Judges
Chapter 13
Samson
The Israelites again mistreated the Lord, so he gave them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.
There was a man of Zorah of the tribe of Dan called Manoah. His wife could not bear children.
The angel of the Lord appeared to this woman and said to her:
“You have not borne children and have not given birth, but see, you are to conceive and give birth to a son.
Because of this, take care not to take wine or any alcoholic drink, nor to eat unclean foods from now on,
for you shall bear a son who shall be a Nazirite of the Lord from the womb of his mother. Never shall his hair be cut, for he is consecrated to the Lord. He shall begin the liberation of the Israelites from the Philistine oppression.”
The woman told her husband:
“A messenger of God who bore the majesty of an angel spoke to me. I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name.
But he told me: ‘You are to conceive and give birth to a son. Henceforth, you shall not drink wine or fermented drinks, nor eat anything unclean, for your son shall be a Nazirite of God from the womb of his mother until the day of his death.’”
Manoah called upon the Lord and said:
“I pray you, Lord, that the man of God whom you have sent may come again to us and teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.”
The Lord listened to Manoah, and the angel of the Lord came to the woman seated in the fields. Again, Manoah, her husband, was not with her when the angel came.
The woman immediately ran to inform her husband and told him:
“Look, the man who came to me the other day is here again.”
Manoah rose and followed his wife. He came to the man and asked:
“Are you the man who has spoken to this woman?”
He answered:
“I am.”
Manoah said:
“When your word is fulfilled, what rule and direction shall the boy follow?”
The angel of the Lord answered Manoah:
“She must abstain from all I have indicated to this woman.
She shall not taste anything from the grape, drink wine or fermented drinks, or eat anything unclean, and observe everything I have commanded her.”
But he said to Manoah:
“Even if I did stay, I would not taste your food. But if you want to offer a burnt offering, offer it to the Lord.”
So Manoah said to the angel of the Lord:
“What is your name, that we may honor you when your word comes true?”
The angel of the Lord answered him:
“Why do you ask my name? It is too wonderful…”
Manoah then took the young goat and the cereal offering and offered it upon the rock as a holocaust to the Lord, who does wonderful things.
And something happened as Manoah and his wife looked on. A fire broke forth from the altar, rising toward heaven, and the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame.
When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell to the ground face down.
When the angel of the Lord vanished from the sight of Manoah and his wife, Manoah knew then that he was the angel of the Lord.
And he said to his wife:
“We shall surely die, for we have seen God.”
She answered him:
“If the Lord had wanted to kill us, he would not have accepted the holocaust or the offering from our hand; he would not have made all these things happen or said what we have just heard.”
The woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew, and the Lord blessed him.
Then the Spirit of the Lord began to move him when he was in Mahaneh-dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.
Commentaries
Samson.
The story of Samson is full of passion, love, aggression, violence, corruption, and betrayal. We should read the Samson cycle in the context of the entire book of Judges. Samson starkly contrasts with Othniel, the “model judge” of the tribe of Judah, because everything went smoothly for Othniel (3:7-11). In comparison, Samson is driven by his passions and infidelities. The first part of the Samson cycle highlights the announcement that Manoah’s wife receives from God. This woman, unnamed and sadly barren, is blessed not only with a visit from the angel of the Lord but also with a son. This demonstrates God’s favor toward marginalized people. Samson’s mother did not pray or ask for a son, unlike Hannah, Samuel’s mother, who did (1 Sm 1:10); yet God rewarded her and blessed her with a son.
The story of this annunciation closely resembles other divine announcements (Gn 16:7-13; 17:15-21; 18:10-15; Mt 1:20ff; Lk 1:11-20), with the difference that Samson is dedicated from his mother’s womb to be a Nazirite. The dedication of Nazirites is an ancient tradition; the laws of the Pentateuch provide specific guidelines for Nazirites. For example, they must avoid alcohol and any products of the vine; they must not shave their heads; they must stay away from contact with dead people, and their vow or dedication lasts for a set period (Nm 6:1-21). Notice how Manoah’s wife plays a key role in this story; she is the one who sees the angel of God and recognizes him as a “divine messenger,” assuring her husband that they won’t die for having seen him. In this unnamed woman, we see a model for recognizing God, who shows solidarity with marginalized people and appears amid ordinary life.