Illustration created for this project.
Samson
A Nazirite of enormous strength who fought the Philistines; betrayed by Delilah, he pulled down their temple in his death.
What we know — and how we know it
Bible — stated in scripture (with verse) · 1
Archaeology — physical evidence · 1
Tribe & people
BibleA Nazirite of the tribe of Dan, of legendary strength, who fought the Philistines.
Judges 13:24; 16:17
Life, role & deeds
Bukvoed — CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
ArchaeologyThe Philistine cities of his story — Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron and Timnah — have all been excavated, confirming the Iron-Age Philistine world he moved in.
Iron-Age Philistine centres excavated: Ashkelon by the Leon Levy Expedition (L.E. Stager, Harvard, 1985-2016, 'Ashkelon' series, Eisenbrauns); Ekron (Tel Miqne) by T. Dothan & S. Gitin, with the 1996 royal dedicatory inscription confirming the city's identity; Timnah (Tel Batash) by G.L. Kelm & A. Mazar ('Timnah: A Biblical City in the Sorek Valley', Eisenbrauns, 1995); Gaza remains largely unexcavated beneath the modern city.
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Gaza
Where in scripture
JudgesHebrewsThe woman bore a son, and named him Samson. The child grew, and Yahweh blessed him.
Judges 13:24 — His birth
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.”
Judges 16:17 — The secret of his strength
Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell on the lords, and on all the people who were therein. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than those who he killed in his life.
Judges 16:30 — Dies with the Philistines
What more shall I say? For the time would fail me if I told of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets;
Hebrews 11:32
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, a public-domain translation.
Family
In their own words — 20 recorded sayings
“And when he came back he said to his father and mother, I have seen a woman in Timnah, of the daughters of the Philistines: get her now for me for my wife.” — Judges 14:2
“Then his father and mother said to him, Is there no woman among the daughters of your relations or among all my people, that you have to go for your wife to the Philistines, who are without circumcision? But Samson said to his father, Get her for me, for she is pleasing to me.” — Judges 14:3
“And Samson said, Now I have a hard question for you: if you are able to give me the answer before the seven days of the feast are over, I will give you thirty linen robes and thirty changes of clothing;” — Judges 14:12
“But if you are not able to give me the answer, then you will have to give me thirty linen robes and thirty changes of clothing. And they said to him, Put your hard question and let us see what it is. And he said, Out of the taker of food came food, and out of the strong came the sweet. And at the end of three days they were still not able to give the answer.” — Judges 14:13-14
“Then Samson's wife, weeping over him, said, Truly you have no love for me but only hate; you have put a hard question to the children of my people and have not given me the answer. And he said to her, See, I have not given the answer even to my father or my mother; am I to give it to you?” — Judges 14:16
“Then on the seventh day, before he went into the bride's room, the men of the town said to him, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said to them, If you had not been ploughing with my cow you would not have got the answer to my question.” — Judges 14:18
“Now a short time after, at the time of the grain-cutting, Samson, taking with him a young goat, went to see his wife; and he said, I will go in to my wife into the bride's room. But her father would not let him go in.” — Judges 15:1
“Then Samson said to them, This time I will give payment in full to the Philistines, for I am going to do them great evil.” — Judges 15:3
…and 12 more recorded sayings.
Speaker attribution: Clear Bible MACULA (CC BY 4.0). Wording: Bible in Basic English (public domain).
Events
In art
