Judges 16:18

16:18 When Delilah saw that he had told her his secret, ¹  she sent for ²  the rulers of the Philistines, saying, “Come up here again, for he has told me ³  his secret.” ⁴  So the rulers of the Philistines went up to visit her, bringing the silver in their hands.

Judges 14:6

14:6 The Lord’s spirit empowered ⁵  him and he tore the lion ⁶  in two with his bare hands ⁷  as easily as one would tear a young goat. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done.

Judges 13:6

13:6 The woman went and said to her husband, “A man sent from God ⁸  came to me! He looked like God’s angelic messenger – he was very awesome. ⁹  I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name.

Judges 14:9

14:9 He scooped it up with his hands and ate it as he walked along. When he returned ¹⁰  to his father and mother, he offered them some and they ate it. But he did not tell them he had scooped the honey out of the lion’s carcass. ¹¹ 

[16:18]  ¹ tn Heb “all his heart.”

[16:18]  ² tn Heb “she sent and summoned.”

[16:18]  ³ tc The translation follows the Qere, לִי (li, “to me”) rather than the Kethib, לָהּ (lah, “to her”).

[16:18]  ⁴ tn Heb “all his heart.”

[14:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “rushed on.”

[14:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “him” or “it”; the referent (the lion) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “and there was nothing in his hand.”

[13:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “The man of God.”

[13:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “His appearance was like the appearance of the messenger of God, very awesome.”

[14:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “went.” Samson apparently went home to his parents before going to Timnah for the marriage. Seeing and tasting the honey appears to encourage Manoah to go with his son to Timnah. Perhaps both Samson and his father viewed the honey as a good omen of future blessing. Possibly Samson considered it a symbol of sexual pleasure or an aphrodisiac. Note the use of honey imagery in Song 4:11 and 5:1.

[14:9]  ¹⁴ sn Touching the carcass of a dead animal undoubtedly violated Samson’s Nazirite status. See Num 6:6.