Judges 16:18-21 · Bible study
Judges 16:18-21 Commentary: How Delilah Knew Samson’s Truth
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
When Delilah sees Samson has told her all his heart, she summons the Philistines. He loses strength and eyes, unaware the LORD has left him.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Samson’s betrayal by Delilah leads to his capture, blinding, and enslavement, because the LORD had departed from him while he slept.
- Key words: “told all his heart” (H5046, H3820); “departed” (H5493 sūr); “gouged out” (H5365 nāqar); “grinding” (H2912 ṭāḥan).
- Main debate: How Delilah knew he told the truth, observing his countenance and mention of God (Gill), or physical testing by binding (Poole).
- Theological theme: The hidden departure of God’s presence when trust is replaced by presumption.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
18When Delilah realized that he had revealed to her all that was in his heart, she sent this message to the lords of the Philistines: “Come up once more, for he has revealed to me all that is in his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came to her, bringing the money in their hands.
19And having lulled him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his head. In this way she began to subdue him, and his strength left him.
20Then she called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” When Samson awoke from his sleep, he thought, “I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.
21Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze shackles and forced to grind grain in the prison.
WEB World English Bible 2000
18When 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 has told me all his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand.
19She made him sleep on her knees; and she called for a man and shaved off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
20She said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” He awoke out of his sleep, and said, “I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free.” But he didn’t know that Yahweh had departed from him.
21The Philistines laid hold on him and put out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with fetters of bronze; and he ground at the mill in the prison.
KJV King James Version 1769
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.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
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 told me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought the money in their hand.
19And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and shaved off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
20And she said, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free. But he knew not that Jehovah was departed from him.
21And the Philistines laid hold on him, and put out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison-house.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
18And Delilah seeth that he hath declared to her all his heart, and she sendeth and calleth for the princes of the Philistines, saying, `Come up this time, for he hath declared to me all his heart;' and the princes of the Philistines have come up unto her, and bring up the money in their hand.
19and she maketh him sleep on her knees, and calleth for a man, and shaveth the seven locks of his head, and beginneth to afflict him, and his power turneth aside from off him;
20and she saith, `Philistines are upon thee, Samson;' and he awaketh out of his sleep, and saith, `I go out as time by time, and shake myself;' and he hath not known that Jehovah hath turned aside from off him.
21And the Philistines seize him, and pick out his eyes, and bring him down to Gaza, and bind him with two brazen fetters; and he is grinding in the prison-house.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
18And Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, and she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this time, for he has told me all his heart. And the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and brought the money in their hand.
19And she made him sleep upon her knees, and called a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to overpower him, and his strength went from him.
20And she said, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson! And he awoke out of his sleep, and thought, I will go out as at other times before, and disengage myself. And he knew not that Jehovah had departed from him.
21And the Philistines seized him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gazah, and bound him with fetters of bronze; and he had to grind in the prison-house.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
18Then seeing that he had discovered to her all his mind, she sent to the princes of the Philistines, saying: Come up this once more, for now he hath opened his heart to me. And they went up, taking with them the money which they had promised.
19But she made him sleep upon her knees, and lay his head in her bosom. And she called a barber and shaved his seven locks, and began to drive him away, and thrust him from her: for immediately his strength departed from him.
20And she said: The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And awaking from sleep, he said in his mind: I will go out as I did before, and shake myself, not knowing that the Lord was departed from him.
21Then the Philistines seized upon him, and forthwith pulled out his eyes, and led him bound in chains to Gaza, and shutting him up in prison made him grind.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Judges 16:18
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
The commentators agree that Delilah’s certainty, that Samson had finally told the complete truth, rests on a combination of his serious demeanor and the content of his confession. Gill, citing Abarbinel and Kimchi, notes that Samson mentioned the name of God (“I have been a Nazirite to God”), and Delilah knew he would not take that name in vain. The Cambridge Bible adds that the Hebrew text signals a shift: Delilah “saw” (v.18) not merely his words but the change in his manner.
On the theological side, Barnes and Matthew Henry emphasize the phrase “Yahweh had departed from him” (v.20). Samson’s strength had never been magic; it was the presence of Yahweh’s Spirit, tied to his Nazirite vow. The narrative makes clear that while Samson slept, the LORD silently left, and Samson, waking, was utterly unaware. Clarke and the Cambridge Bible point out that the Philistines gouged his eyes as a fitting penalty for his history of “looking” after foreign women (Judges 14:3). The grinding at Gaza, a job for women and slaves (Exodus 11:5; Isaiah 47:2), shows how profoundly he had fallen.
Beneath all these readings lies a consistent pastoral concern: self-confidence can blind a person to the withdrawal of God’s presence.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Delilah’s intuition: Gill cites Abarbinel and Kimchi: Samson mentioned God’s name and was serious, so she knew he was truthful.
- Physical testing: Poole and the Cambridge Bible suggest that Delilah bound Samson first and realized he could not break free, confirming the loss of strength.
What is clear: The narrator states plainly that Samson’s strength depended on the presence of Yahweh, and that he lost both strength and eyes because the LORD had departed from him.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| How Delilah knew Samson had told the truth | She recognized a change in his demeanor and the content of his confession, especially the mention of God. | Some commentators emphasize intuitive perception (Gill, citing Abarbinel); others think she physically tested his binding (Poole). |
| The role of Samson’s hair in his strength | His uncut hair was the outward sign of his Nazirite vow, which symbolized his dedication to God and the presence of God’s Spirit. | Catholic and some Protestant traditions see the vow as the source of strength; others distinguish between the sign and the Spirit behind the sign. |
| God’s departure, temporary or permanent? | Samson’s strength left because Yahweh’s presence left. | Some hold that God abandoned him permanently due to sin; others see a conditional departure that could be reversed when the hair regrew (v.22). |
Historical & Cultural Context
The Philistines posed a constant threat to Israel during the period of the judges. Their five lords (or “seranim,” rulers of the five main cities) held real political and military power. In Judges 16, they offer Delilah eleven hundred pieces of silver each (v.5), a bribe that outweighed any loyalty she might have had to Samson. The phrase “brought the money in their hand” (v.18) echoes Numbers 22:7, where Balak’s messengers carry “the rewards of divination.” In both cases, payment accompanies a plot against God’s people.
Gaza was one of the Philistine strongholds, located near the Mediterranean coast. The Rabbinic comment preserved in the Talmud (Sota 9b) noted that “Samson’s degeneration began at Gaza, therefore he was punished at Gaza”, alluding to his earlier visit to a prostitute there (Judges 16:1, 3). The punishment of blinding was common in the ancient Near East for high-value captives, both to disable them and to humiliate them permanently (2 Kings 25:7; Jeremiah 39:7). Barnes observes that bronze fetters, not leather, were used to ensure Samson could not break free.
Grinding grain with a hand-mill was traditionally women’s work (Exodus 11:5; Matthew 24:41). To put a former judge and warrior behind such a task was the ultimate degradation. The Hebrew word for “grind” (ṭāḥan, H2912) appears repeatedly in the OT for the lowest form of forced labor.
This context makes the passage more than a personal tragedy. Samson’s fall reflects Israel’s larger pattern of flirting with the surrounding nations, trusting in natural strength, and forgetting that their power came from the LORD alone.
Textual Notes
The Hebrew text shows a minor variant in verse 18. The standard reading (called Qere) has “he had told” (higîd), but the written form (Kethiv) suggests a different vowel pattern; the meaning is unaffected. Also, the phrase “and brought” (v.18) may have an inserted verb in some manuscripts. The Cambridge Bible notes that a slight change in the Hebrew would clarify the syntax, but the consensus among the consulted sources is that no significant variant affects the passage’s meaning.
Reception History
In the early centuries, Christian interpreters such as Ambrose read Samson as a type of Christ betrayed for silver, but the blinding and grinding also stood for the soul enslaved by passion. During the medieval period, moral commentaries used the story to warn against the dangers of lust and careless vows. The Reformation, especially Calvin and the Puritans, stressed the theological point that God’s presence can withdraw silently when a believer persists in sin. In modern homilettics, the passage has been a staple on human frailty, the deceitfulness of the heart, and the grace that nevertheless allows Samson’s final act of faith (Hebrews 11:32).
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Delilah’s certainty. She knew he had told the truth when he mentioned the Nazirite vow and the name of God (Gill). The lesson: what we say reveals what we truly trust.
- Samson’s blindness twice over. Physical blindness (v.21) mirrors his spiritual blindness (v.20). He did not know the LORD had left him. Self‑confidence can persist even when grace has withdrawn.
- God’s silent departure. No earthquake, no voice. The Spirit simply lifted. The most sobering judgment is not punishment but absence.
Five-point outline
- The payment arrives (v.18). Sin often begins with a price tag.
- The shaving and the waking (v.19, 20a). The hair is gone, but Samson still thinks he can “shake himself free.” Ministry is not a performance we can restart on our own.
- The narrator’s commentary (v.20b). “He did not know that Yahweh had departed from him.” This is the tragic hinge of the whole account.
- The seizure and mutilation (v.21). The Philistines take what Samson gave away: his eyes, his freedom, his dignity.
- The slow grinding. The Hebrew imperfect (“he was grinding”) pictures a constant, weary routine, the daily weight of consequences.
Illustration hooks
- Trust betrayed by a partner. Someone confides their deepest vulnerability to a spouse or friend, and that confidence is sold for personal gain. Delilah is a warning about whom we trust with our secrets.
- Driving a car after the battery has been disconnected. The engine turns over but nothing catches. Samson was still going through the motions after the source of power had been removed.
- A gifted athlete who stops training. The skills remain for a while, but the edge is gone. Samson assumed past victories guaranteed future success.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How can I know if I am relying on God’s power or just going through religious motions?
- Why would God “depart” from someone without a dramatic warning?
- Is it possible to recover after a moral failure like Samson’s?
Leading a Discussion
This passage forces us to ask hard questions about self-deception. Samson had everything: calling, strength, a history of God’s deliverance. Yet he ended up blind and grinding in a Philistine prison. Before you read the text together, remind the group that this story does not end in defeat, the hair begins to grow, and God will use Samson one final time (v.22, 28, 30). But today we sit in the dark with him so we can learn to check our own spiritual pulse.
Discussion questions
- What do you think finally convinced Delilah that Samson was telling the truth (v.18)? What clues in the story support your answer?
- Read verse 20 carefully. Why did Samson think he could “go out as at other times” and shake himself free? What assumptions was he making?
- The narrator says Samson “did not know that Yahweh had departed from him.” What might that feel like in a person’s life today?
- The Philistines gouged out Samson’s eyes. How is this punishment connected to his earlier choices (Judges 14:3, 16:1)?
- Grinding was work for women and slaves (Exodus 11:5). How does the detail of the prison mill deepen the meaning of Samson’s fall?
- Have you ever kept doing something “as at other times” even though you sensed God was no longer in it? What did you learn from that experience?
- In what ways can this passage warn us about coddling sin while still depending on past spiritual victories?
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 22:7 | The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand. They came to Balaam, and spoke to him the words of Balak. |
| Judges 16:5 | The lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and see in which his great strength lies, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.” |
| I Kings 21:20 | Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do that which is evil in Yahweh’s sight. |
| Psalms 62:9 | Surely men of low degree are just a breath, and men of high degree are a lie. In the balances they will go up. They are together lighter than a breath. |
| Proverbs 18:8 | The words of a gossip are like dainty morsels: they go down into a person’s innermost parts. |
| Jeremiah 9:4 | “Everyone beware of his neighbor, and don’t trust in any brother; for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will go around like a slanderer. |
| Jeremiah 9:6 | Your habitation is in the middle of deceit. Through deceit, they refuse to know me,” says Yahweh. |
| Matthew 26:15 | and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him to you?” So they weighed out for him thirty pieces of silver. |
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
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What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke observes that Delilah likely tied Samson's hands while he slept, cut his hair, then insulted him to test his weakness before calling the Philistines. He sees the loss of Samson's eyes as a fitting punishment for his lustful gazing after foreign women. The grinding work in prison, usually done by women and slaves, completes his humiliation.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes stresses that Samson's strength came from the Spirit of the Lord, so when the Spirit left him his strength vanished entirely. The Philistines' brutal treatment—gouging his eyes, binding him with bronze fetters, forcing him to grind like a slave—underscores the lesson against self‑reliance and the critical importance of depending on God's Spirit.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge commentary focuses on textual details: the Hebrew reading for "he told me" is preferred over the written text, and the verb "brought" is likely an insertion. It notes a rabbinic comment that Samson's degeneration began at Gaza, so he was punished there, and that grinding corn was women's work, highlighting his humiliation.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill draws on Jewish tradition to highlight that Samson's eyes were put out as a deliberate judgment: he had followed his eyes after harlots, so he lost his sight. He also notes a textual variant where the written text says Delilah's messengers reported "he hath showed her," while the marginal reading has her saying "he hath showed me."
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes uncertainty about whether ancient Hebrews cut hair the way modern Orientals do, and suggests the tool may have been scissors. He emphasizes the painful spectacle of Samson, deprived of divine help and degraded in character, yet barely aware of his fallen state. The Philistines' brutal punishment, including blinding and brass fetters, and the shame of grinding in prison, complete the picture.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange stresses that the narrator deliberately substitutes "Jehovah" for "strength" to reveal that what left Samson was not his physical power but God
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry focuses on the disgrace of Samson's fall: the strongest man of his age was bought and sold for money like a sheep for slaughter. The lesson he draws is that human glory is fragile, and no one should boast of strength or trust a friend who can be bought.
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.