Judges 13:1-4

Samson’s Birth

13:1 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight, ¹  so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines for forty years.

13:2 There was a man named Manoah from Zorah, from the Danite tribe. His wife was infertile and childless. ²  13:3 The Lord’s angelic ³  messenger appeared to the woman and said to her, “You ⁴  are infertile and childless, ⁵  but you will conceive and have a son. 13:4 Now be careful! Do not drink wine or beer, and do not eat any food that will make you ritually unclean. ⁶ 

[13:1]  ¹ tn Heb “in the eyes of.”

[13:2]  ² tn Heb “and had not given birth.”

[13:3]  ³ tn The adjective “angelic” is interpretive (also in vv. 6, 9).

[13:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “Look, you.”

[13:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “and have not given birth.”

[13:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “eat anything unclean.” Certain foods were regarded as ritually “unclean” (see Lev 11). Eating such food made one ritually “contaminated.”