Judges 16:11

16:11 He said to her, “If they tie me tightly with brand new ropes that have never been used, ¹  I will become weak and be just like any other man.”

Judges 15:13

15:13 They said to him, “We promise! ²  We will only take you prisoner and hand you over to them. We promise not to kill you.” They tied him up with two brand new ropes and led him up from the cliff.

Judges 16:8

16:8 So the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings which had not been dried and they tied him up with them.

Judges 15:10

15:10 The men of Judah said, “Why are you attacking ³  us?” The Philistines ⁴  said, “We have come up to take Samson prisoner so we can do to him what he has done to us.”

Judges 15:12

15:12 They said to him, “We have come down to take you prisoner so we can hand you over to the Philistines.” Samson said to them, “Promise me ⁵  you will not kill ⁶  me.”

Judges 16:6-7

16:6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me what makes you so strong and how you can be subdued and humiliated.” ⁷  16:7 Samson said to her, “If they tie me up with seven fresh ⁸  bowstrings ⁹  that have not been dried, I will become weak and be just like any other man.”

Judges 16:10

16:10 Delilah said to Samson, “Look, you deceived ¹⁰  me and told me lies! Now tell me how you can be subdued.”

Judges 16:12

16:12 So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are here, ¹¹  Samson!” (The Philistines were hiding in the bedroom.) ¹²  But he tore the ropes ¹³  from his arms as if they were a piece of thread.

Judges 16:21

16:21 The Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him in bronze chains. He became a grinder in the prison.

Judges 16:5

16:5 The rulers of the Philistines went up to visit her and said to her, “Trick him! Find out what makes him so strong and how we can subdue him and humiliate ¹⁴  him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred silver pieces.”

Judges 16:13

16:13 Delilah said to Samson, “Up to now you have deceived me and told me lies. Tell me how you can be subdued.” He said to her, “If you weave the seven braids of my hair ¹⁵  into the fabric on the loom ¹⁶  and secure it with the pin, I will become weak and be like any other man.”

¹ tn Heb “with which no work has been done.”

² tn Heb “No,” meaning that they will not harm him.

³ tn Or “come up against.”

⁴ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Philistines) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴ tn Or “swear to me.”

⁵ tn Heb “meet [with hostility]”; “harm.” In light of v. 13, “kill” is an appropriate translation.

⁵ tn Heb “how you can be subdued in order to be humiliated.”

⁶ tn Or “moist.”

⁷ tn The word refers to a bowstring, probably made from animal tendons. See Ps 11:2; Job 30:11.

⁷ tn See Gen 31:7; Exod 8:29 [8:25 HT]; Job 13:9; Isa 44:20; Jer 9:4 for other uses of this Hebrew word (II תָּלַל, talal), which also occurs in v. 13.

⁸ tn Heb “are upon you.”

⁹ tn Heb “And the ones lying in wait were sitting in the bedroom.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the ropes) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁹ tn Heb “subdue him in order to humiliate him.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “head” (also in the following verse). By metonymy the head is mentioned in the Hebrew text in place of the hair on it.

¹¹ tn Heb “with the web.” For a discussion of how Delilah did this, see C. F. Burney, Judges, 381, and G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 353-54.