Judges 16:17 · Bible study
Judges 16:17 Commentary: Samson’s Secret
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why did Samson's strength depend on his hair? This study explores the Nazirite vow as the outward sign of God's enabling presence.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Samson reveals that his supernatural strength depends on keeping the Nazirite vow, with uncut hair as its visible condition.
- Key words: Nāzîr (H5139), consecrated one; gallach (H1548), shave, in passive form indicating the act breaks the vow; kōaḥ (H3581), strength, not physical but divine.
- Main debate: Whether the hair itself held magical power or served purely as a covenantal sign. Most commentators support the latter, citing God’s departure in v.20.
- Theological theme: Consecration to God and the tragic consequences of breaking covenant, followed by the possibility of restoration.
- Best use: A cautionary narrative about the danger of revealing sacred commitments to those who do not honor them.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Samson told her all that was in his heart: “My hair has never been cut, because I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, my strength will leave me, and I will become as weak as any other man.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
He told her all his heart and said to her, “No razor has ever come on my head; for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will go from me and I will become weak, and be like any other man.”
KJV King James Version 1769
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 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.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon my head; for I have been a Nazirite 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.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
that he declareth to her all his heart, and saith to her, `A razor hath not gone up on my head, for a Nazarite to God I am from the womb of my mother; if I have been shaven, then hath my power turned aside from me, and I have been weak, and have been as any of the human race.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
and he told her all his heart, and said to her, There has not come a razor upon my head; for I am a Nazarite of God from my mother's womb; if I should be shaven, then my strength would go from me, and I should be weak, and be like all mankind.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Then opening the truth of the thing, he said to her: The razor hath never come upon my head, for I am a Nazarite, that is to say, consecrated to God from my mother's womb: If my head be shaven, my strength shall depart from me, and I shall become weak, and shall be like other men.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Descubrióle pues todo su corazón, y díjole: Nunca á mi cabeza llegó navaja; porque soy Nazareo de Dios desde el vientre de mi madre. Si fuere rapado, mi fuerza se apartará de mí, y seré debilitado, y como todos los hombres.
Revelou-lhe, pois, todo seu coração, e disse-lhe: Nunca a minha cabeça chegou navalha; porque sou nazireu de Deus desde o ventre de minha mãe. Se for rapado, minha força se apartará de mim, e serei debilitado, e como todos os homens.
il lui ouvrit tout son cœur, et lui dit: Le rasoir n’ a point passé sur ma tête, parce que je suis consacré à Dieu dès le ventre de ma mère. Si j’ étais rasé, ma force m’ abandonnerait, je deviendrais faible, et je serais comme tout autre homme.
und er sagte ihr sein ganzes Herz und sprach zu ihr: Es ist nie ein Schermesser auf mein Haupt gekommen; denn ich bin ein Geweihter Gottes von Mutterleibe an. Wenn man mich schöre, so wiche meine Kraft von mir, daß ich schwach würde und wie alle anderen Menschen.
Zo verklaarde hij haar zijn ganse hart, en zeide tot haar: Er is nooit een scheermes op mijn hoofd gekomen, want ik ben een Nazireer Gods van mijn moeders buik af; indien ik geschoren wierd, zo zou mijn kracht van mij wijken, en ik zou zwak worden, en wezen als alle de mensen.
e le aperse tutto il cuor suo e le disse: “Non è mai passato rasoio sulla mia testa, perché sono un nazireo, consacrato a Dio, dal seno di mia madre; se fossi tosato, la mia forza se ne andrebbe, diventerei debole, e sarei come un uomo qualunque”.
Tedy jej otworzył cale serce swoje, i powiedział jej: Brzytwa nigdy nie postała na głowie mojej, gdyżem jest Nazarejczykiem Bożym zaraz z żywota matki mojej; gdyby mię ogolono, odejdzie ode mnie moc moja, i osłabieję, i będę jako inny człowiek.
И он открыл ей все сердце свое, и сказал ей: бритва не касалась головы моей, ибо я назорей Божий от чрева матери моей; если же остричь меня, то отступит от меня сила моя; я сделаюсь слаб и буду, как прочие люди.
參孫就把 心 中所藏的都 告訴 了她，對她 說：「向來人沒有 用剃頭刀 剃 我的頭，因為 我 自出母 胎就歸 神 作拿細耳人；若 剃了我的頭髮，我的力氣 就離開 我，我便 軟弱 像 別人一樣。」
And opening all his heart to her, he said to her, My head has never been touched by a blade, for I have been separate to God from the day of my birth: if my hair is cut off, then my strength will go from me and I will become feeble, and will be like any other man.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Judges 16:17
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 that Samson’s strength did not reside in his hair itself but in his consecrated relationship with God. Adam Clarke states plainly that “the miraculous strength of Samson must not be supposed to reside either in his hair or in his muscles, but in that relation in which he stood to God as a Nazarite.” Jamieson-Fausset-Brown echo this: his “herculean powers did not arise from his hair, but from his peculiar relation to God.” The unshorn locks were the outward sign and the promised condition for retaining supernatural strength. Gill adds that “though that strength did not arise from his hair, yet the keeping on of that was the condition of his retaining it.” Cutting the hair did not automatically remove strength; it broke the Nazirite vow, and in consequence Yahweh departed from him. The Cambridge Bible notes that “all his heart” means everything he knew about his supernatural secret, extending even to the vow’s condition. The verse is therefore not about magic hair but about the visible covenant between Samson and God.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Both the narrative and the commentators agree that Samson’s strength came from God as a consequence of his Nazirite consecration, and that cutting his hair broke that consecration, leading to God’s departure.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Source of Samson's strength | Samson's strength was a gift from God, not inherent in his hair or muscles. | The exact mechanism: some traditions emphasize the hair as a physical condition for power (with parallels to ancient Near Eastern beliefs), while others stress that the hair was purely a covenantal sign and that power came directly from God, with no magical mediation. |
| Samson's Nazirite status | Samson was a lifelong Nazirite from birth, dedicated by God (Judges 13:5). | How strictly he observed other Nazirite rules (wine, corpses) before this point is debated; some argue he violated them multiple times, calling into question why only the hair mattered. |
| The meaning of 'all his heart' | The phrase indicates complete disclosure of his secret. | Some commentators interpret it as revealing his whole inner self, including his love for Delilah, while others limit it to the secret of his strength. |
| God's departure from Samson | After the shaving, Yahweh departed from him (v.20), causing his loss of strength. | Whether this is a permanent or reversible departure, and what role Samson's repentance played later, is viewed differently across traditions. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The Nazirite vow is set out in Numbers 6. A person could take this vow voluntarily for a period, separating themselves to God by abstaining from wine and strong drink, avoiding contact with corpses, and letting no razor touch their head (Numbers 6:5). Samson, however, was a lifelong Nazirite from birth. The angel who announced his birth told his mother, “No razor shall come on his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb” (Judges 13:5). Unlike the temporary Nazirite, Samson never took the vow upon himself; he was dedicated by divine decree before conception.
Yet Samson’s life shows inconsistencies. He attended Philistine feasts (Judges 14:10), touched the carcass of a lion (Judges 14:8-9), and pursued relationships with Philistine women. These acts violated the Nazirite code regarding dead bodies and possibly wine. Only the prohibition against cutting his hair seems to have been strictly kept from childhood. This suggests that the condition for his supernatural strength was not the entire Nazirite package but specifically the unshorn hair, the visible mark of his lifelong consecration. In the ancient Near East, hair often symbolized life force, vitality, or dedication to a deity. The Philistines, who despised this custom, understood its religious significance: shaving him would not only weaken him physically but dishonor his God.
Delilah’s question (“wherein thy great strength lieth”) after three deceptive answers shows her persistence and Samson’s growing vulnerability. The verse records the moment he finally disclosed the truth, not once but completely, out of weariness and misapplied trust. The tragic irony is that he told the secret of the very condition that kept God’s presence with him.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Judges 16:17. The verse is stable across the major Hebrew manuscripts and versions. The ketiv and qere readings in the following verse (v.18) are debated by some scholars, but for verse 17 itself the text is clear.
Reception History
This verse has often been read as a moral warning against revealing sacred trust to the unworthy. Early Christian interpreters, such as Ambrose and Augustine, saw in Samson a type of Christ betrayed by a kiss (though here by a woman) and later restored to defeat his enemies. The medieval church used the story to illustrate the dangers of lust and indiscreet speech. Reformation commentators like Matthew Henry focused on the foolishness of giving in to persistent pressure, urging believers to guard their hearts. In modern homiletics, the passage is frequently used to speak about the quiet erosion of spiritual disciplines and the slow departure of God’s presence before a final fall.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The secret of his strength. Samson reveals that his power is tied to his Nazirite vow, signified by uncut hair. The secret is not a physical formula but a relational condition: consecration to God. God’s presence, not the hair, is the source.
- The tragedy of misplaced trust. Despite Delilah’s proven treachery three times, Samson tells her everything. His “soul was troubled to death” (v.16), but he spoke anyway. Pride, loneliness, or foolishness led him to share what should never have been shared.
- When God departs. After the shaving, Samson “didn’t know that Yahweh had departed from him” (v.20). The outward loss was immediate (blindness, chains), but the inner loss was far worse. A life of consecration can be undone by a single, decisive compromise.
Five-point outline
- Introduction: The buildup of four attempts to discover the source of Samson’s strength.
- The final confession: “He told her all his heart.” Explanation of the Nazirite vow and its significance.
- Why hair? The outward sign as the condition of God’s enabling presence. Not magic, but covenant.
- The consequences of compromise: shaving leads to God’s departure and physical collapse.
- Hope beyond the failure: God later uses Samson’s final act (v.28-30) to show mercy and purpose even after broken vows.
Illustration hooks
- A person who repeatedly warns you not to share a password finally wears you down, and you regret it.
- A championship athlete who breaks training rules and loses their edge, the talent is still there, but the discipline is gone.
- A Christian who stops praying yet still expects spiritual power, not realizing that the connection has been quietly severed.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How could Samson be so foolish as to tell Delilah after she betrayed him three times?
- Was Samson’s strength really in his hair, or was it something else?
- If God knew Samson would fail, why did He choose him as a deliverer in the first place?
Leading a Discussion
This passage raises hard questions about human weakness, divine calling, and the outward signs of our faith. Samson had a God-given purpose and a visible mark of consecration, yet he threw it away through repeated compromise. As you read the story, resist the urge to judge Samson too quickly. See yourself in his tired, lonely moment, and ask where your own vulnerability lies.
Discussion questions
- Observation: What exactly does Samson reveal to Delilah in verse 17? List the elements of his explanation.
- Observation: Read Numbers 6:1-5 and Judges 13:5. How does Samson’s lifelong Nazirite status differ from a temporary Nazirite vow?
- Interpretation: Several commentators say Samson’s strength came from his relationship with God, not from his hair. Why would God make the hair the condition for his power?
- Interpretation: Note the phrase “he told her all his heart.” In the Old Testament, the heart includes mind and will (Cambridge Bible). Why does Samson finally give in after three refusals?
- Application: Are there outward practices or disciplines in your life that serve as conditions for staying close to God? How do you keep from treating them as magic?
- Application: Is there a relationship or situation where you have been pressured to compromise a commitment? What boundaries could protect you?
- Big picture: Even after Samson’s failure, God still uses him in chapter 16. What does that tell you about God’s grace and purpose?
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)
| Numbers 6:2 | “Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: ‘When either man or woman shall make a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to Yahweh, |
| Numbers 6:5 | “‘All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall come on his head, until the days are fulfilled in which he separates himself to Yahweh. He shall be holy. He shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long. |
| Judges 13:5 | for, 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.” |
| Proverbs 12:23 | A prudent man keeps his knowledge, but the hearts of fools proclaim foolishness. |
| Proverbs 29:12 | If a ruler listens to lies, all of his officials are wicked. |
| Micah 7:5 | Don’t trust in a neighbor. Don’t put confidence in a friend. With the woman lying in your embrace, be careful of the words of your mouth! |
| Acts 18:18 | Paul, having stayed after this many more days, took his leave of the brothers, and sailed from there for Syria, together with Priscilla and Aquila. He shaved his head in Cenchreae, for he had a vow. |
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 explains that Samson's strength did not reside in his hair or muscles, but in his special relationship with God as a Nazarite. The long hair was the outward sign of his consecration. By letting it be shorn, he broke his vow, and God withdrew from him, leaving him powerless.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator clarifies that in this passage "all his heart" means Samson told Delilah everything he knew about his divine secret. The writer stresses that in the Old Testament, the heart is the seat of mind and will, not just emotions, so this was a full disclosure of his supernatural knowledge.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Note highlights that Samson fully disclosed the secret of his strength to Delilah, something he had never done before. His Nazarite vow, marked by the uncut hair, was the condition of his supernatural power from God, and breaking that vow would reduce him to ordinary weakness.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill clarifies that Samson's strength did not come from his hair itself; rather, keeping his hair unshaven was the condition for retaining that strength. He also notes that Samson's final confession to Delilah reveals more than he ever admitted before, namely that his strength would leave him if shaved.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me —His herculean powers did not arise from his hair, but from his peculiar relation to God as a Nazarite. His unshorn locks were a sign of his Nazaritism, and a pledge on the part of God that his supernatural strength would be continued.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange stresses that Samson's strength did not reside in the hair itself but in his consecration as a Nazirite, for which the hair served only as an outward sign. Samson's fall was a moral collapse: by voluntarily surrendering that symbol of dedication, he broke his covenant with God, and the strength departed as a result of that rupture.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights Samson's reckless folly: he had already been betrayed three times, yet he kept returning to Delilah and finally told her the truth. The tragic irony is that the man who could break any physical bond could not break free from his own sinful attachment.
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.