Judges 13:1-5 · Bible study
Judges 13:1-5 Commentary: Samson's Birth and the Philistine Oppression
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore Judges 13:1-5, the Philistine oppression, the angel's announcement to Manoah's wife, and Samson's Nazirite dedication.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God announces a deliverer for Israel in response to their sin and oppression, using a barren woman and a Nazirite vow.
- Key words: 'barren' (H6135), 'angel of the Lord' (H4397, divine messenger), 'Nazirite' (H5139, consecrated one).
- Main debate: The identity of the angel, most commentators see the pre-incarnate Christ, but some argue for a created angel.
- Theological theme: God initiates rescue through unexpected means and calls for consecration even before birth.
- Best use: Advent sermons, parenting talks, or studies on how God works through flawed human history.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
1Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD, so He delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.
2Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children.
3The angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “It is true that you are barren and have no children; but you will conceive and give birth to a son.
4Now please be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, and not to eat anything unclean.
5For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall come over his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
1The children of Israel again did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight; and Yahweh delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
2There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and childless.
3Yahweh’s angel appeared to the woman, and said to her, “See now, you are barren and childless; but you shall conceive and bear a son.
4Now therefore please beware and drink no wine nor strong drink, and don’t eat any unclean thing;
5for, behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son. No razor shall come on his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb. He shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”
KJV King James Version 1769
1And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
2And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.
3And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.
4Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:
5For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
1And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah; and Jehovah delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
2And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.
3And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not; but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.
4Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:
5for, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come upon his head; for the child shall be a Nazirite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
1And the sons of Israel add to do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, and Jehovah giveth them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
2And there is a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danite, and his name is Manoah, his wife is barren, and hath not borne;
3and a messenger of Jehovah appeareth unto the woman, and saith unto her, `Lo, I pray thee, thou art barren, and hast not borne; when thou hast conceived, then thou hast borne a son.
4And, now, take heed, I pray thee, and do not drink wine, and strong drink, and do not eat any unclean thing,
5for, lo, thou art conceiving and bearing a son, and a razor doth not go up on his head, for a Nazarite to God is the youth from the womb, and he doth begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
1And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of Jehovah; and Jehovah gave them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
2And there was a certain man of Zoreah, of the family of the Danites, and his name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and did not bear.
3And the Angel of Jehovah appeared to the woman, and said to her, Behold now, thou art barren and bearest not; but thou shalt conceive and bear a son.
4And now beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat nothing unclean.
5For lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son, and no razor shall come on his head; for the boy shall be a Nazarite of God from the womb; and he shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
1And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord: and he delivered them into the hands of the Philistines forty years.
2Now there was a certain man of Saraa, and of the race of Dan, whose name was Manue, and his wife was barren.
3And an angel of the Lord appeared to her, and said: Thou art barren and without children: but thou shalt conceive and bear a son.
4Now therefore beware, and drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing.
5Because thou shalt conceive, and bear a son, and no razor shall touch his head: for he shall be a Nazarite of God, from his infancy, and from his mother's womb, and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Judges 13:1
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that the 40-year Philistine oppression (Judges 13:1) serves as the backdrop for Samson's rise. Barnes notes that the 40 years are 'about coincident with Samson's life,' while Clarke adds that Samson 'only began this deliverance,' which was completed later under David. The angel of the Lord is widely understood as a divine figure, Clarke, Gill, and the Cambridge Bible identify him as the pre-incarnate Christ, noting his appearance in similar deliverance narratives (see Judges 6:12). The barrenness of Manoah's wife (v.2) echoes earlier biblical births (Isaac, Jacob, Samuel, John the Baptist), marking Samson as a child of high providential destiny, as Barnes observes. The instructions to the mother regarding wine, strong drink, and unclean food (vv.3-4) reflect the Nazirite law (see Numbers 6:2-5), which she must observe during pregnancy to ensure her son's consecration from the womb. Matthew Henry points out that sin created the need for a savior, and God's response to distress is grace through an unexpected deliverer.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Israel's sin leads to Philistine oppression; God responds by announcing a son through an angel to a barren woman, who will be a lifelong Nazirite and begin Israel's deliverance.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The 40-year Philistine oppression | Commentators agree it spans roughly Samson's lifetime and serves as the chronological frame for the narrative. | Some see it starting before Samson's birth (Barnes: 'about coincident with Samson's life'), while others (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Gill) suggest it began earlier and continued beyond him. |
| Identity of the angel of the Lord | Most Protestant and Anglican commentaries (Clarke, Gill, Cambridge, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) identify the angel as a theophany, the Son of God appearing in human form. | A minority view from more recent critical scholarship treats the angel as a created divine messenger, not explicitly the pre-incarnate Christ. Traditional Christian reading overwhelmingly supports the theophanic view. |
| Importance of the mother's Nazirite restrictions | All commentators agree the mother must observe Nazirite-like abstinence to consecrate the child from conception, fulfilling the vow of Numbers 6. | No significant disagreement; the rationale is uniformly accepted. |
| Samson's role as 'beginning to save' | Clarke, Barnes, and Henry agree that Samson only started the deliverance, which was completed later by David. | No disagreement; the partial deliverance is accepted as part of God's gradual plan. |
Historical & Cultural Context
By the time of Judges 13, Israel's cycle of apostasy and oppression had repeated for generations. Verses like Judges 2:11 and 3:7 establish the pattern: Israel does evil, God delivers them to enemies, they cry out, God raises a judge. The Philistines, mentioned earlier (Judges 3:31; 10:7,11) but not described in detail until now, were a seafaring people from the Aegean region (likely Caphtor/Crete). They had settled on the southern coastal plain of Canaan and possessed advanced iron technology, which gave them military advantage over the Israelites (see 1 Samuel 13:19-22). Zorah, Manoah's hometown (v.2), was a Danite village on the border of Judah, about 15 miles west of Jerusalem, near the Philistine plain. Its location made it vulnerable to Philistine raids and influence. The 40-year oppression (v.1) likely began before Samson's birth and continued through his life, framing his entire judgeship. The account of his annunciation follows a familiar literary pattern in Judges, the arrival of a divine messenger (see Judges 2:1; 6:11-12) who announces a coming deliverer. The mention of the Philistine gods earlier (Judges 10:6) shows how deeply Israelite apostasy had intertwined with Philistine culture. This historical setting explains why a strong deliverer was needed, and why the call for a life-consecrated Nazirite was so urgent.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for this passage across the major Hebrew manuscripts and ancient versions (LXX, Syriac, Latin). The wording is stable across translations. The only minor variations involve spelling (Zorah/Zoreah) and the phrasing of the angel's appearance ('the angel' vs 'an angel' in some English versions), but these do not affect interpretation.
Reception History
Throughout church history, this passage has been read as a type of the annunciation to Mary (Luke 1:11-15, 31-35), with the angelic announcement to a barren woman and the call to dedicate the child to God. Early church fathers such as Ambrose and Augustine saw Samson as a flawed but real deliverer prefiguring Christ, though they emphasized that Christ's deliverance was complete, not partial. In Judaism, the story highlights Samson as a judge and Nazirite, though the Talmud and Midrash sometimes criticize his moral failures. The Nazirite vow itself became a model for monastic and ascetic traditions in both East and West. Hymns and art through the centuries depict the annunciation to Manoah's wife as a sign of divine intervention in desperate times. Modern readers often focus on the mother's role as an example of faithful waiting and obedience, connecting her to women like Hannah and Elizabeth.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Sin leads to oppression: Israel's repeated evil (v.1) results in 40 years under Philistine control. God uses the consequences of rebellion to drive His people back to Him.
- God initiates deliverance: The angel appears to a barren woman (vv.2-3), demonstrating that salvation begins with God, not human effort. The child is a gift, not an accident.
- Consecration begins before birth: The mother's Nazirite restrictions (v.4) show that serving God can require personal sacrifice, even before the child arrives.
Five-point outline
- The cycle repeats (v.1): Israel's sin and God's judgment are patterns throughout Judges, warning us about persistent disobedience.
- The barren wife (v.2): Manoah's wife is unnamed but central; God often works through overlooked or low-status people.
- The promise (v.3): The angel announces a son who will break the Philistine grip, hope in the midst of judgment.
- The Nazirite commands (v.4-5): Both mother and son are set apart, pointing to the need for holy vessels for God's work.
- The beginning of deliverance (v.5): Samson 'shall begin to save Israel', not complete it. God's deliverance is often gradual and unfolds through imperfect human agents.
Illustration hooks
- A pregnancy test: Many parents have received unexpected news of a child. How does a promised child change everything for a couple, and for a community?
- Setting boundaries before birth: Think of parents who change their diet for a baby's health. The angel's command pushes that further: spiritual purity matters even before the child is born.
- The long wait for rescue: Imagine a family living under an oppressive regime for 40 years. How does hope flicker, and how does an announcement of a future deliverer feel?
Questions your congregation is asking
- If God is our deliverer, why does He allow oppression to last 40 years?
- Why does the mother have to follow Nazirite rules for her child's sake?
- What does it mean that Samson only 'began' to save Israel? Does God's deliverance always feel incomplete?
Leading a Discussion
This passage shows God initiating rescue while His people are still in rebellion. The barrenness of Manoah's wife, the angel's announcement, and the Nazirite instructions all point to a God who works through ordinary, broken people to bring hope. Discuss how these verses speak to your own experiences of waiting or feeling hopeless.
Discussion questions
- What do we learn about the spiritual condition of Israel from verse 1? How does that compare to earlier cycles in Judges?
- Why do you think the angel appears to the woman and not to Manoah first? What does that suggest about God's view of women in this story?
- The mother is commanded to avoid wine and unclean food (v.4). What does this say about how our choices affect those around us, especially the next generation?
- Samson is consecrated as a Nazirite 'from the womb' (v.5). In what ways does God call people to dedication even before they can choose?
- Verse 5 says Samson will 'begin to save Israel.' How does this partial deliverance encourage patience and trust in God's bigger plan?
- How does this passage point forward to Jesus, who was also announced by an angel and born to a humble family?
- What 'Philistines' do we face today, forces that oppose God's people, and how can we trust God to raise up deliverance in His time?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Judges 2:11 | The children of Israel did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and served the Baals. |
| Judges 3:7 | The children of Israel did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and forgot Yahweh their God, and served the Baals and the Asheroth. |
| Judges 4:1 | The children of Israel again did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, when Ehud was dead. |
| Judges 6:1 | The children of Israel did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, so Yahweh delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. |
| Judges 10:6 | The children of Israel again did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and served the Baals, the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines. They abandoned Yahweh, and didn’t serve him. |
| I Samuel 12:9 | But they forgot Yahweh their God; and he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab; and they fought against them. |
| Jeremiah 13:23 | Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then may you also do good, who are accustomed to do evil. |
| Romans 2:6 | who “will pay back to everyone according to their works:” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke observes that the Philistines' oppression was not a complete subjection but a vexation, since commerce between the two peoples continued. He also stresses that Samson only began the deliverance; it was David who finished it. Because Samson was a Nazarite from birth, his mother had to live as a Nazarite while carrying and nursing him.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that this passage gives the first detailed history of the Philistines as Israel’s oppressors, and he ties the forty-year dominion to Samson’s lifespan. He also highlights the mother’s barrenness as a mark of providential destiny, like Isaac and Samuel, and distinguishes between temporary and lifelong Nazarite vows.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill identifies the angel who appeared to Manoah's wife as the pre-incarnate Christ, not a created angel, because his name is "Wonderful" and he is called Jehovah. He notes the pattern of barren women bearing key figures and sees Samson as a type of Christ. Samson only began to deliver Israel, but Christ alone accomplishes full salvation.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the forty-year Philistine oppression began as judgment for Israel's universal idolatry. He identifies the angel who appeared as the divine Messenger of the covenant, and stresses that the prophecy that Samson would only "begin to deliver" shows the promised rescue remained incomplete and still far off.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch treat the Nazarite vow as the defining feature of Samson's entire life and mission. They stress that his consecration was not voluntary but imposed by God from conception, and the angel's instructions to his mother made her share that consecration before his birth. His supernatural strength was tied directly to the unshorn hair as the outward sign of his divinely appointed Nazarite status.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange focuses on the deliberate omission of any mention that Israel cried to God before Samson's birth. Unlike other judges, no repentance occurred in Dan and Judah, so God worked through the objective power of the Nazarite law itself, consecrating a hero from the womb when the people's faith had failed.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry sees a deliberate pattern in Israel's repeated fall and rescue. He observes that sin made a savior necessary, and God allowed sin to increase so that his grace could overflow all the more through the deliverer he raised up.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley rejects Matthew Henry's claim that the goodness of God's promised land will intensify the punishment of those who perish. He argues that this reasoning fails under predestination: if some are not elected, they never had a genuine offer, and if all the elect are saved, the grant was never free to the others.