Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament · Judges Capitolo 13

Birth of Samson. - Judges 13:1. The oppression of the Israelites by the Philistines, which is briefly hinted at in Judges 10:7, is noticed again here with the standing formula, “ And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, ” etc. (cf. Judges 10:6; Judges 4:1; Judges 3:12), as an introduction to the account of the life and acts of Samson, who began to deliver Israel from the hands of these enemies. Not only the birth of Samson, but the prediction of his birth, also fell, according to Judges 13:5, within the period of the rule of the Philistines over Israel. Now, as their oppression lasted forty years, and Samson judged Israel for twenty years during that oppression (Judges 15:20; Judges 16:31), he must have commenced his judgeship at an early age, probably before the completion of his twentieth year; and with this the statement in Judg 14, that his marriage with a Philistine woman furnished the occasion for his conflicts with these enemies of his people, fully agrees. The end of the forty years of the supremacy of the Philistines is not given in this book, which closes with the death of Samson. It did not terminate till the great victory which the Israelites gained over their enemies under the command of Samuel (1 Sam 7). Twenty years before this victory the Philistines had sent back the ark which they had taken from the Israelites, after keeping it for seven months in their own land (1 Samuel 7:2, and 1 Samuel 6:1). It was within these twenty years that most of the acts of Samson occurred. His first affair with the Philistines, however, namely on the occasion of his marriage, took place a year or two before this defeat of the Israelites, in which the sons of Eli were slain, the ark fell into the hands of the Philistines, and the high priest Eli fell from his seat and broke his neck on receiving the terrible news (1 Samuel 4:18). Consequently Eli died a short time after the first appearance of Samson.

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As Manoah had not yet recognised in the man the angel of the Lord, as is observed by way of explanation in Judges 13:16, he wished, like Gideon ( Judges 6:18), to give a hospitable entertainment to the man who had brought him such joyful tidings, and therefore said to him, “ Let us detain thee, and prepare a kid for thee.” The construction לפניך נעשׂה is a pregnant one: “prepare and set before thee.” On the fact itself, see Judges 6:19.

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The angel of the Lord replied, “ If thou wilt detain me (sc., that I may eat), I will not eat of thy food ( אכל with בּ , to eat thereat, i.e., thereof, as in Exodus 12:43; Leviticus 22:11); but if thou wilt prepare a burnt-offering for Jehovah, then offer it.”

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Manoah then asked his name: שׁמך מי , lit., “ Who is thy name? ” מי inquires after the person; מה , the nature of quality (see Ewald, §325, a.). “ For if thy word come to pass, we will do thee honour. ” This was the reason why he asked after his name. כּבּד , to honour by presents, so as to show one's self grateful (see Numbers 22:17, Numbers 22:37; Numbers 24:11).

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The angel replied, “ Why askest thou then after my name? truly it is wonderful.” The Kethibh פלאי is the adjectival form פּלאי from פּלא , for which the Keri has פּלי , the pausal form of פּלי (from the radical פּלה = פּלא ). The word therefore is not the proper name of the angel of the Lord, but expresses the character of his name; and as the name simply denotes the nature, it expresses the peculiarity of his nature also. It is to be understood in an absolute sense, - “absolutely and supremely wonderful” ( Seb. Schmidt), - as a predicate belonging to God alone (compare the term “Wonderful” in Isaiah 9:6), and not to be toned down as it is by Bertheau, who explains it as signifying “neither easy to utter nor easy to comprehend.”

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The promise of God was fulfilled. the boy whom the woman bare received the name of Samson. שׁמשׁון (lxx, Σαμψών ) does not mean sun-like, hero of the sun, from שׁמשׁ (the sun), but, as Josephus explains it (Ant. v. 8, 4), ἰσχυρός , the strong or daring one, from שׁמשׁום , from the intensive from שׁמשׁם , from שׁמם , in its original sense to be strong or daring, not “to devastate.” שׁדד is an analogous word: lit. to be powerful, then to act powerfully, to devastate. The boy grew under the blessing of God (see 1 Samuel 2:21).

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