Contrariwise, Elizabeth Wurtzel sees Samson's relationship with Delilah as "the archetypal story of cross-cultural love between members of warring nations", akin to Romeo and Juliet. CEO at Haute Midwest Enterprises. Afterwards, Manoah's wife did conceived and she gave birth to a son called Samson. Entice (which means deceive) was Samson's first wife's name. Delilah has been the subject of both rabbinic and Christian commentary; rabbinic literature identifies her with Micah's mother in the biblical narrative of Micah's Idol, while some Christians have compared her to Judas Iscariot, the man who betrayed Jesus. His parents rebuked him for not getting a wife from his own clan. [14], Most Christian commentary on Delilah condemns her. [5] She then awoke him, and delivered him into the hands of the waiting Philistine chiefs. ", "The screen: lavish de Mille film arrives; 'Samson and Delilah' Has Its Premiere at Two Theatres, Rivoli and Paramount", Hebrew concordance with Strong's Dictionary, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Delilah&oldid=983905162, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia without a Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 16 October 2020, at 23:29. Copyright © 2020 Multiply Media, LLC. [14] Rashi disputes this theory, as the Seder Olam Rabbah states that Micah and Samson were not contemporaries and that Micah lived during the time of Othniel. 2 And her father said, I truly thought you utterly hated her, so I gave her to your companion. It is possible he was not fully aware that cutting his hair would cause God to allow him to lose his strength; since it was actually the decline of his spiritual state that caused him to lose God's favor. 6 Then the Philistines said, Who has done this? CIO at SherellRaSha.com. [9] Melissa A. Jackson, in Comedy and Feminist Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible: A Subversive Collaboration, says that the Bible delineates between "good" foreigners like Tamar, Pharaoh's daughter, Rahab, and Ruth, and "bad" foreigners like Jezebel and Delilah. When Samson prepares to collapse the pillars, Delilah does not follow Samson's advice to get out and she dies alongside him when the temple collapses. Ultimately, though he was married to the woman from Timnah, he was punished for his lust. [9] They see the narratives of Samson, Gideon, and Jephthah as cautionary tales against men choosing partners who could create "impure offspring". Later, Samson’s father went to Timnah and Samson made a feast there to celebrate the marriage. [10], The Jewish sages said Delilah's name implies what she did to Samson ("She dwindles"). [34], The 1949 Biblical drama Samson and Delilah, directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr in the titular roles, was widely praised by critics for its cinematography, lead performances, costumes, sets, and innovative special effects. [38] Actresses who have portrayed Delilah besides Lamarr include Belinda Bauer in Samson and Delilah (1984),[39] and Elizabeth Hurley in Samson and Delilah (1996). [6], Caesarius of Arles views Delilah's temptation of Samson as similar to Satan's temptation of Christ. Accessed April 4, 2015, Filed under Women's Studies [6] Pseudo-Philo also writes that Delilah was Samson's wife. Samson’s mother who had kept him in strict compliance to his Nazirite vow in his youth and his father, were now trying to reason with Samson that he should not be found guilty of breaking his vow. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. [2], Dolores G. Kamrada write in Heroines, Heroes and Deity: Three Narratives of the Biblical Heroic Tradition that Delilah is similar to Jael, a woman mentioned in the fourth and fifth chapters of the Book of Judges who murders Sisera by driving a tent peg into his head,[24] and frequently compared to the title character of the Book of Judith, who beheads Holofernes;[24] all three women defeat powerful warriors. And they were told, Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he [the Timnite] has taken his [Samson’s] wife and has given her to his companion. [2] Then, she fastened the locks of his hair to the loom but with the same result. Yes, God got the glory and accomplished His will, but what happened in the life of Samson? Samson put a riddle to the people in apparent entertainment at the feast. The first was the woman from Timnah whom he married, the second was the whore from Gaza, and the third was the only woman mentioned by name, Delilah, with whom Samson “fell in love.”According to the Biblical account, Samson’s relations with these women were a means to be revenged upon the Philistines. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. [6] The lords of the Philistines bribed her to discover the source of Samson's great strength, each offering to give her 1,100 silver coins. [27] James D. G. Dunn and John William Rogerson say in Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible that Delilah exemplifies an important theme in the Book of Judges - a fear of assimilation. Apparently, God was plotting against the Philistines, though Samson’s marriage would violate the law that he should not be joined to a foreign woman. 1 But some days later, in the time of wheat harvest, Samson went to visit his wife, taking along a kid [as a token of reconciliation]; and he said, I will go unto my wife in the inner chamber. 1 Samson went down to Timnah and at Timnah saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. She holds two B.A. If Samson had been submissive to the will of God and close to the Lord, could not the Lord have found a … The material on this site can not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with prior written permission of Multiply. Web Artist and CSS designer. All Rights Reserved. The Philistines had good reason to hate Samson, seeing that he slaughtered many of them. Is her younger sister not fairer than she? To his dismay, his father-in-law would not allow him to sleep with his wife, saying that she had been given to his best friend. ( Log Out / "[26], Haaretz's Elon Gilad writes "some biblical stories are flat-out cautions against marrying foreign women, none more than the story of Samson",[27] noting that Samson's relationship with Delilah leads to his demise. So Samson’s first wife died. [5] Exum writes that the arguments that Delilah was a Philistine are inconclusive,[5] while the Jewish Encyclopedia says that Delilah was a Philistine in all probability. [2] She is loved by Samson,[2] a Nazirite who possesses great strength[3] and serves as the final Judge of Israel. [18] However, Thomas de Vio Cajetan views Delilah in a somewhat sympathetic light, suggesting that she never intended Samson to be killed or wounded. Designer at GSyndicates. [1] Jewish Women’s Archive. Many will find a message of hope in tribulation; or faith against all odds; or novel ideas and practical solutions; or something to empower and refresh the spirit. Note the fact of the identical fate overtaking Samson's wife which she had sought to escape by base treachery (cf. But her father would not allow him to go in. [30][31] In One Thousand and One Nights, her name is applied to cunning women. When Samson’s anger had subsided over the previous injunction, he went back to Timnah and so bearing gifts. The three women in Samson ’s life were Gentiles. Leave a comment, « Women of The Bible Series Table of Contents [10] Medieval midrash propose that Delilah was the mother of Micah from the biblical narrative of Micah's Idol. The Philistines ruled over the Israelites at that time. Shenica Graham is a minister, author, recording artist, songwriter, publisher, and entrepreneur. [1] Because Samson allowed his spiritual state to become diminished, he was vulnerable to losing his strength by having his hair cut. CIO at SherellRaSha.com. WordPress enthusiast. He asserts that Delilah accepted a bribe from the Philistine leaders because they convinced her that Samson would merely be weakened. [9], Josephus and Pseudo-Philo both view Delilah as a Philistine and a prostitute; Josey Bridges Snyder theorizes that this may be due to the fact that Book of Judges portrays Samson as being attracted to both Philistine women (Judges 14:1) and prostitutes (Judges 16:1). [19] Similarly, Billy Graham sees Samson's eyes being gouged out after he was handed over to the Philistines as his punishment for succumbing to his lust for Delilah; Graham also sees this as an example of the concept that one reaps what one sows. [2] Then, when he was asleep, she ordered a servant to cut Samson's hair. Why don't libraries smell like bookstores? Samson convinced his parents to do down with him to Timnah to seek the woman to wife. [40], Judges 16:4-18 commentary, "The Prophets", Artscroll - The Rubin Edition, Judges 16 commentary, "The Prophets", Artscroll - The Rubin Edition, life of Jesus as portrayed in the New Testament, "Intermarriage and the Jews: What Would the Early Israelites Say? 20 But Samson’s wife was [given] to his companion who was his [best] friend. Scholars have noted similarities between Delilah and other women in the Bible, such as Jael and Judith, and have discussed the question of whether the story of Samson's relationship with Delilah displays a negative attitude towards foreigners. [38] In Samson and Delilah, Delilah is the sister of Samson's wife, and repents cutting off his hair. Tagged with women of the bible. [2], First, at his own suggestion, she bound him with "seven green withes," but these he easily snapped asunder. 4 So Samson went and caught 300 foxes or jackals and took torches and turning the foxes tail to tail, he put a torch between each pair of tails. [20] Joyce Meyer writes that Satan worked through Delilah, as he was aware that Samson had "a weakness for women". Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), The Woman From Gaza & Delilah: Samson’s Weaknesses, Women of The Bible Series Table of Contents, http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/women-in-samsons-life-midrash-and-aggadah, Join My SandLine / Life Turned Up Movement, Support This African American & Veteran Owned Fashion Business. After three failed attempts at doing so, she finally goads Samson into telling her that his vigor is derived from his hair. Designer at GSyndicates. The Philistines had good reason to hate Samson, seeing that he slaughtered many of them. [34] In the libretto, Delilah is portrayed as a seductive femme fatale,[34] but the music played during her parts invokes sympathy for her. [27] He contrasts this to what he sees as a more positive portrayal of intermarriage in the Book of Ruth. Notable depictions of Delilah include John Milton's closet drama Samson Agonistes and Cecil B. DeMille's 1949 Hollywood film Samson and Delilah. Psychology Teacher and Mental Health Coach at mypsychteacher.com. [34] In 1877, Camille Saint-Saëns composed the opera Samson and Delilah with a libretto by Ferdinand Lemaire in which the entire story of Samson and Delilah is retold. Her name has become associated with treacherous and voluptuous women. Saint Ambrose represents Delilah as a Philistine prostitute[6] and declares that "men should avoid marriage with those outside the faith, lest, instead of love of one's spouse, there be treachery. Jump to Previous.