Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, Judges · Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI.
Verſ. 1. THen went Samſon to Gaza, and ſaw there an harlot, and went in unto her.) This mention that is made of his ſeeing the harlot, to whom he went in, implies, that he went not thither for that purpoſe, but going ſecretly thither with ſome other intent, he was on a ſudden intangled with the ſight of this harlot, and ſo drawn to commit folly with her.
Verſ. 2. And they compaſſed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate, &c.] That is, hearing by ſome that had taken notice of him, that he was come into the citie, but not knowing into what houſe he was entred, they took order that the gates ſhould be ſhut, and narrowly watched, to make ſure that he ſhould not eſcape away in the night, and then at each gate, eſpecially at that gate out of which his way lay, being to go to his own countrey, they ſet certain men who ſhould the next morning diligently wait for him, and as he came out, ſhould ſuddenly kill him, as being afraid any other way to ſet upon him.
Verſ. 3. And Samſon lay till midnight, and aroſe at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, &c.] Knowing it ſeems by the ſecret inſtinct of Gods ſpirit, that he was deſcryed, and that there was wait laid for him, in the dead of the night he aroſe, and going to the gate of the city, which was faſt ſhut to prevent his eſcape, took the doors of the gate of the citie, and the two poſts, and went away with them, barre and all, and put them upon his ſhoulders, and carried them up to the top of the hill that is before Hebron, and it is thought by ſome, that Hebron was at leaſt ſeven Germane miles from Gaza, the citie whoſe gates he carried away, which was not farre from the ſea-coaſt; an act of the greateſt wonder that ever Samſon did, and wherein he was a notable type of Chriſt, in that glorious act of his reſurrection; when being ſhut up dead in the grave, the ſepulchre being ſealed, and a companie of ſouldiers ſet to watch it, notwithſtanding all theſe barres of death, becauſe, as the Apoſtle ſaid, Acts 2.24. it was not poſſible that he ſhould be holden of it; early the next morning the ſtone was removed; and ſo he aroſe again by his own Almighty power, carrying away, as it were, the gates and poſts of hell and death, and ſo within a while, aſcended up triumphantly into heaven. Indeed, it may ſeem very ſtrange, that Samſon ariſing newly from the bed of fornication, ſhould have ſuch wonderfull aſſiſtance from God, as to be enabled to do ſo glorious and admirable a work: but we muſt conſider, firſt, that God ſuffered his holy Nazarite to fall into this ſinne, to ſhew the weakneſſe of the beſt and ſtrongeſt, if left unto themſelves: ſecondly, that God is not wont alwayes to deal with his ſervants according to their ſinnes; nor preſently to withdraw the gifts of his Spirit, though they ſometimes greatly provoke him: and thirdly, that God had reſpect herein to glorifie himſelf, in this triumph of his ſervant over the Philiſtines, though afterwards he took his time to correct him, and that ſharply too for his ſinne.
Verſ. 4. And it came to paſſe afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whoſe name was Delilah.] It is plainly enough implyed, though it be not expreſſed, that this Delilah was a Philiſtine Harlot, as the other was, and not his wife, or of the ſtock of Iſrael, as ſome have thought; firſt, becauſe this ſtory is ſo immediately brought in, juſt as another ſtory of the like nature that went before; And it came to paſſe that afterward he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, &c. even as if it were purpoſely added to ſhew how prone the beſt are, if once intangled in this ſinne, to proceed ſtill to further degrees of uncleanneſſe; and what miſerie God ſuffered his progreſſe in this ſinne to bring upon him, though he ſpared him at firſt: ſecondly, becauſe the phraſe the Spirit of God here uſeth, he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, doth not ſound as ſpoken of the love of a wife, but of the love of a harlot: thirdly, becauſe the free intercourſe that was betwixt her and the lords of the Philiſtines, and her hiding the Philiſtines that were to ſeize upon him, again and again in a chamber in her houſe, makes it clear, that Samſon was there as a ſtranger, not in his own houſe, and amongſt his own familie: and fourthly, becauſe her whoriſh; qualities in that ſhe was ſo readily wone by the hire of money to betray him into the hands of the Philiſtines, and that by dandling him upon her l…p, doth proclaim her to have been neither wife, nor Iſraelite, but a Philiſtine and harlot.
Verſ. 6. Tell me I pray thee, wherein thy great ſtrength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.] She asked him this queſtion doubtleſſe in ſuch a manner, that he might not ſuſpect any thought ſhe had of delivering him into the power of his enemies: It is likely, that with many flattering ſpeeches ſhe told him, how much not her ſelf onelyonly, but the whole land of the Philiſtines were aſtoniſhed, at the report of his admirable ſtrength; and thoſe wonders which he had wrought thereby amongſt them, and how happy ſhe thought her ſelf in having ſuch a lover, that was the wonder of the world for ſtrength of body; and then withall, as onelyonly out of a deſire to ſatisfie her own curioſity (and the rather becauſe the great affection ſhe bore him, made her long to know as much as ſhe might concerning him) ſhe deſires him to tell her wherein his ſtrength lay, and whether any thing could weaken his ſtrength, and make him like other men.
Verſ. 7. And Samſon ſaid unto her, If they bind me with ſeven green withs, &c.] Thus he anſwered her, thereby to evade the telling of that which he meant not to diſcover, and that either as thinking ſhe would be ſatisfied with this anſwer, and not attempt to make proof whether it were ſo indeed or no; or elſe, as intending to make himſelf ſport with her, if ſhe would make triall of the truth of what he had told; but whilſt he thus dallies with her, and aſſayes to put her off with a jeaſt, and did not reſolutely deny her as he might have done, at laſt ſhe prevailed over him, and in good earneſt bound him, and delivered him up into the hands of the Philiſtines.
Verſ. 9. Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber.] They durſt not come near him to take him, no not when he was aſleep, no more then men dare venture upon a ſleeping lion; Delilah hid them therefore in ſome place near at hand, intending to call them forth, if ſhe found he could not break his bands, if otherwiſe to laugh it out, and make merry with him, as if all done, had been done in ſport, to ſee whether he had told her true.
Verſ. 10. And Delilah ſaid unto Samſon, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: new tell me, &c.] This doubtleſſe Delilah ſaid, not immediately upon his breaking the green withes, but at ſome other time; for had all this been done at one time, it might have bred ſome ſuſpition in Samſon; and beſides, it is evident ſhe did appoint the Philiſtines ſeverall times to come unto her, as we may ſee verſ. 18. And when Delilah ſaw that he had told her all his heart, ſhe ſent and called for the lords of the Philiſtines ſaying, Come up this once, &c.
Verſ. 11. And he ſaid unto her, If they bind me with new ropes, &c.] Though he had now found by experience that ſhe would not take what he ſaid for truth, but would try the truth of what he ſaid; yet either becauſe he was content to make himſelf ſport in deluding her, or rather becauſe her importunity was ſuch, that without pretending to ſatisfie her, he could not be rid of her, (for that he was troubled with her importunity, is evident, verſ 16.) he again fained a falſe way how he might be bound; and ſo again a third time, verſ. 13.
Verſ. 14. And ſhe faſtned it with the pin, &c.] That is, having woven his locks with the web, and ſo rolled the web whereunto his locks were woven about the beam, as Samſon had appointed her, ſhe faſtned the beam with the pin, that ſo the beam might not turn back, when he ſhould lift up his head, & then wakened him, &c.
Verſ. 16. When ſhe preſſed him dayly with her words, and urged him ſo that his ſoul was vexed unto the death, &c.] The meaning of this is, either that through the diſtraction of his thoughts and affections, being exceeding loth to reveal this ſecret unto her, and yet as loth ſtill to deny her, he was indeed ready to faint, or at leaſt was even weary of his life, ſo that he had rather have died then have continued ſtill in ſuch perplexity; or rather, that it was even death to him to deny her any longer; eſpecially when ſhe began to upbraid him now with mocking her as he had done, and to challenge him that he did not love her, and ſo thereupon he told her all his heart, as it follows in the next verſe. Indeed conſidering the uſuall unfaithfulneſſe and treacherie of harlots, it is ſtrange, that neither her importunate deſiring to know a ſecret, the diſcoverie whereof might prove ſo perillous to him, nor her aſſaying three ſeverall times, to bind him in thoſe wayes which he had propounded, onelyonly to deceive her, ſhould not make him begin to ſuſpect her, or fear ſome miſchief plotting againſt him; but for this we muſt remember, that the love of harlots doth uſually beſot men, and make them very ſlaves to thoſe their miſtreſſes; eſpecially when God intends to bring ſome miſchief upon them, as now he intended to have Samſon puniſhed for his ſinne.
Verſ. 17. If I be ſhaven then my ſtrength will go from me, &c.] Thus Samſon at laſt told her the truth of that ſecret, which he was ſo loth to diſcloſe. Yet this was not becauſe his ſtrength proceeded from his long hair; (for it was merely the gift of God in a ſupernaturall way; and therefore, verſ. 20. where the reaſon is given, why he loſt his ſtrength upon the cutting of his hair; it is ſaid, that the Lord was departed from him) nor was it, becauſe by the ordinary law of a Nazarite, if his head were ſhaven he was to loſe his ſtrength (for neither had all Nazarites this gift of ſuch admirable ſtrength as Samſon had, nor was there any ſuch thing in the law of the Nazarite, that thoſe that had their hair cut off, ſhould loſe ſuch gifts as God by his Spirit had conferred upon them): But it ſeems God had beſtowed this as a ſingular gift upon Samſon; and that upon condition of his ſtrict obſerving this law of the Nazarite, in keeping his hair uncut (to wit, that he might be herein a type of Chriſt, in regard of his invincible ſtrength, and to ſignifie alſo that the Spirit of grace deprived from Chriſt to his members, is a Spirit of power, 2. Tim. 1.7.) and it ſeems too, either by revelation or otherwiſe, God had expreſſely declared thus much to Samſon; and hence it was, that he told Delilah now, that if he were ſhaven, he ſhould become weak like any other man.
Verſ. 18. When Delilah ſaw that he had told her all his heart, &c.] Before ſhe perſwaded her ſelf, or was at leaſt in great hopes that he had dealt truly with her; but now it ſeems, ſhe might perceive by his countenance, geſture, and the manner of his expreſſing himſelf, that he did indeed tell her the truth from his heart.
Then the Lords of the Philiſtines came up to her, and brought money in their hand.) That is, the money promiſed, verſ. 5. that is, each of them eleven hundred pieces of ſilver, which was five thouſand and five hundred pieces of ſilver, if there were five Lords of the Philistines, as afterwards, 1. Sam. 6.16. it is ſaid there were. Perhaps they conceited that hitherto ſhe had dallied with them, becauſe ſhe ſaw not the reward promiſed tendered to her, and therefore they brought the money now with them the more ſtrongly to tempt her.
Verſ, 19. And ſhe began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.] That is, ſhe ſhock him to awake him out of his ſleep, and ſcared him with crying out as formerly, the Philiſtines be upon thee Samſon; yea, it is likely that ſhe bound him whilſt he ſlept: for how elſe could ſhe perceive that his ſtrength was gone from him, that ſhe might call the Philiſtines that were lying in wait to come in and ſet upon him.
Verſ. 20. And he wiſt not that the Lord was departed from him.] To wit, becauſe on a ſudden, at his firſt waking, he perceived not that his locks were cut off. As for this expreſſion, the Lord was departed from him, thereby onelyonly is meant, that God had withdrawn himſelf from yielding him that ſupernaturall ſtrength, which formerly he had given him; for it is evident, that it cannot be underſtood of the totall loſſe of Gods favour, or the graces of his ſanctifying Spirit.
Verſ. 21. But the Philiſtines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, &c.] Thus no doubt, God by his providence did diſpoſe of it, that his eyes might firſt ſmart for his ſinnes, by means whereof he was firſt intangled and drawn into ſinne; and that thither he might be carried away captive, where firſt his luſtfull eyes had made him a ſlave to an harlot. As for the Philiſtines, firſt they put out his eyes onelyonly by way of revenge, and to make ſure he might not hurt them, if he recovered his ſtrength: ſecondly, they carryed him to Gaza, a ſea coaſt town, becauſe being carried ſo farre through the land of the Philiſtines, the more of the people might come out to ſee him, and rejoyce in the ſhamefull captivitie of that their invincible enemie: thirdly, becauſe he ſhould be there furtheſt out of the reach of the Iſraelites, if they ſhould think to attempt his reſcue: and fourthly, that they might wipe off the ſtain of that diſhonour, which lately he had there done them; by carrying him as a priſoner through that gate, which he had ere while to their great infamie, taken up in his arms and carryed away. As for their putting him to grind in the priſon houſe, that was according to the cuſtome of thoſe times: for then, it ſeems, they would not ſuffer their priſoners to live idely, but made them grind at the mill; and thence is that expreſſion, where Babylons captivitie is threatned, Iſa. 47.2. Take the milſtones and grind meal, uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, &c. Yet withall it is likely, they chuckered themſelves, to think what good uſe they ſhould make herein of his great ſtrength.
Verſ. 22. Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again, after he was ſhaven.] This ſhews that Samſon was kept a good while in priſon, ere he was brought out to this their ſolemne feſtivitie; and it is noted, not as if his ſtrength lay merely in the length of his hair, but to implie his repentance, the reaſſuming of his vow of the Nazarite, which he had broken, the recoverie of Gods former favour, and the reſtoring of his former ſtrength, together with the ſigne of his reaſſumed vow, his Nazarites hair.
Verſ. 23. Then the Lords of the Philistines gathered themſelves together, for to offer a great ſacrifice unto Dagon their god.] This Dagon was an idol-god amongſt the Philiſtines, and his image was in the upper part like a man, and in the nether part like a fiſh (as many gather from 1. Sam. 5.4. concerning which ſee the note upon that place) and that, becauſe happely the Philiſtines, whoſe land lay altogether on the ſea-coaſt, did worſhip him as the god of the ſea; he had a temple in Aſhdod, 1. Sam. 5.4. And by this which is ſaid here, that all the lords of the Philiſtines met here together, from all the ſeverall lordſhips of their countrey, to offer a great ſacrifice to Dagon; to wit, for delivering Samſon into their hands; it ſeems he had another temple in Gaza too.
Verſ. 25. And they called for Samſon out of the priſon houſe, and he made them ſport.] To wit, paſſively, as being abuſed, derided, buffered, and happely forced to run up and down, that he might daſh his head againſt the pillars; yea, and generally by ſuffering whatever ſuch a poore blind priſoner can expect from enraged, proud, inſulting enemies, when they were now fluſhed with wine and good chear; and herein was Samſon alſo a type of Chriſt; for thus did they ſport themſelves with our Saviour, Matth. 26, 67, 68. Then did they ſpit in his face and buffeted him, and others ſmote him with the palms of their hands: Saying, Prophecie unto us, thou Christ, who is he that ſmote thee: and Matth. 27.29. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, ſaying, Hail King of the Jews.
And they ſet him between the pillars.] To wit, becauſe there he might be moſt conveniently ſeen by the princes and people that were met together; but withall, by the ſecret providence of God this was ſo ordered, that he might by thruſting away thoſe pillars, pull down the houſe upon the heads of the Philiſtines.
Verſ. 26. Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the houſe ſtandeth, that I may lean upon them.] This he ſpake to the lad that led him, that the lad might think it was onelyonly wearineſſe; partly through his continuall grinding at the mill, and partly through their turmoyling him at preſent to make themſelves ſport, that made him now deſire to reſt his hands upon the two pillars.
Verſ. 28. And ſtrengthen me, I pray thee, onelyonly this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philiſtines for my two eyes.] Thus by his calling upon God for help, it was evident, that he relyed not upon his grown hair, but expected the renewing of his ſtrength merely from God, Neither did Samſon by ſeeking to revenge his own wrong, take Gods work out of his hand; contrary to that precept, Rom. 12.19. Avenge not your ſelves, but rather give place to wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine, and I will repay it, ſaith the Lord; and that becauſe he was a publick perſon raiſed of God, to puniſh thoſe that wronged his people; and beſides, what he did now, it is likely, he did it by the ſpeciall inſtinct of Gods Spirit.
Verſ. 30. And Samſon ſaid, Let me die with the Philiſtines, and he bowed himſelf, &c.] This is onelyonly an expreſſion of his contempt of death, upon this conſideration that he ſhould execute ſuch a remarkable judgement upon the Philiſtines. His primary and direct intention was not ſuch as is theirs that make away themſelves, but his direct aim was to deſtroy the Philiſtines; onelyonly he was content to loſe his life in an action ſo advantageous to the people of God, and whereby he ſhould give ſuch a deadly blow to their enemies; which is expreſſed in the following words; ſo that the dead which he ſlew at his death, were mo then they that he ſlew in his life; and herein doubtleſſe, he was a type of Chriſt, who by death overcame death, Heb. 2.14. And him that had the power of death, which is the devil. To which ſome adde alſo, that dying thus, with one hand reaching out to one pillar, and the other to another, and ſo bowing himſelf, he did the more fitly ſhadow forth Chriſt dying with his hands ſtretched out upon the croſſe; John 19.30. When Jeſus therefore had received the vineger, he ſaid, It is finiſhed, and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghoſt.
Verſ. 31. Then his brethren, and all the houſe of his father, came down and took him, &c.] It is indeed ſtrange that the Philiſtines ſhould yield his body to his kindred to be buried by them. But for this we muſt conſider; firſt, that happely the Philiſtines did not know, or would not acknowledge that this houſe fell by Samſons means, but rather by ſome other caſualty: ſecondly, that the power of the Philiſtines, as alſo their pride and wrath againſt Gods people, muſt needs by this fatall blow given to all their princes, and ſo many of the people, be much abated and pulled down, ſo that this was no time to domineer over the Iſraelites, or to provoke them by any harſh anſwer, but rather to provide by all means for their own ſafety: thirdly, that the hearts of all men are in Gods hands: Prov. 16.1. The preparations of the heart of man, and the anſwer of the tongue, is from the Lord: who might therefore move them to yield Samſons body to his brethren, as he did Pilate to yield to the like ſuit concerning Chriſt, John 19.38. Joſeph of Arimathea (being a diſciple of Jeſus but ſecretly for fear of the Jews) beſought Pilate, that he might take away the body of Jeſus; and Pilate gave him leave.
And he judged Iſrael twenty years.] See the note chap. 13. verſ. 1.