Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 16:17
That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I [have been] a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any [other] man.
17. all his heart ] i.e. all that he knew about his supernatural secret, Jdg 13:5-7. The heart in the O.T. is the seat not merely of the affections, but of the mind and will; so in Jdg 16:15 ; Jdg 16:18.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 17. If I be shaven, then my strength will go from me] The miraculous strength of Samson must not be supposed to reside either in his hair or in his muscles, but in that relation in which he stood to God as a Nazarite, such a person being bound by a solemn vow to walk in a strict conformity to the laws of his Maker. It was a part of the Nazarite’s vow to permit no razor to pass on his head; and his long hair was the mark of his Nazirate, and of his vow to God. When Samson permitted his hair to be shorn off, he renounced and broke his Nazir vow; in consequence of which God abandoned him, and therefore we are told, in Jdg 16:20, that the Lord was departed from him.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Not that his hair was in itself the seat or cause of his strength, but because it was the chief condition of that vow or covenant, whereby as he stood obliged to him, so God was pleased graciously to engage himself to fit him for, and assist him in, that great work to which he called him; but upon his violation of his condition, God justly withdraws his help, and leaves him to himself.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
17. if I be shaven, then my strengthwill go from meHis herculean powers did not arise from hishair, but from his peculiar relation to God as a Nazarite. Hisunshorn locks were a sign of his Nazaritism, and a pledge on the partof God that his supernatural strength would be continued.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
That he told her all his heart,…. All that was in his heart concerning this affair, all that he knew relating to it; he had told her something before, or at least what came nearer to the truth of the matter, when he directed her to the weaving of his locks into the web; but now he told her all, which is as follows:
and said unto her, there hath not come a razor upon mine head; his head had never been shaved since he was born; which was the order of the angel that foretold his birth, and it had been carefully observed to that time:
for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb; one condition of which, or what was enjoined a Nazarite, was, that he should not be shaved, and which had been religiously observed in Samson; and whereas abstinence from wine and strong drink was another part of the law of Nazariteship, or what such persons were obliged unto, what Josephus says concerning Samson being drunk in the above cases could not be true; since his Nazariteship would have been made void by it, and so have affected his strength: but it must be owned that there were other things Nazarites were obliged to, which were dispensed with, as has been observed in the case of Samson, a perpetual Nazarite; and therefore it is probable, that the principal thing he was to regard, and upon which his strength was continued, was not shaving his head:
if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man; in which he says more than he ever did before, namely, that his strength should go from him; for though that did not arise from his hair, yet the keeping on of that was the condition of his retaining it.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
17. Told her all his heart Lust and love conquered at last. “Samson, when strong and brave,” says St. Ambrose, “strangled a lion, but could not strangle his own love. He burst the fetters of his foes, but not the cords of his own lust. He burned up the crops of others, and lost the fruit of his own virtue when burning with the flame enkindled by a single woman.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jdg 16:17. He told her all his heart It was natural to suppose, that God would forsake a man who had forsaken Him to plunge into the excess of a criminal passion. Samson, softened by the caresses of Delilah, chagrined by her reproaches, overcome by her tears, could no longer resist her pressing solicitations. He forgot every thing to please her. He discovered his secret to her. There have been many men of wonderful strength, whose memory is preserved in history, and an account of whom may be found in Scheuchzer on the place; but it should be observed here, that Samson’s extraordinary strength was not inherent in himself, but depended entirely on the divine power coming upon him when there was need of it, so long as he preserved himself consecrated to God, and strictly observed all those things which belonged to the vow of a Nazarite. Josephus paraphrases these words of Samson to Delilah thus: “I am under the care of God: born by his immediate providence, I nourish my hair; for he forbad that I should ever have it cut off, and it is herein that all my strength consists.” See Hist. of the Jewish War, book 5: chap. 10.
REFLECTIONS.As woman first was man’s ruin; how often since has she been his snare! Other passions have slain their thousands, the love of women has slain its ten thousands.
I. Samson, who could not be taken in the toils of the Philistines, is ensnared by the attire of a harlot: to his shame, the history is recorded.
1. He went down to Gaza, on what occasion is not mentioned; but the bad tendency of familiarity with Philistines is left for our admonition. He saw a woman who pleased his eye, and, passion overcoming conscience, he connected himself with her. Note; (1.) The strongest in grace had need deeply to cry, Lead us not into temptation! (2.) They who ramble into places of vain company, must not wonder if they suffer for it.
2. Though perhaps he came in disguise, he was not long concealed; and while he is lying in the arms of a harlot, danger and death await him at the gate. Note; (1.) In our most secret sins God will find us out. (2.) Men would not sleep in quiet on the bed of lewdness, could they see the wrath of God which is hanging over them. (3.) The more securely the sinner sleeps, the more dangerous is his state.
3. Whether the conviction of his conscience terrified him, or a dream monitory of his danger awakened him, or some intelligence was brought him of the Philistines’ designs, we do not learn; but at midnight he arose, and, finding the gates of the city barred, and the guards probably asleep, little expecting such a visitant, he took up posts, gates, and bars together on his shoulders, and carried them to a distant hill, to let his enemies see how vain were their attempts against him. Thus Christ, on his resurrection-day, carried off the gates of death, mocking at the impotent designs of his enemies, and opening a passage for all his people to follow him to the hill of God.
II. Again and again we find this mighty man sinking under the power of his besetting sin. More than once he had been brought by it into the most imminent danger; yet still he relapses, and, the third time, severely suffers. What a warning to every man of God to make a covenant with his eyes, and watch against and deny the sinful lusts of the flesh, which are as easily besetting, as difficult to be resisted.
1. A harlot caught his eye, and ensnared his heart. In criminal conversation with her he passed the day; and him whom armies could not move, a woman enslaved.
2. The Philistines seize the opportunity, and hope at last to prevail against him. Persuaded that there was some charm or spell which gave him such matchless strength, they offer Delilah a large bribe to get the secret out of him. Note; (1.) Where the love of money is rooted in the heart, bribe high enough, and you may buy body, soul, and all. (2.) By this was the Son of God betrayed; the love of thirty pieces of silver prevailed on the traitor Judas.
3. On the first opportunity, when caresses had paved the way for an easier entrance into his heart, she earnestly desires that he would gratify her curiosity, by informing her where his strength lay, and how he might be so bound as to be unable to help himself. Reluctant to declare the real secret, and hoping to put her off, he hesitates not at a lie; but when, to make the experiment, the osiers bound him, and an alarm of danger was given, the deceit appeared. Again she tries, again he misinforms her: the new ropes were as flax on his hands. The third time, upbraiding him with his deceit, she wearies him to tell the truth; but, still reluctant, he gives her a false information; and when she had wove his locks with her web, and fastened them to the beam, no sooner was the cry heard, “The Philistines be upon thee,” than pin, beam, and all were carried away. Note; (1.) We must never expect fidelity from those who shew their utter unthankfulness to God. (2.) When the heart is infatuated with lust, repeated warnings of danger will be disregarded. (3.) They who feel themselves unable to resist the importunity of their passions should instantly fly.
4. At last, wearied out with her ceaseless upbraidings, and enslaved by his violent passion for her, the fatal secret is extorted. He could not bear to be suspected as wanting in affection to her, and, rather than not convince her of it by gratifying her most unreasonable requests, his own reputation, life, yea worse, the honour of God and the people’s safety, are basely betrayed into the power of a faithless woman. Note; They who are slaves to their lusts are the worst of slaves, and stop at nothing to gratify them.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jdg 16:17 That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I [have been] a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any [other] man.
Ver. 17. There hath not come a razor upon my head, &c. ] Of Tamerlane, that warlike Scythian, it is storied, that he nourished his hair, which his mother coming of the race of Samson, as he gave it out, willed him to do in token of his descent. This was the cause that made him to be more respected of his men of war, most part of them believing that in those hairs was some rare virtue, or rather some fatal destiny. a
a Turk. Hist., 236.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
a Nazarite unto God = separate unto God.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
all his heart: Pro 12:23, Pro 29:12, Mic 7:5
There hath: Jdg 13:5, Num 6:5, Act 18:18
Reciprocal: Pro 29:11 – General Lam 4:7 – Nazarites Act 21:24 – that they
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
THE STRONG WEAKLING
Then (Samson) told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mothers womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.
Jdg 16:17
Samson is unlike any other character in Scripture. Although the sphere in which he moved was a comparatively narrow one, he seems to have made a profound impression on the men of his time. The whole active life of Samson was spent in the district which bordered on the old Philistine frontier. He lived among the men of his own little tribe of Dan, and his history seems to have been compiled from its annals. His work consisted in a series of dashing exploits calculated to raise the hopes and spirits of his downtrodden countrymen, and to strike the Philistines with apprehension and terror, and thus he prepared the way for a more systematic and successful revolt in after times.
It was the turning-point in Samsons career when he told his secret to Delilah. It was the passage of the Rubicon which separated his life of triumphant vigour from his life of humiliation and weakness. Until he spoke these words he was master of his destiny; after he had spoken them, nothing awaited him but disaster and death.
I. The first thing that strikes us in this account of Samsons ruin is the possible importance of apparent trifles to the highest well-being of life and character.Samsons unshorn hair told other Israelites what to expect of him, and rebuked in his own conscience all in his life that was not in keeping with his Nazarite vow. The great gift of physical strength was attached to this one particular of Nazarite observation which did duty for all the rest. In itself it was a trifle whether his hair was cut or allowed to grow, but it was not a trifle in the light of these associations.
II. Samsons history suggests the incalculably great influence which belongs to woman in controlling the characters and destinies of men.Delilah is the ruin of Samson; Deborah is the making of Barak. Deborahs song suggests what Samson might have been had Delilah been only as herself.
III. Nothing is more noteworthy in this history than the illustration it affords of the difference between physical and moral courage.Samson had physical courage; it was the natural accompaniment of his extraordinary strength. But he lacked the moral strength which lies not in nerve, nor in brain, but in a humble yet vivid sense of the presence of God.
Canon Liddon.
Illustrations
(1) I remember receiving a letter from a friend who apologised for his handwriting by the following explanation. He was travelling down the Murray River in a steamboat. One of the floats had been washed off the paddle, and every time the water reached the vacant place the whole steamer was jerked. I thought that the incident suggested the cause of a good deal of weakness in mens characters. They lose in the river of life one of the floats of the paddle, and their whole life is jerked each time the paddle revolves.
(2) The most tragic thing about sin is the fact that you cannot curtail its sequels. There is no such thing as a brief crime, contained in a single act. Just as from one coffee tree planted in South Africa there has arisen a whole forest of trees, so every sin propagates over an area impossible to limit. Samson was one of those sturdy giants who can do a cause so much good if their heart is captured for God. He was susceptible to the best, but in the end he was subdued by the worst. He prayed to the last moments of his life, yet what a humiliating end it was! Strength is not the greatest force in the world. The irresistible might of weakness has accomplished more than ignorant brute forces.
(3) Physical weakness cannot break moral strength, but moral weakness is constantly breaking down physical strength. It was so with Samson. He lay in Delilahs lap, loving the woman who was liar and traitress both, and he in his folly opened his heart to her. One of the most common and fatal forms of moral weakness is betrayal of the inner secrets of life to the unworthy and unclean. And he paid the penalty. His strength was stolen from him. And so still, sin brings its consequences in weakness, in pain, in disease. And where these are not its penalties, they come nevertheless in some form of deterioration in the life.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Jdg 16:17. There hath not come a razor upon my head Though we have no account of it before, yet it seems from this, that it had been revealed by God to Samson, either by a dream or in some other manner, that his supernatural strength should continue as long as he continued in a Nazarite state, and did not suffer a razor to come upon his head to take off his hair. If I be shaven Not that his hair was in itself the cause of his strength, but because it was the chief condition of that covenant whereby God was pleased to engage to fit him for and assist him in that great work to which he had called him. But upon his violation of the condition, God justly withdraws his help.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
16:17 That he told her all his {i} heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I [have been] a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any [other] man.
(i) Thus his immoderate affections toward a wicked woman caused him to lose God’s excellent gifts, and become a slave to those whom he should have ruled.