Judges 16:1-3 · Bible study
Judges 16:1-3 Commentary: The Gates of Gaza
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Study Judges 16:1-3: Samson’s visit to a prostitute, the Philistine ambush, and his escape carrying city gates.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Samson's morally compromised visit to Gaza leads to a stunning display of strength as he uproots and carries away the city gate, humiliating the Philistines.
- Key words: “prostitute” (zonah), “gate” (shaʿar), “bar” (beriach), “pulled up” (nāsaʿ, suggesting removal of tent pegs), “carried up” (ʿālāh).
- Main debate: Does this episode demonstrate God's sovereignty over Samson's sin, or is it a warning against moral compromise? Both views appear in the commentaries.
- Theological theme: Divine power can work through human weakness and even sin, yet the narrative never endorses the sin itself.
- Best use: Preaching on God's patience and power; teaching on the complexity of biblical heroes; small-group discussion on moral discernment.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
1One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to spend the night with her.
2When the Gazites heard that Samson was there, they surrounded that place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They were quiet throughout the night, saying, “Let us wait until dawn; then we will kill him.”
3But Samson lay there only until midnight, when he got up, took hold of the doors of the city gate and both gateposts, and pulled them out, bar and all. Then he put them on his shoulders and took them to the top of the mountain overlooking Hebron.
WEB World English Bible 2000
1Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a prostitute, and went in to her.
2The Gazites were told, “Samson is here!” They surrounded him and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, “Wait until morning light; then we will kill him.”
3Samson lay until midnight, then arose at midnight and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city, with the two posts, and plucked them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron.
KJV King James Version 1769
1Then 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.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
1And Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a 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, Let be till morning light, then we will kill him.
3And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and laid hold of the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and plucked them up, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
1And Samson goeth to Gaza, and seeth there a woman, a harlot, and goeth in unto her;
2it is told to the Gazathites, saying, `Samson hath come in hither;' and they go round and lay wait for him all the night at the gate of the city, and keep themselves silent all the night, saying, `Till the light of the morning--then we have slain him.'
3And Samson lieth down till the middle of the night, and riseth in the middle of the night, and layeth hold on the doors of the gate of the city, and on the two side posts, and removeth them with the bar, and putteth on his shoulders, and taketh them up unto the top of the hill, which is on the front of Hebron.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
1And Samson went to Gazah, and saw there a harlot, and went in to her.
2[And it was told] the Gazathites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they surrounded [him], and laid wait for him all night at the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning light we will kill him.
3And Samson lay till midnight; and he arose at midnight, and seized the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and tore them up with the bar, and put [them] upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
1He went also into Gaza, and saw there a woman, a harlot, and went in unto her.
2And when the Philistines had heard this, and it was noised about among them, that Samson was come into the city, they surrounded him, setting guards at the gate of the city, and watching there all the night in silence, that in the morning they might kill him as he went out.
3But Samson slept till midnight, and then rising, he took both the doors of the gate, with the posts thereof and the bolt, and laying them on his shoulders, carried them up to the top of the hill, which looketh towards Hebron.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Judges 16:1
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree on the basic sequence: Samson enters Gaza, sleeps with a prostitute, the Philistines lay an ambush, and Samson escapes by tearing out the city gate. Matthew Henry calls the visit to the prostitute a "profanation of his honour as an Israelite, as a Nazarite," condemning the sin outright. But others see a more complex portrait. Keil and Delitzsch note that Samson went "in the full consciousness of his superiority in strength," suggesting recklessness as much as moral failure. The Cambridge Bible observes that Gaza was a major Philistine stronghold, making Samson's presence a bold act. The consensus is that the episode displays both Samson's moral weakness and his extraordinary physical strength, while the narrator offers no explicit divine commentary, leaving readers to wrestle with how God uses a flawed servant.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Moral warning: Samson's sin leads to danger; the escape is by grace. The episode warns against compromising God's gifts through sexual immorality (cf. Proverbs).
- Sovereign empowerment: God does not abandon Samson despite his sin, and the gate removal serves as a sign of divine strength. The parallel with the Spirit coming upon Samson in earlier chapters (14:6, 14:19) is noticeable by its absence, yet the feat still happens.
- Symbolic humiliation of Philistines: By carrying the gate to a hill before Hebron, Samson taunts both Gaza and the lords of the Philistines, showing their fortified city is vulnerable. This fits the pattern of Samson's judgeship as a personal war against the Philistines.
What is clear: Samson went to Gaza, slept with a prostitute, was trapped by the Philistines, and escaped by tearing out the city gate and carrying it to a hill near Hebron.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Moral evaluation of Samson's actions | Samson's visit to a prostitute is a sinful act that violates his Nazirite calling. | Some commentators treat this as a stark warning; others focus on God's ability to use imperfect people without endorsing their sin. |
| The gate miracle as divine empowerment | The strength to uproot the gate and carry it forty miles went beyond normal human ability. | Is this portrayed as a direct divine gift, or as Samson's natural strength magnified by his confidence? The text does not explicitly say 'the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him' here, unlike earlier episodes. |
| God's purposes in the episode | The outcome humiliates the Philistines and shows their gods cannot protect their strongest city. | Whether Samson's action was part of God's plan for Israel's deliverance or merely an individual act of bravado. The narrator offers no 'and it was of the Lord' comment. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Gaza (ʿAzzah) was the southernmost of the five Philistine city-states, a fortified trading hub where caravan routes from Egypt and Arabia converged (Barnes, Cambridge). Its gates were complex structures with heavy wooden leaves, iron fittings, and a large crossbar (beriach) that slid into sockets in the doorposts. To "pluck them up, bar and all" was a feat of extraordinary strength; the Hebrew verb nāsaʿ (H5265) normally described pulling up tent pegs when breaking camp (Isa 33:20), suggesting Samson removed the entire gate assembly as easily as a traveler lifts a tent peg. The distance to Hebron is approximately forty miles; the "mountain that is before Hebron" is likely el-Montar, a prominent hill southeast of Gaza (Keil and Delitzsch). Whether Samson carried the gates all the way to Hebron proper or only to a hill on the road to Hebron, the act was a dramatic public statement: the Philistines' fortified security was no match for Samson's God-given strength. The cultural context of a prostitute (zonah) indicates a semi-private encounter; public inns were rare, and such a house may have been near the city wall, explaining how the Philistines discovered Samson's presence and set their trap.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note a likely textual issue in verse 2. The Hebrew reads "וַיֻּגּד לַעַזָּתִים" (and it was told to the Gazites), but the opening verb "it was told" (vayyuggad) is missing from the standard Masoretic text; most translations supply it from the Septuagint and Targum. A few manuscripts read "and they said" (vayyomru) instead. No significant theological variant affects the narrative. The verb "and he went away with them" (וַיִּסָּעֵם) is rendered "plucked them up" in the WEB; the root nāsaʿ is used elsewhere for pulling up tent pegs and for journeying, confirming the image of uprooting.
Reception History
This episode has challenged readers across the centuries. Early Jewish interpreters in the Midrash saw Samson's visit to Gaza as a sign of his growing moral laxity, contrasting with his earlier Spirit-empowered victories. The Church Fathers, including Augustine, used Samson as a type of Christ in his strength and betrayal, but this particular story was often allegorized: Gaza represented the world, and Samson's removal of the gate symbolized Christ's victory over death. Medieval typologists saw the gate as the gates of hell. Reformation commentators like Matthew Henry took a more literal, moralizing stance, condemning Samson's sin while marveling at God's patience. Modern evangelical readers often treat the passage as a sobering reminder that spiritual gifts and moral character can diverge.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Sin creates vulnerability. Samson's visit to Gaza was both reckless and morally compromising. His spiritual blindness matched the physical blindness that would later come, reminding us that moral failure often precedes downfall.
- God's strength remains untamed. Even within Samson's moral lapse, God empowered him for deliverance. The gate of Gaza, symbol of Philistine control, was uprooted and displayed as a trophy, showing that God's power is not dependent on human perfection.
- Divine sovereignty overrules human failure. The narrator does not say "Samson went to Gaza because the Lord led him," yet the outcome still serves God's purposes for Israel. This comforts those who have fallen but still find God working through them.
Five-point outline
- Samson's choice of company (the prostitute) reveals his pattern of seeking Philistine women (cf. ch. 14). This pattern of compromise continues throughout his story.
- The Philistines' strategy, waiting at the gate, assumes Samson will leave by the expected route. They underestimate his resourcefulness and God's intervention.
- Samson's timing: he arises at midnight, not dawn. He is alert while his enemies sleep carelessly, suggesting divine prompting or personal vigilance.
- The gate removal is a symbolic victory: he carries the very symbol of their security to a high place, a taunt that echoes the fall of Jericho's walls in reverse.
- The unanswered question: why does Samson go to Gaza at all? The narrative leaves room for the reader to ponder God's hidden guidance, even when humans act wrongly.
Illustration hooks
- A soldier on leave who walks into an enemy bar because he is overconfident, and then has to fight his way out.
- A student who knows a certain street is dangerous but goes there anyway because they think they are invincible. The consequences catch up.
- An athlete who breaks training rules but still wins the game, leaving everyone confused about how to view the victory.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Did Samson repent of his sin? The passage does not say he did; does that matter?
- If God used Samson despite his sin, does that mean God approves of his actions?
- How can I avoid the kind of overconfidence that led Samson into danger?
Leading a Discussion
This passage challenges us. It shows God's chosen judge in a morally dark moment, yet still wielding extraordinary power. As you study, resist the urge to excuse Samson or to write him off. Instead, ask what this story reveals about human nature and divine faithfulness.
Discussion questions
- What do we know about Gaza and the Philistines from earlier chapters? Why is it significant that Samson goes there?
- The Hebrew word for "prostitute" (zonah) can also refer to a cultic prostitute. Does it matter which kind she was? Why or why not?
- Describe the trap the Gazites set. Why did they wait until morning? What does their plan say about their expectations?
- Samson leaves at midnight. What might have prompted him to leave at that hour? Was it divine warning, conscience, or mere impulse?
- The verb nāsaʿ means "to pull up tent pegs." What does this word choice tell us about how the author views Samson's strength?
- Samson carries the gates forty miles to the hill near Hebron. What message did this send to the Philistines? To Israel?
- The narrator does not comment on whether Samson's actions were right or wrong. Why might the author leave that judgment to the reader?
- In what ways do we see God's sovereignty at work in this story, despite Samson's sin?
- How can this passage speak to someone who has failed morally but still wants to serve God?
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)
| Genesis 10:19 | The border of the Canaanites was from Sidon—as you go toward Gerar—to Gaza—as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim—to Lasha. |
| Genesis 38:16 | He turned to her by the way, and said, “Please come, let me come in to you,” for he didn’t know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?” |
| Genesis 38:18 | He said, “What pledge will I give you?” She said, “Your signet and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” He gave them to her, and came in to her, and she conceived by him. |
| Joshua 15:47 | Ashdod, its towns and its villages; Gaza, its towns and its villages; to the brook of Egypt, and the great sea with its coastline. |
| Ezra 9:1 | Now when these things were done, the princes came near to me, saying, “The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, following their abominations, even those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. |
| Ezra 9:2 | For they have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy offspring have mixed themselves with the peoples of the lands. Yes, the hand of the princes and rulers has been chief in this trespass.” |
| Judges 15:18 | He was very thirsty, and called on Yahweh and said, “You have given this great deliverance by the hand of your servant; and now shall I die of thirst, and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” |
| I Samuel 19:11 | Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and to kill him in the morning. Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you don’t save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” |
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
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that the Hebrew word for the woman Samson visited could mean either a harlot or an innkeeper, and he suggests Gaza's name comes from a root meaning "strong." He also infers the city gates were not enormous, since Samson, though very strong, was not a giant and could carry them.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes identifies Gaza as a major Philistine stronghold and explains that Samson did not simply force the doors open but tore the gateposts up by the roots with the barred doors still attached. He notes that the Hebrew word for went away with them means to pluck up tent-pins, indicating a complete removal. Barnes also expresses doubt about which hill near Hebron is actually the one called Samssons Mount.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentary focuses on Gaza as a distant Philistine city far from Samson's usual territory, and on a textual puzzle: the repeated phrase "all the night" suggests the Philistines waited at the gate after dark when it would already be shut. Samson's feat involved pulling up the entire gate framework—doors, posts, and bar—and carrying it to a hill, possibly facing Hebron or another location.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill reads Samson's escape from Gaza as a type of Christ's resurrection. He sees the gates carried away as an emblem of Christ breaking through the bars of death and the sealed tomb, ascending in triumph. For Gill, Samson's physical feat prefigures the greater victory of Christ over the grave.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB emphasizes the geographical and physical reality behind Samson’s feat. The hill “before Hebron” actually refers to the mountains of Hebron, a significant distance from Gaza. Carrying the massive city gates up that hill through thick sand was a superhuman accomplishment possible only for Samson.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch draws a sharp contrast: Samson could overpower a lion and break enemy fetters, yet he could not master his own lust. They note that unlike his earlier victories, this visit to Gaza at a prostitute's house is not said to be of the Lord, marking a turning point where his strength serves self-will rather than God's purpose.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that Samson did not visit Gaza to sin with a harlot; as an enemy needing shelter, he had no choice but to lodge with a woman whose house was open to strangers. The Philistines' plan to trap him is comic: they talk of patrolling, but stay quiet all night, too afraid to act. Their inaction sets up his victorious removal of the city gate.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights the shame of Samson's sin: his earlier marriage to a Philistine was partly excusable, but seeking a harlot profaned his honor as an Israelite and Nazarite. He notes how the lust began in Samson's eye, and that he may have had no legitimate business in Gaza at all.
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.