays for strength and vengeance for his eyes, and collapses the building, killing himself and more people at death than during his life.
Deep dive
The feast interprets Samson’s capture as Dagon’s victory, turning him into public proof for an idol. Samson’s prayer addresses the Lord GOD and acknowledges dependence on renewed strength. It also explicitly asks vengeance for his two eyes. The story does not simplify his motive into pure selflessness, even though his act strikes the leadership of Israel’s oppressor.
Samson dies with the Philistines, fulfilling his earlier willingness in the words “Let me die.” His family retrieves and buries him, and the narrator summarizes his twenty years as judge. Readers should resist both romanticizing mass death and ignoring the narrative’s deliverance setting. Samson’s calling, failures, suffering, prayer, and final victory remain intertwined in a deliberately troubling conclusion.
Words to trace: Samson, house, Philistines, hand, lords, pillars
Verse-by-verse path
- Judges 16:23
“Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to…” Naming Dagon and Our keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Judges 16:24
“And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy…” Naming Our keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Judges 16:25
“And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And…” This familiar narrative signal moves the clock forward. What follows is a new scene, consequence, or answer to an earlier tension.
- Judges 16:26
“And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house…” Naming Samson and Suffer keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Judges 16:27
“Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof…” The number three makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
- Judges 16:28
“And Samson called unto the LORD , and said, O Lord GOD , remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee…” The number two makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
- Judges 16:29
“And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one…” The number two makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
- Judges 16:30
“And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the…” Naming Philistines and Samson keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Judges 16:31
“Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between…” The number twenty makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
Judges 16:23-31
King James Version23Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.
24And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.
25And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.
26And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them.
27Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.
28And Samson called unto the LORD , and said, O Lord GOD , remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
29And 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.
30And 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.
31Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.
Questions to keep in mind while reading
- Track who acts, who speaks, who is affected, and what changes.
- Notice repeated promises, failures, rescues, and consequences.
- Do not assume the narrator approves every action that is reported.
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.
Questions beneath the surface
- What account of God, human freedom, responsibility, and the good life emerges from Judges 16?
- Which tension does the chapter refuse to resolve quickly?
- What changes when the chapter is read as part of the whole canon rather than as an isolated moral story?
- Where might a sincere reader confuse a familiar tradition with something the text states directly?
Questions for serious personal contemplation
These open-ended questions make room for tension, honest response, prayer, and conclusions that remain accountable to the chapter.
Observe without rushing
What part of Judges 16 makes you stop, feel unsettled, or feel surprised, and why?
Which detail in the passage would be easiest to overlook? How does that detail change your understanding?
Where do you see tension between what happens and this focus: Delilah arranging Samson’s hair to be cut, Samson blinded in prison, and his final position between the pillars?
What important question does the passage leave open instead of resolving quickly?
Examine your inner life honestly
Which person, response, fear, or desire in the passage feels most like your own life right now?
What assumption about God, other people, or yourself does this text challenge?
Which part would you rather soften, avoid, or explain away too quickly? What might that reaction reveal?
If this Scripture could ask you one direct question, what do you think it would ask?
Respond with wisdom and courage
What do you need to remember, confess, grieve, thank God for, or trust after reading this passage?
How might another faithful person read this situation differently without ignoring the text?
What obedient response would be costly, uncomfortable, or slow, yet still faithful to Scripture?
What question will you carry into prayer this week, and which verses will you keep in front of you?