Samson meets Delilah, and she betrays him.

Judges 16:4-21

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

• Delilah bribed to betray Samson.
• Samson is bound with seven fresh bow strings.
• Samson is bound with new ropes.
• Samson’s seven locks of hair are weaved into the web of a loom.
• Samson’s hair is shaved, and he loses his strength.

Delilah bribed to betray Samson.
“Afterward it happened that he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.” Judges 16:4

“Afterwards” refers to the events that occurred in the previous post on Judges 15:18-16:3. In this present post, Samson loves a woman, named Deliliah, whom he never married. This is like our Lord Jesus who loves the whole world, but the majority do not love Him back. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17

“And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.” Judges 16:5

The Gentile Philistines approached Delilah to persuade her to discover Samson’s secret so that they could bind him to bring harm to him. In exchange, each of the Philistine lords would give her 1000 pieces of silver. The Pharisees did the same thing in their plot to bind and bring harm to Jesus Christ. They sought out whoever they could whom they could persuade to help them discover a way to arrest and bring harm to Jesus. The efforts of the Pharisees ended when Judas offered to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, leading to His crucifixion and death. “Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.” Matthew 26:14-16

“Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, Matthew 22:15-16

Delilah pretended to love Samson in her efforts to seduce him to reveal the secret of his strength. This is like Judas who kissed Jesus on the cheek as the final act of his betrayal, which led to the arrest, beating, and crucifixion of Christ. Our Lord Jesus warns us about wolves in sheep clothing, who seem harmless and peaceful, but on the inside are predators of His followers, “…who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” Matthew 7:15 “For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.” Romans 16:18

Samson is bound with seven fresh bow strings, then again with new ropes, then his hair is weaved into the web of a loom.

In the verses from Judges 16:6-14, Deliliah tried seducing Samson to obtain the secret of his strength to her. Samson said something that had her believing that by tying him up with seven fresh bow strings that would subdue him. However, Samson broke the strings as a strand of yarn breaks when it touches fire. When that didn’t work, Delilah heard Samson say that if he is bound with new ropes then he would become weak and be easy to capture. But Samson broke them off his arms like a thread. When that didn’t work, she heard Samson say that if his seven braids of hair are weaved into a fabric on the weaving machine, then he would lose his strength. That didn’t work either, Samson awoke from his sleep and pulled out the batten and the web from the loom.

The picture below shows Samson’s hair being weaved into a piece of fabric by Delilah.

Samson was asleep when Delilah tied him with seven fresh bowstrings, then again when she tied him with new ropes, and then again when she weaved his hair into a piece of fabric. Each time, men of the Philistines were in the room while Samson was asleep, and Delilah was binding him.

The Pharisees did to Jesus [through their “Delilahs”] what the Philistines were trying to do to Samson through Delilah. The Pharisees wanted Jesus to say something that would reveal a weakness so that they would be able to arrest Him, afflict Him, and have Him killed. “Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, Matthew 22:15-16

The Pharisees wanted Jesus to say something against the Roman government, as quoted, “Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money.” So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.” Matthew 22:17-22 Jesus broke their attempts to entrap Him as easily as Samson broke free from the seven bowstrings, new ropes, and from the weaving loom.

The Pharisees also tried to find a weakness in Jesus through the laws of Judaism, but again Jesus broke their attempts to entrap Him as easily as Samson broke free from the seven bowstrings, new ropes, and from the weaving loom, as quoted, “Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” John 8:3-10

In a sense, Samson was speaking parables to Delilah so that the secret of his strength would not be made known to her. That is why our Lord Jesus spoke in parables, “And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given…Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull…” Matthew 13:10-11, 13-15

Below are the scripture verses that reveals the events of Judges 16:6-14

⁶ So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and with what you may be bound to afflict you.” ⁷ And Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings, not yet dried, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man.” ⁸ So the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings, not yet dried, and she bound him with them. ⁹ Now men were lying in wait, staying with her in the room. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he broke the bowstrings as a strand of yarn breaks when it touches fire. So the secret of his strength was not known.

¹⁰ Then Delilah said to Samson, “Look, you have mocked me and told me lies. Now, please tell me what you may be bound with.” ¹¹ So he said to her, “If they bind me securely with new ropes that have never been used, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man.” ¹² Therefore Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them, and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And men were lying in wait, staying in the room. But he broke them off his arms like a thread.

¹³ Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me what you may be bound with.” And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head into the web of the loom”—¹⁴ So she wove it tightly with the batten of the loom, and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep, and pulled out the batten and the web from the loom.

Samson’s hair is shaved, and he loses his strength.
“Then she 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.” And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was troubled to death that he told her all his heart, and said to her, “No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.” Judges 16:15-17

Delilah was becoming irate at Samson’s “parables” and wanted a straightforward answer to the question of where his strength came from. This is like the high priest of the Jewish culture becoming irate at Jesus and wanted a straightforward answer as to whether He was the Christ, as quoted,  “And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”…They answered and said, “He is deserving of death.” Matthew 26:63-66

Delilah pestered Samson constantly about where his strength came come, so much so that Samson was troubled to the point of death. Our Lord Jesus was also troubled, exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. This is when He was about to be crucified, by the plotting of the Jewish leaders, because the people believed His secret that He was indeed the Christ and Son of God, as quoted, “Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Matthew 26:38-39

The secret of samson’s strength is that his hair had never been cut, which is part of being a Nazerite. The Nazerite vow is a devotion to the will of God and the uncut hair would be an outward sign of that faithfulness to God. Samson revealed all of this to Delilah, and she used it against him, cut his hair, and delivered him to the Philistines to be imprisoned and harmed.

In a sense, Jesus was a Nazerite because of His devotion to the will of God to be the “Lamb of God” to atone for sin by crucifixion on the Cross. Day-by-day, the secret of Jesus was oozing out for all the world to see, which is described in this one verse, “When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Luke 5:20-21 The Pharisees saw this “blasphemy” as a way to zap the strength of Jesus, arrest Him, afflict Him, and kill Him.

Like Samson who was sabotaged for telling the truth about the secret of his strength being in his hair, Jesus also told the truth and for that the Jewish leaders wanted to kill Him, “But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.” John 8:40

Jesus truthfully revealed the mystery that He was the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of the coming of the Christ, the Son of God, and the Jewish people tried to throw Him off a cliff, as quoted,

“So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”.. So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way. .Luke 4:16-21,28-30

“When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up once more, for he has told me all his heart.” So the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand.” Judges 16:18

Delilah received money from the Gentile Philistines after her successful betrayal of Samson, in the same way that the Pharisees gave Judas thirty pieces of silver for betraying Jesus with a kiss, “Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.” Matthew 26:14-16

“Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then he began to be weak. And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him. Then the Philistines took him and bored out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison.” Judges 16:19-21

Samson started to become weak just before he was bound and turned over to the Philistines. Likewise, just before Jesus was handed over to the Pharisees to be arrested and crucified, we could say that a moment of “weakness” was seen. Our Lord Jesus was tempted in every way that we are, and all through the New Testament Jesus needed time to be by Himself, to be alone with God His Father. If there was ever a time that highlighted the “weakness” of Jesus more than that, it would be when He prayed so fervently to ask God not to allow Himself to be arrested, beaten, and crucified. Jesus prayed so hard to avoid that experience that sweat like great drops of blood poured down His face, and an Angel even came to strengthen Him, “Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” Luke 22:43-44

Samson lost His strength, and likewise, those of this world saw Jesus as losing His strength, power, and authority when He was arrested and afflicted. Samson had his eyes bored out at the hands of the Philistines, and Jesus was beaten, whipped, scourged, and brutally afflicted at the hands of the Romans. Samson was bound with bronze chains [probably around the ankles] and he became a grinder [hard labor for the benefit of the Philistines] in the prison. The Pharisees thought they had Jesus bound in chains when His crucifixion was a sealed deal. They figured He was in a prison that He would never escape from, the prison of death and the grave. As we read in the coming verses of Judges 16, in the coming post, we see how Samson was not their permanent prisoner at all. In the same way, the grave could not hold Jesus and by the power of God He was resurrected. Because He lives, we will live eternally with Him.

“So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands…. “And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him…” John 19:1-3, 17-18 Jesus also had nails driven through His hands and feet. “Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” Luke 24:39

“However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaven.” Judges 16:22 This is where the next post on Judges 16:22-31 begins.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11