3 June Judges 16:4-15

3 June. Samson falls in love with Delilah

“After this, Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the Valley of Sorek.”

“The Philistine rulers went to Delilah and said, ‘Find out what makes Samson so strong. Trick him into telling you how we can overpower him, capture him and tie him up. If you do this, each one of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver.’”

“So Delilah said to Samson, ‘Tell me why you are so strong. How can someone tie you up and capture you?’ Samson answered, ‘Someone would have to tie me up with seven new bowstrings that had not been dried. Then I would be as weak as any other man.’”

“The Philistine rulers brought Delilah seven new bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied Samson with them. Some men were hiding in another room. Delilah said to him, ‘The Philistines are here!’ But Samson broke the bowstrings like pieces of burned string. So the Philistines did not find out the secret of Samson’s strength.”

“Then Delilah said to Samson, ‘You made a fool of me. You lied to me. Now tell me how someone can tie you up.’ Samson said, ‘They would have to tie me with new ropes that have not been used before. Then I would become as weak as any other man.’”

“So Delilah took new ropes and tied Samson. Some men were hiding in another room. She called out to him, ‘Samson, the Philistines are here!’ But he broke the ropes as easily as if they were threads.”

“Then Delilah said to Samson, ‘Again you have made a fool of me. You lied to me. Tell me how someone can tie you up.’ He said, ‘Using the loom, weave the seven plaits of my hair into the cloth, and tighten it with a pin. Then I will be as weak as any other man.’”

“While Samson slept, Delilah wove the seven plaits of his hair into the cloth. Then she fastened it with a pin. Again she said to him, ‘Samson, the Philistines are here!’ Samson woke up and pulled out the pin and the loom with the cloth.”

“Then Delilah said to him, ‘How can you say, “I love you”, when you don’t even trust me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me. You haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.’”

(Judges 16:4-15)

In today’s passage, Samson ‘falls in love’ with Delilah from the Valley of Sorek. She makes several attempts to persuade Samson to tell her the secret of his strength, but in each case, he breaks free of his bonds when the Philistines hiding in the next room rush in to seize him.

Have you ever wondered why Samson allowed Delilah to tie him up in their bedroom? Ever heard of bondage sex? We expect you never suspected you’d find it in the Bible!

We’ve already discovered that the Book of Judges trawls the depths of Israelite depravity during the 400 years after their entry into the ‘promised land’.

Here we descend to another level – certainly off the radar as far as sharing Bible passages with children! “My, my, my, Delilah” sounds innocent compared to this!

The photo (by Davidbena) shows the Nahal Sorek (literally the ‘Brook of Sorek’), one of the largest drainage basins in the Judaean Hills. The Sorek Valley formed the border between the Philistine settlements of the coastal plain and the territory inhabited by the Israelite tribe of Dan. It’s known today as Wadi es-SarÄr in Arabic.