Juízes 13
Bob Utley · You Can Understand the Bible
Juízes 13
NJB (MT versing) Philistines Oppress Again The Birth of Samson Samson's Marriage The Birth of Samson Samson's Birth Foretold 13:1 13:1 13:1 13:1 13:1 13:2-7 13:2-5 13:2-7 13:2-5 13:2-7 13:6-7 13:6-7 The Angel Appears A Second Time 13:8-14 13:8-14 13:8-14 13:8 13:8-25 13:9-10 13:11 13:12 13:13-14 13:15-20 13:15-23 13:15-18 13:15-16a 13:16b 13:17 13:18 13:19-23 13:19-21 13:21-23 13:22 13:23 13:24-25 13:24-25 13:24-25 13:24-25 Etc. CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS The account of Samson's exploits is recorded in Jdgs. 13:1-16:31. The imperfections of the judges continue but worsen. Josephus, in his book, Antiquities of the Jews 8.7.2,3, elaborates this story along the lines of a godly Manoah's jealousy against the angel (i.e., appeared as a young man). However, this very detailed account seems to be pure fabrication. The concept of "the angel of the Lord," developed in Judges 13, is one of many biblical examples of a theophany or physical manifestation of God. There seem to be two emphases in the OT: that the angel of the Lord represents Deity (cf. Gen. 16:7-13; 31:13; 22:11-15; 48:15, 16; Exod. 2:2, 4; 13:1; 14:19; and Zech. 3:1,2) the separateness between YHWH and the angel (cf. Gen. 24:7, 40; Exod. 23:30; 32:34; 1 Chr. 21:15ff; Zech. 1:12, 13) Both of these emphases are continued in this chapter. SPECIAL TOPIC: THE ANGEL OF THE Lord The tribe of Dan was originally allocated land next to that of Benjamin and Judah in the southern part of the Promised Land. But, because of external pressures from the Philistines (cf. Jdgs. 10:7; the Philistines were a major threat up until the time of David, 2 Sam. 5:17-25), Dan moved north as seen in the latter part of the book of Judges (i.e., Judges 18). This is the origin of the famous proverb, "from Dan to Beersheba," which refers to the entire Promised Land and reflects the northern movement of this tribe.
Juízes 13:1
13:1 "Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord" The vicious cycle of the book of Judges continues. The fallenness of mankind, which began in Genesis 3, has shown its deadly trail throughout the Pentateuch and continues throughout these two historical books (Joshua and Judges), and will continue throughout the entire Bible. SPECIAL TOPIC: THE FALL ▣ "Philistines" These were part of the Sea Peoples from the Aegean Islands. Apparently they were originally a mercenary group who tried to invade Egypt around 1250 B.C. They were successfully repulsed by Rameses III and then settled on the southwest coast of Palestine. The term "Palestine" comes from the name "Philistine" (BDB 814). They had five major cities: Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Eklon, and Gad. Each one of these had their own chieftain or king. They brought iron age technology with them and, therefore, had technological superiority over the Hebrews for many years (cf. 1 Sam. 13:19-22). They also had chariots which meant they controlled the coastal plains. At first their domination of the people of God was subtle and not military in nature. This is basically why Samson had to instigate an international incident in order to arouse the people of God to throw off the Philistine yoke (cf. Jdgs. 15:9-13). ▣ "forty" This word is often a round number signifying a long time period. In Jdgs. 3:11; 5:31; 8:28 it is used of a period of rest and peace, but here it denotes an extended period of oppression, but it was subtle pressure, not overt. SPECIAL TOPIC: SYMBOLIC NUMBERS IN SCRIPTURE, #7
Juízes 13:2-7
13:2 "a man of Zorah" This is a Danite city which is mentioned in Jos. 19:41. It is about 14 miles west of Jerusalem. ▣ "his wife was barren" As has often been the case in the OT, God shows His power by raising up his leaders from barren women (i.e., Sarai ‒ Gen. 11:30; Rebekah ‒ Gen. 25:21; Rachel ‒ Gen. 29:31). This same theological priority is seen in that He very seldom chooses the eldest son, which would be the cultural choice, to lead His people. God wants to receive the glory for His acts, not human resources (cf. Jdgs. 7:2). SPECIAL TOPIC: FIRSTBORN 13:3 "the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman" We see the angel of the Lord several times throughout this chapter. In my opinion, it may be the pre-Incarnate Christ. There are some verses where the angel is identified with Deity (cf. Jdgs. 13:11), where he answered, "I am," which is the covenant name for God; and Jdgs. 13:22 where Manoah and his wife believe they are going to die because they have seen God. However, the separation between God and the angel can also be seen in Jdgs. 13:8, 9, and 10. It is interesting to note that we have YHWH mentioned in Jdgs. 13:8, the Spirit of God in 13:25, and if the angel of the Lord here is the pre-Incarnate Jesus, then we have an OT example of the Trinity involved in this account. SPECIAL TOPIC: THE ANGEL OF THE Lord SPECIAL TOPIC: THE TRINITY 13:4 "be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing" Here we have the threefold description of a Nazirite vow. The word "Nazirite" (BDB 634, see Roland deVaux, Ancient Israel, pp. 466-467 and James Freeman, Manners and Customs of the Bible, pp. 452-453) comes from the term "to be separate" or "to consecrate." It is fully described in Numbers 6. In this account it is defined as someone who cannot drink wine or touch anything unclean or shave his head. Samson will violate each of these at some point in his life. We have examples of Nazirites in the NT (cf. Luke 1:15, which describes John the Baptist in these terms; Acts 18:18 and 21:21-26 describes Paul and his Nazirite vow). There were two types of these vows, one was permanent (John the Baptist) and one was temporary (Paul). The rabbis said that the vow had to last at least 30 days. The long hair was a symbol of special dedication to God. This verse has a Niphal IMPERATIVE ‒ "be careful" (BDB 1036, KB 1581) an IMPERFECT used as a JUSSIVE not to drink ‒ BDB 1059, KB 1667 not to eat ‒ BDB 37, KB 46 Same as 2. The JUSSIVE sense is continued in Jdgs. 13:8 and 14. We learn from 13:5 that these restrictions are related to him as being a special dedication to God from his birth (i.e., a Nazirite, cf. Numbers 6). It is also interesting to note that the Nazirite aspects of both Jdgs. 13:4 and 14 apply specifically only to the mother, who is not mentioned in Numbers 6. Their continuation in the life of Samson is stated in Jdgs. 13:5,7. A birth dedication was meant to be permanent (like the Rechabites of Jeremiah 35 and John the Baptist). Yet, his life would be anything but "dedicated to God"! Here is a good example of how the faith hopes of the parents are not always transferred to the children! But God will use his deviant behavior for His purposes. SPECIAL TOPIC: OLD TESTAMENT FOOD LAWS SPECIAL TOPIC: NAZIRITE VOW 13:5 "no razor shall come upon his head" Razors were often associated with idolatry, which may explain the prohibition (cf. Deut. 32:42; Jdgs. 5:2; 2 Sam. 14:26). ▣ "and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines" Notice that it is only going to be the beginning of the struggle—not the end. Notice the two Hiphil IMPERFECT VERBALS. "begin" ‒ BDB 320, KB 319, Hiphil IMPERFECT "to deliver" ‒ BDB 446, KB 448, Hiphil INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT Judah's conflict with the Philistines lasted for many years, but Samson started the military response to the Philistine's gradual and pervasive influence in the region. ▣ "to deliver" This VERB (BDB 446, KB 448, Hiphil INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT) means "deliver," "save," "be victorious." The deliverance is from Philistine influence to the influence of YHWH. Biblical "salvation" is always a deliverance "from" and "to"! For the NOUN form, see SPECIAL TOPIC: SALVATION (OT Term). 13:6 "the woman came and told her husband, saying, "A man of God came to me and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome" This is apparently where Josephus got his interpretation that Manoah was jealous and the angel came back in order to dispel that jealousy. ▣ NASB, NKJV "very awesome" "most inspiring" "so majestic" "very frightening" "most terrible" LXX A "most remarkable" LXX B "most awe-inspiring" "I trembled exceedingly" The MT has a PARTICIPLE and an ADVERB. BDB 431, KB 432, Niphal PARTICIPLE, from the word "fear," but when used of YHWH causes astonishment and awe awe-inspiring majesty inspires reverence It is used of a theophany both here and in Gen. 28:17 BDB 547, KB 538, exceedingly ▣ "tell me his name" The woman did not ask his name or the place of his origin. This same emphasis on the importance of the name can be seen in Gen. 32:29, where Jacob wrestled with the angel Exod. 3:13-14 and 33:17, where Moses asks God whom he should say sent him to deliver the Israelites The names of spiritual beings was a large part of ANE magic. SPECIAL TOPIC: "THE NAME" OF YHWH SPECIAL TOPIC: MAGIC
Juízes 13:8-14
13:8 "that he may teach us what to do for the boy who is to be born" It was the responsibility of the Hebrew father to train the child in the family faith (cf. Exod. 10:2; 12:26; 13:8,14; Deut. 4:9, 10; 6:7, 20-25; 11:19; 31:13; 32:46), and in his vocation. Apparently Manoah had the best of motives and was asking for more information. It is interesting that the angel does return but does not give any additional information. 13:10 "the man" Apparently the angel looked like any man of that day. He may have been startling and attractive but it was not obvious that this was a theophany (cf. Jdgs. 13:22). SPECIAL TOPIC: GOD DESCRIBED AS HUMAN 13:11 "he said, 'I am'" This, of course, would be just the normal response but also it is the covenant name for God taken from Exod. 3:14. This same answer by Jesus will cause the Jews to try to kill Him because He claims to be God (cf. John 8:56-59). SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITYy, D 13:12 "Now when your words come to pass" This is a faith affirmation on Manoah's part of his trust in the angel's prediction (cf. Jdgs. 13:17, a son for his barren wife). The AB, p. 220, suggests that both IMPERFECT VERBS are "transparently JUSSIVE" (i.e., "Let your words come true"). 13:14 "strong drink" Basically this was the mixing of fermented wine with spices or the addition of other fermented grain extract for the purpose of raising the alcohol content. The LXX changes the FEMININE forms to MASCULINE forms. This makes the verse refer to Samson and not his mother, as in Jdgs. 13:7. SPECIAL TOPIC: ALCOHOL ‒ ALCOHOLISM, I., A., #4.
Juízes 13:15-20
13:17-18 "What is your name" The angel answers by saying that it is too wonderful for them. The term "wonderful" (BDB 816) is translated "difficult" in Gen. 18:14 and as "marvelously wonderful" in Isa. 29:14. Apparently the name was significant but the angel simply could not reveal it to them at this time (cf. Gen. 32:29). This angel did some wonderful things (set fire to the sacrifice), much like the angel apparently did for Gideon in Jdgs. 6:19-21. SPECIAL TOPIC: WONDERFUL THINGS (OT) 13:18 NASB, NKJV "wonderful" "too wonderful" TEV, NJB, REB "of wonder" "unknowable" "amazing" "glorious" NASB margin "incomprehensible" The MT has the ADJECTIVE "wonderful" or "incomprehensible" (BDB 811, KB 928). For the VERB see SPECIAL TOPIC: WONDERFUL THINGS (OT). The ADJECTIVE is used here for the name of the angel of the Lord and in Ps. 139:6 of God's knowledge; also note it is one of the titles of the Messiah in Isa. 9:6, and YHWH's counsel in Isa. 28:29. 13:19 "So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering and offered it on the rock to the Lord" This is similar to Gideon's offering of the sacrifice in Jdgs. 6:21-22 (i.e., the angel caused the offering to catch fire). ▣ "He performed wonders" The "He" is capitalized in the New American Standard Bible, implying that the angel is divine (cf. Jdgs. 13:21). Notice the VERB (BDB 810, KB 927, Hiphil PARTICIPLE) is the same root as the angel's name in Jdgs. 13:18. 13:20 "For it came about when the flame went up from the altar toward heaven, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar" Now this will get someone's attention! It does seem to cause the fear which is mentioned in Jdgs. 13:22.
Juízes 13:21-23
13:22 "We shall surely die, for we have seen God" This was a common concept in the OT and apparently was connected to His holiness. Manoah's wife's response in Jdgs. 13:23 was very pragmatic and assured him that since God has given him this revelation, He was not going to kill him. The phrase "surely die" is an intensified Hebrew grammatical structure of an INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and an IMPERFECT VERB from the same root (BDB 559, KB 562). There is some confusion in the OT about the ability of humans to see God. I have inserted my notes from Exod. 33:17-23. Exod. 33:17-23 Moses wants to visibly see YHWH. Already he has a unique, intimate relationship (cf. Exod. 33:11; Num. 12:8; Deut. 34:10), but he wants more. Apparently Moses did not think seeing YHWH meant death did not fully grasp Exod. 20:4 wanted another experience like Exod. 24:10,11, but this time just for him There is uncertainty about the fear of seeing God, which was thought to cause death because of God's holiness. some did see God (in the Angel of the Lord) and live Gen. 16:13 ‒ Hagar, as the Angel of the Lord Gen. 32:30 ‒ Jacob in a vision Exod. 24:10-11 ‒ 70 elders and Moses in a theophany Deut. 5:24 ‒ Israel sees the glory of YHWH as the Angel of the Lord Jdgs. 6:22-23 ‒ Gideon Jdgs. 13:21-22 ‒ Samson's parents as the Angel of the Lord Isa. 6:1,5 (cf. John 12:41) ‒ Isaiah in a vision, Ezek. 1:26-27 ‒ Ezekiel in a vision of YHWH's chariot/throne Dan. 7:9-14 ‒ Daniel in a vision as the Ancient of Days no one has seen God and lived Exod. 3:6; 19:21; 33:20, 23 Lev. 16:2 Num. 4:20 1 Kgs. 19:13 even angels hid their faces, Isa. 6:2 John 1:18; 5:37; 6:46 1 Tim. 1:17; 6:16 1 John 4:12, 20 no one has heard God and lived Exod. 20:19 Deut. 4:33; 5:24-26; 18:16 2 Cor. 12:1-4 believers can see God in Jesus ‒ John one day believers will see God Matt. 5:8 1 Cor. 13:12 Heb. 12:14 Rev. 22:4 note Job 42:5; Ps. 17:15; 42:2 ▣ "God" This is the Hebrew title Elohim, which can refer to spiritual beings (JPSOA, NET Bible). SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, C.
Juízes 13:24-25
13:24 "named him Samson" We are not sure of the origin of this name (BDB 1039, KB 1592). Some say it comes from the word "sun" (BDB 1039) but this is speculation. If it does, the ending is diminutive resulting in "little sun" or "child of the sun" it may relate to the nearby town of Beth-shemesh (NASB Study Bible, p. 332) ▣ "the child grew up and the Lord blessed him" This language is similar to Samuel ‒ 1 Sam. 2:26 Jesus ‒ Luke 2:52 It denotes a normal, healthy childhood. The "blessing" does not imply that YHWH approved of Samson's later lustful attitude toward Philistine women, although it is obvious from the account that YHWH would use this for His greater purposes. 13:25 "the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him" This seems to refer to specific occurrences. One of the great tragedies of Samson's life is in Jdgs. 16:20 where the Spirit of the Lord departed from him and he did not even notice it. For similar experiences in Judges see Jdgs. 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 14:6, 19; 15:14, 19. These judges acted in God's power, not their own! SPECIAL TOPIC: SPIRIT IN THE BIBLE ▣ "Mahaneh-dan" This literally means "the camp of Dan" (BDB 334). It shows the external (i.e., Philistine) pressure that the tribe of Dan was under, so that they could not even live in the walled cities but were forced to live in nomadic tents.