Judges 16:4-15 · Bible study
Judges 16:4-15 Commentary: Samson and Delilah
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Samson's love for Delilah exposes his spiritual blindness. Three deceptions reveal his pattern of relationships and his ultimate fall in Judges 16:4-15.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Samson's love for Delilah exposes his spiritual blindness and the pattern of his relationships with Philistine women, each move dragging him closer to ruin.
- Key words: “love” (ʾāhab, same verb used for his first wife), “entice” (pattā, to seduce/deceive), “green withs” (yetharim laḥim, moist sinews or bowstrings), “new ropes” (ʿavotim ḥadashim, twisted cords never used).
- Main debate: Whether Delilah was Samson's wife or a prostitute (some commentators see her as a concubine; others as a mercenary harlot). The text does not use “wife” but simply “woman.”
- Theological theme: The danger of trivializing God's gifts. Samson treated his supernatural strength as something to be managed rather than stewarded, revealing a heart disconnected from the Giver.
- Best use: A cautionary text on how persistent temptation can wear down even the strongest, and how playing with sacred boundaries leads to loss.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
4Some time later, Samson fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5The lords of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice him and find out the source of his great strength and how we can overpower him to tie him up and subdue him. Then each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.”
6So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me the source of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.”
7Samson told her, “If they tie me up with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I will become as weak as any other man.”
8So the lords of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him up with them.
9While the men were hidden in her room, she called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But he snapped the bowstrings like a strand of yarn seared by a flame. So the source of his strength remained unknown.
10Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me and lied to me! Now please tell me how you can be tied up.”
11He replied, “If they tie me up with new ropes that have never been used, I will become as weak as any other man.”
12So Delilah took new ropes, tied him up with them, and called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But while the men were hidden in her room, he snapped the ropes off his arms like they were threads.
13Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me and lied to me all along! Tell me how you can be tied up.” He told her, “If you weave the seven braids of my head into the web of a loom and tighten it with a pin, I will become as weak as any other man.”
14So while he slept, Delilah took the seven braids of his hair and wove them into the web. Then she tightened it with a pin and called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin with the loom and the web.
15“How can you say, ‘I love you,’” she asked, “when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and failed to reveal to me the source of your great strength!”
WEB World English Bible 2000
4It came to pass afterward that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5The 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.”
6Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and what you might be bound to afflict you.”
7Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven green cords that were never dried, then shall I become weak, and be as another man.”
8Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green cords which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
9Now she had an ambush waiting in the inner room. She said to him, “The Philistines are on you, Samson!” He broke the cords as a flax thread is broken when it touches the fire. So his strength was not known.
10Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have mocked me, and told me lies. Now please tell me how you might be bound.”
11He said to her, “If they only bind me with new ropes with which no work has been done, then I will become weak, and be as another man.”
12So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them, then said to him, “The Philistines are on you, Samson!” The ambush was waiting in the inner room. He broke them off his arms like a thread.
13Delilah said to Samson, “Until now, you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me with what you might be bound.” He said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head with the fabric on the loom.”
14She fastened it with the pin, and said to him, “The Philistines are on you, Samson!” He awakened out of his sleep, and plucked away the pin of the beam and the fabric.
15She said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great strength lies.”
KJV King James Version 1769
4And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
6And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.
7And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
8Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
9Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.
10And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.
11And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
12Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms like a thread.
13And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.
14And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.
15And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
4And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
6And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.
7And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withes that were never dried, then shall I become weak, and be as another man.
8Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withes which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
9Now she had liers-in-wait abiding in the inner chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withes, as a string of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.
10And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.
11And he said unto her, If they only bind me with new ropes wherewith no work hath been done, then shall I become weak, and be as another man.
12So Delilah took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And the liers-in-wait were abiding in the inner chamber. And he brake them off his arms like a thread.
13And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.
14And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and plucked away the pin of the beam, and the web.
15And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thy heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
4And it cometh to pass afterwards that he loveth a woman in the valley of Sorek, and her name is Delilah,
5and the princes of the Philistines come up unto her, and say to her, `Entice him, and see wherein his great power is , and wherein we are able for him--and we have bound him to afflict him, and we--we give to thee, each one, eleven hundred silverlings.'
6And Delilah saith unto Samson, `Declare, I pray thee, to me, wherein thy great power is , and wherewith thou art bound, to afflict thee.'
7And Samson saith unto her, `If they bind me with seven green withs which have not been dried, then I have been weak, and have been as one of the human race.'
8And the princes of the Philistines bring up to her seven green withs which have not been dried, and she bindeth him with them.
9And the ambush is abiding with her in an inner chamber, and she saith unto him, `Philistines are upon thee, Samson;' and he breaketh the withs as a thread of tow is broken in its smelling fire, and his power hath not been known.
10And Delilah saith unto Samson, `Lo, thou hast played upon me, and speakest unto me lies; now, declare, I pray thee, to me, wherewith thou art bound.'
11And he saith unto her, `If they certainly bind me with thick bands, new ones, by which work hath not been done, then I have been weak, and have been as one of the human race.'
12And Delilah taketh thick bands, new ones, and bindeth him with them, and saith unto him, `Philistines are upon thee, Samson;' and the ambush is abiding in an inner chamber, and he breaketh them from off his arms as a thread.
13And Delilah saith unto Samson, `Hitherto thou hast played upon me, and dost speak unto me lies; declare to me wherewith thou art bound.' And he saith unto her, `If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.'
14And she fixeth it with the pin, and saith unto him, `Philistines are upon thee, Samson;' and he awaketh out of his sleep, and journeyeth with the pin of the weaving machine, and with the web.
15And she saith unto him, `How dost thou say, I have loved thee, and thy heart is not with me? these three times thou hast played upon me, and hast not declared to me wherein thy great power is .'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
4And it came to pass afterwards that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5And the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, Persuade him, and see in what his great strength is, and with what we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to overpower him; and we will each give thee eleven hundred silver-pieces.
6Then Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, in what is thy great strength, and with what thou mightest be bound to overpower thee.
7And Samson said to her, If they should bind me with seven fresh cords which have not been dried, then should I be weak, and be as another man.
8Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh cords which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
9Now she had liers in wait abiding in the chamber; and she said to him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson! And he broke the cords, as a thread of tow is broken when it touches the fire; and his strength was not known.
10And Delilah said to Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me and told me lies. Now tell me, I pray thee, with what thou mightest be bound.
11And he said to her, If they should bind me fast with new ropes, with which no work has been done, then should I be weak, and be as another man.
12And Delilah took new ropes, and bound him with them, and said to him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson! Now there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he broke them from off his arms like a thread.
13And Delilah said to Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me and told me lies. Tell me with what thou mightest be bound. And he said to her, If thou shouldest weave the seven locks of my head with the web.
14And she fastened it with the pin, and said to him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson! And he awoke out of his sleep, and tore out the pin of the beam, and the web.
15Then she said to him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thy heart is not with me? these three times hast thou mocked me, and hast not told me in what is thy great strength.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
4After this he loved a woman, who dwelt in the valley of Sorec, and she was called Dalila.
5And the princes of the Philistines came to her, and said: Deceive him, and learn of him wherein his great strength lieth, and how we may be able to overcome him, to bind and afflict him: which if thou shalt do, we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
6And Dalila said to Samson: Tell me, I beseech thee, wherein thy greatest strength lieth, and what it is, wherewith if thou wert bound, thou couldst not break loose.
7And Samson answered her: If I shall be bound with seven cords, made of sinews not yet dry, but still moist, I shall be weak like other men.
8And the princes of the Philistines brought unto her seven cords, such as he spoke of, with which she bound him;
9Men lying privately in wait with her, and in the chamber, expecting the event of the thing, and she cried out to him: The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he broke the bands, as a man would break a thread of tow twined with spittle, when it smelleth the fire: so it was not known wherein his strength lay.
10And Dalila said to him: Behold thou hast mocked me, and hast told me a false thing: but now at least tell me wherewith thou mayest be bound.
11And he answered her: If I shall be bound with new ropes, that were never in work, I shall be weak and like other men.
12Dalila bound him again with these, and cried out: The Philistines are upon thee, Samson, there being an ambush prepared for him in the chamber. But he broke the bands like threads of webs.
13And Dalila said to him again: How long dost thou deceive me, and tell me lies? Shew me wherewith thou mayest be bound. And Samson answered her: If thou plattest the seven locks of my head with a lace, and tying them round about a nail, fastenest it in the ground, I shall be weak.
14And when Dalila had done this, she said to him: The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And awaking out of his sleep, he drew out the nail with the hairs and the lace.
15And Dalila said to him: How dost thou say thou lovest me, when thy mind is not with me? Thou hast told me lies these three times, and wouldst not tell me wherein thy greatest strength lieth.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Judges 16:4
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions read this passage as the climax of Samson's spiritual decline. Matthew Henry observes that Samson “gave up himself once more to his sensual lusts,” repeating the pattern of pursuing Philistine women that brought him trouble in the first place. Keil & Delitzsch note that Delilah is named from a root meaning “feeble” or “pining,” suggesting her character matched her name. The Philistine lords, according to Adam Clarke, assumed Samson's strength came from an amulet or charm, so they sent Delilah to “entice him” (v.5) and uncover the secret. The bribe, eleven hundred pieces of silver from each of the five lords, shows how seriously they took his capture (Barnes). Samson's three false answers (green withs, new ropes, weaving his hair) all involve the number seven, which Clarke calls “a number of perfection,” hinting at the sacred source of his strength he would not yet name. The consensus holds that Samson was playing with fire: he knew Delilah was working for the Philistines (the ambush in the inner room was obvious), yet he continued the game because he trusted his own strength more than his Nazirite vow. As the Cambridge Bible notes, “what Samson proposed in jest, Delilah carried out in earnest.” His failure to see the danger reveals a heart already turned from God.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Delilah as wife vs. harlot: The narrator uses 'loved' not 'married'; the Philistine lords deal directly with her, suggesting commercial rather than familial ties.
- Philistine theory of strength: They assume an amulet; the text itself never says they were entirely wrong—only that the true source was God.
- Samson's complicity: He initiates the deceptions and continues the game despite clear evidence of ambushes; this contrasts with his earlier wariness with his first wife (14:15–17).
What is clear: Samson's strength came from God as part of his Nazirite vow, revealed in his uncut hair; he betrayed that trust by persistently deceiving Delilah but ultimately giving in, leading to his capture and humiliation.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Delilah's relationship to Samson | She was a Philistine woman living in the valley of Sorek with whom Samson fell in love. | Whether she was his wife, concubine, or a prostitute. Some argue that the Philistine lords’ confidence and her mercenary role suggest a harlot; others think the term 'loved' allows for a marital bond (like the Timnite woman). |
| Source of Samson's strength | His strength was supernaturally given by God as part of his Nazirite vow, with uncut hair as the outward sign. | The Philistines and Delilah believed it came from an amulet or charm; some commentators read this as a mistaken superstition, while others see a partial truth, the gift was bound to a physical token. |
| Samson's motives | He deliberately deceived Delilah three times, protecting the true secret. | Whether he was knowingly foolish (playing with temptation) or genuinely thought he could control the situation. Some emphasize sin's blinding effect; others note his persistent refusal to learn from prior warnings. |
| Textual integrity of verse 13 | The verse ends abruptly in the Masoretic Text, lacking Delilah's actions that are implied by the following verse. | The Septuagint and other versions include a fuller description of weaving the hair into the loom; some scholars see this as an original reading, others as a harmonizing gloss. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The Valley of Sorek (v.4) is identified by Eusebius and Jerome with a site near Zorah and Eshtaol, Samson's home region. Its name derives from a Hebrew word for “choice vine” (śōrēq), suggesting a fertile valley known for vineyards. The Philistines controlled this area as part of the coastal plain, and their “lords” (sarnê) were five rulers governing Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron (cf. Judges 3:3; Barnes). Their offer to Delilah, five total payments of 1,100 shekels of silver, was enormous, about two talents (Barnes). The materials Samson names reflect the culture: “green withs” (yetharim laḥim) are moist sinews or bowstrings, used for hunting bows; “new ropes” (‘avotim ḥadashim) made from twisted twigs or reeds, never used for work (Clarke, Gill). The loom episode (vv.13, 14) involves a horizontal weaving frame common in ancient Israelite homes, fastened to the ground with a pin; weaving was a woman's task, and Delilah's loom was close at hand (Cambridge). The ambush sat in the inner chamber (ḥeder), a private room, waiting for the signal. When Samson snapped the withs “as a thread of tow is broken when it touches the fire” (v.9), the image evokes the processing of flax, where the brittle shive breaks easily at the smell of heat. The number seven, repeated throughout, carries symbolic weight: it signals the completeness of the divine gift Samson possesses, and the fullness of his betrayal when he finally reveals it. Delilah's persistence (her “daily pressing” in v.16) mirrors the persistent temptation that wears down even the strong.
Textual Notes
The consulted commentaries note no significant textual variants for the main body of this passage. However, verse 13 presents a known difficulty: the Masoretic Text ends abruptly with Samson's words “If you weave the seven locks of my head with the web,” without describing Delilah’s response. The Septuagint adds a clause stating that she wove the hair into the loom and fastened it, which is assumed from the context of verse 14. The Cambridge Bible observes that the Hebrew of verse 14 is “ungrammatical” and suggests that a pin has been intruded into the text. Clarke calls verse 13 “abrupt, and does not contain a full sens[e],” implying a gap or haplography in the Hebrew tradition. In general, the passage is well preserved, and the variants do not affect the overall meaning.
Reception History
Christians have long read this story as a warning against misplaced love and the erosion of faithfulness. Early church fathers such as Augustine used Delilah as a type of worldly temptation that seduces the believer into revealing what should remain hidden. In medieval moral treatises, Samson's fall was paired with Solomon's as evidence that even the strongest can be undone by forbidden relationships. Reformation-era commentators (Luther, Calvin, and later Matthew Henry) stressed the progressive nature of sin and the folly of trusting one's own strength. In art and literature, Delilah became an archetype of the seductive betrayer; John Milton's Samson Agonistes explores the psychological dimensions of his fall, and Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem on the subject echoes the idea of a “fall from grace.” Modern sermons often use this passage to illustrate the danger of small compromises and the need to guard the most sacred parts of one's life.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- The progressive pull of forbidden love. Samson's history moves from a Timnite wife (14:1) to a Gaza prostitute (16:1) to Delilah, each relationship more dangerous. Sin deepens over time; what once provoked remorse becomes a pattern.
- The illusion of control. Samson thinks he can manage the game: tell a half-truth, break the bonds, stay safe. He mistakes God's patience for God's approval. The bonds he plays with are real; the ambush is real; his strength is not.
- The cost of revealing what is sacred. Each deception moves closer to his true secret (the hair). Three times he protects his vow, but the fourth, he gives in. The slide from “green withs” to “the seven locks of my head” traces a man who forgot that some gifts can be lost.
Five-Point Outline
- Love in the wrong place: Samson and Delilah (v.4)
- The enemy's plan: bribery and enticement (v.5)
- First test: green bowstrings (vv.6, 9)
- Second test: new ropes (vv.10, 12)
- Third test: the loom and the hair (vv.13, 15)
Illustration Hooks
- The fire drill that goes on too long: A workplace tests the alarm monthly; eventually everyone ignores it. Samson stopped warning himself that Delilah was dangerous.
- The gambler who thinks he can quit anytime: He keeps playing small bets “for fun” until he is in deep. Samson treated his secret like a token to be wagered, not a trust to be kept.
- The gardener who waters weeds: A small thistle left alone becomes a thicket. Samson watered forbidden relationships until they choked him.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- Why did Samson keep going back to Delilah after she proved she was setting him up?
- Was Samson just foolish, or did something deeper cause him to ignore every warning sign?
- How do I know if I am in a relationship that is weakening my walk with God?
Leading a Discussion
This passage raises hard questions about how we handle what is sacred. Samson had been given an extraordinary gift of strength as part of his Nazirite vow, but he toyed with the secret as if it were a game. Delilah's persistence mirrors how temptation often works: not in a single blow but in repeated, wearying requests. As you discuss, let the group notice the escalating stakes (from withes to ropes to weaving) and the increasing emotional manipulation (the phrase “I love you” is first used by Delilah in v.15, after she has already betrayed him three times). The goal is not to condemn Samson but to see ourselves in his refusal to listen to warnings.
Discussion Questions
- Observation: What do you notice about the four verses that describe Samson's love and the Philistines' offer (vv.4, 5)? How does that opening set the tone for the rest?
- Observation: Look at the three tests. What patterns repeat? What changes each time?
- Interpretation: Why do you think Samson kept giving false answers rather than simply refusing Delilah? What did he think he was accomplishing?
- Interpretation: In v.15, Delilah says, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me?” How does that question expose the real problem in the relationship?
- Application: Where do you see people today playing with serious boundaries, spiritual, moral, relational, because they trust their own strength to hold?
- Application: What are the “Delilah voices” in your life that persistently ask you to compromise what you know is sacred?
- Closing: How does this story prepare us to hear the New Testament call to “flee from sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18)? What is the difference between running away and staying to argue?
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)
| I Kings 11:1 | Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites, |
| Nehemiah 13:26 | Didn’t Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations there was no king like him, and he was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless foreign women caused even him to sin. |
| Proverbs 22:14 | The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit. He who is under Yahweh’s wrath will fall into it. |
| Proverbs 23:27 | For a prostitute is a deep pit; and a wayward wife is a narrow well. |
| Proverbs 26:11 | As a dog that returns to his vomit, so is a fool who repeats his folly. |
| Proverbs 27:22 | Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with grain, yet his foolishness will not be removed from him. |
| I Corinthians 10:6 | Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. |
| Genesis 33:16 | So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. |
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
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke observes that the Philistines believed Samson's strength came from a charm or amulet, not his physique. Samson played along, giving Delilah answers typical of a spell: green withs, new ropes, and the number seven. Clarke also notes that the Hebrew text is missing a key clause in Delilah's actions, preserved in the Septuagint.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes explains that Delilah tried to subdue Samson by weaving his seven hair locks into a loom as a woof and fastening it with a pin. The bribe of 5,500 silver shekels shows how badly the Philistines wanted him captured, but Samson simply tore the whole loom away when he woke.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentary explains the specific method by which Delilah wove Samson's hair into a horizontal loom fixed into the ground, using technical terms like warp and batten. It also notes a textual gap caused by a copyist's eye-skip, which can be restored from Greek versions for the missing lines.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the Philistine rulers assumed Samson's strength came from an amulet or secret, so they bribed Delilah to discover it. Her repeated tests with fresh vines, new ropes, and finally his hair braided into a loom show the cultural backdrop of what seemed like a playful but deadly game.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange emphasizes that Samson's hair was not the literal source of his strength, but only the outward sign of his consecration. His fall was a moral tragedy: he surrendered his consecration, not
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.