Samson and Delilah is a biblical story told in the book of Judges and tells of the great Israelite warrior and the betrayal of his lover, Delilah.
Samson’s story begins in Judges 13, which opens with the verse:
And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
Shortly thereafter, an angel of God appears to a woman who has remained barren in her marriage, and promises her that she would soon conceive a son. However, she must abstain from wine and drink and not eat anything unclean, for her son would be a Nazirite. This also meant that his hair should not be cut. The angel further tells the woman that her son would save the Israelites from the oppressive Philistines.
Indeed the woman conceives and gives birth to a boy – Samson. Samson is blessed with supernatural physical strength. But already in the first verses, we are told of Samson’s great weakness: women.
The bible goes on to tell of Samson’s adventures: He smites a lion with his bare hands, in a spurt of anger kills thirty Philistines, burns their fields, and, when being delivered into the hands of his enemies, kills a thousand of them with a donkey’s jawbone.
One day, Samson travels to the Philistine city of Gaza, where he falls in love with a harlot named Delilah. The Philistine leaders see an opportunity to capture Samson and defeat the Israelites, so they offer Delilah a large sum of money to discover the source of Samson's strength.
Delilah repeatedly asks Samson to reveal the secret of his strength, but he deceives her and lies about the source of it.
This repeats itself several times, Samson always making up new rituals that would seemingly take away his strength, to no avail. Finally, when Delilah doesn’t cease to press him, he gives in and reveals his secret:There hath not come a razor upon my head; for I have been a Nazirite unto God from my mother’s womb; if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.
Delilah immediately betrays Samson, makes him fall asleep in her lap and calls for a man who cuts his seven locks. She sends for the Philistines who capture him, gouge out his eyes, and imprison him.
Imprisoned, however, Samson’s hair begins to grow back. The Philistines gather for a great feast to celebrate Samson’s capture and offer a sacrifice for their god, Dagon, saying:Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.
As they become merry in their celebrations, the Philistines call for Samson and use him for entertainment. They tie him between two pillars and mock him. All the Philistine lords are present for the feast, and around 3,000 men and women on the roof of the building to which Samson is tied. In a last effort, Samson calls upon God to return his strength to him just once more so that he can avenge his eyes and die along with the Philistines.
The Israelites then bring up Samson’s body and bury him next to his father, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
The story of Samson and Delilah is often interpreted as a cautionary tale about the dangers of trusting the wrong people and the consequences of betraying the trust of others. It is also seen as a warning about the dangers of giving in to temptation, as Samson's desire for women ultimately led to his downfall. Finally, the story is a testament to the power of God, who gave Samson the strength to defeat his enemies even in death.