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People of the Bible

Samson

Family

In the story

A dot is a moment; a bar is something that lasted, drawn to its length.

  • Philistine Dominion · 1140 BC
  • Judgeship of Samson · 1120 BC
  • Samson destroys Temple of Dagon · 1101 BC

Easton’s Bible Dictionary

Of the sun, the son of Manoah, born at Zorah. The narrative of his life is given in Judg. 13-16. He was a “Nazarite unto God” from his birth, the first Nazarite mentioned in Scripture (Judg. 13:3-5; comp. Num. 6:1-21). The first recorded event of his life was his marriage with a Philistine woman of Timnath (Judg. 14:1-5). Such a marriage was not forbidden by the law of Moses, as the Philistines did not form one of the seven doomed Canaanite nations (Ex. 34:11-16; Deut. 7:1-4). It was, however, an ill-assorted and unblessed marriage. His wife was soon taken from him and given “to his companion” (Judg. 14:20). For this Samson took revenge by burning the “standing corn of the Philistines” (15:1-8), who, in their turn, in revenge “burnt her and her father with fire.” Her death he terribly avenged (15:7-19). During the twenty years following this he judged Israel; but we have no record of his life. Probably these twenty years may have been simultaneous with the last twenty years of Eli’s life. After this we have an account of his exploits at Gaza (16:1-3), and of his infatuation for Delilah, and her treachery (16:4-20), and then of his melancholy death (16:21-31). He perished in the last terrible destruction he brought upon his enemies. “So the dead which he slew at his death were more [in social and political importance=the elite of the people] than they which he slew in his life.”

“Straining all his nerves, he bowed: As with the force of winds and waters pent, When mountains tremble, those two massy pillars With horrible convulsion to and fro He tugged, he shook, till down they came, and drew The whole roof after them, with burst of thunder Upon the heads of all who sat beneath, Lords, ladies, captains, counsellors, or priests, Their choice nobility and flower.” Milton’s Samson Agonistes.

From M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary (1893), in the public domain.

Named in 38 verses

Judges
13:24, 14:1, 14:3, 14:5, 14:7, 14:10, 14:12, 14:15, 14:16, 14:20, 15:1, 15:3, 15:4, 15:6, 15:7, 15:10, 15:11, 15:12, 15:16, 16:1, 16:2, 16:3, 16:6, 16:7, 16:9, 16:10, 16:12, 16:13, 16:14, 16:20, 16:23, 16:25, 16:26, 16:27, 16:28, 16:29, 16:30
Hebrews
11:32

The family, dates and events on this page come from Theographic, a knowledge graph of the Bible by Robert Rouse, used and shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. It is a work in progress, and its dates follow one reconstruction of biblical chronology among several. The dictionary article above is separately in the public domain.