"[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. Her name has become associated with treacherous and voluptuous women. John 11:48 with what actually happened). "[6] Marbodius of Rennes uses the examples of Delilah, Eve, Lot's daughters, Herodias, Clytemnestra, and Procne to illustrate that women are a "pleasant evil, at once a honeycomb and a poison". [2] She is the only woman in Samson's story who is named. 6 Then the Philistines said, Who has done this? He did so. The Philistines ruled over the Israelites at that time. [21], Delilah is usually thought to have been a Philistine,[5] although she is not identified as such in the Bible. [6], Caesarius of Arles views Delilah's temptation of Samson as similar to Satan's temptation of Christ. 20 But Samson’s wife was [given] to his companion who was his [best] friend. Ultimately, though he was married to the woman from Timnah, he was punished for his lust. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! [14], Most Christian commentary on Delilah condemns her. 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. Psychology Teacher and Mental Health Coach at mypsychteacher.com. Designer at GSyndicates. [4] Delilah is bribed by the lords of the Philistines to discover the source of his strength. [1] Because Samson allowed his spiritual state to become diminished, he was vulnerable to losing his strength by having his hair cut. [29] The use of the name "Delilah" to connote deceit or betrayal can be found in works such as H. G. Wells' The Invisible Man (1897), the Tom Jones song "Delilah" (1968), Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera (1986), and Pat Conroy's Beach Music (1995). [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. David Kimhi notes that it is mentioned at the peak of his career; which implies that mentions of Samson afterwards marks his decline and downfall. 2 And he came up and told his father and mother, I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah; now get her for me as my wife. [15] Christian commentators have viewed Samson as a type of Jesus Christ, based on similarities between Samson's story and the life of Jesus as portrayed in the New Testament[16][17] Samson's betrayal by Delilah has also been compared to Jesus' betrayal by Judas Iscariot;[17] both Delilah and Judas were paid in pieces of silver for their respective deeds. [2], First, at his own suggestion, she bound him with "seven green withes," but these he easily snapped asunder. God was still with Samson despite this act of disobedience.At the very least, the union would be briefly honored since it was a formal marriage and not a sexual immorality. [5] The two were not married[5] and the idea that they had a sexual relationship is, in the words of Josey Bridges Snyder, "at most implicit in the biblical text". [18] However, Thomas de Vio Cajetan views Delilah in a somewhat sympathetic light, suggesting that she never intended Samson to be killed or wounded. When the Philistines knew that Samson had burned much land by fire, and the reason being that he was cheated of taking his wife whom he had married and not treated as a harlot, the Philistines burned the Timnite woman and her father with fire. [6] Pseudo-Philo also writes that Delilah was Samson's wife. When Samson’s anger had subsided over the previous injunction, he went back to Timnah and so bearing gifts. [20] Joyce Meyer writes that Satan worked through Delilah, as he was aware that Samson had "a weakness for women". Why don't libraries smell like bookstores? [22] James D. G. Dunn and John William Rogerson feel that the Bible portrays Delilah as "a doubly dangerous woman given her apparent independence", noting that she is not "identified by a male relationship - the wife, daughter or sister of anyone" but simply "appears in her own right". Note the fact of the identical fate overtaking Samson's wife which she had sought to escape by base treachery (cf. The name of his wife was Gorgo and she reigned as the first Queen of Sparta. 5 His father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord, and that He sought an occasion for assailing the Philistines. [2], The Bible does not mention her fate,[8] and, as James D. G. Dunn and John William Rogerson note in Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible, it never discusses whether Delilah felt guilt for her actions. [2] She is loved by Samson,[2] a Nazirite who possesses great strength[3] and serves as the final Judge of Israel. Samson was finally enticed by his new wife, who sold him out to the Philistines by nagging Samson and ultimately extracting the answer to the riddle. Delilah (/dɪˈlaɪlə/; Hebrew: דְּלִילָה Dəlîlāh, meaning "delicate";[1] Tiberian Hebrew Dəlila; Arabic Dalilah; Greek Δαλιδά Dalidá) is a woman mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. [2] Then she tied him with new ropes: these also failed. Did the Jonas Brothers Co-Write Get Back by Demi Lovato? Jump to Next. CEO at Haute Midwest Enterprises. Actuall, Samsons wife was Delilah, the one who betrayed him. Entice (which means deceive) was Samson's first wife's name. She is the only woman in Samson's story who is named. [14] This tradition explains the conflation of Delilah and Micah's mother by noting that Bible introduces the narrative of Micah's Idol immediately after the narrative of Samson and Delilah. Actually, the FIRST answer is correct, not the one above. [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] Isidore of Seville does see Samson as prefiguring Christ, but argues that "in yielding to Delilah, Samson did not prefigure Christ. 4 And Samson said to his father, Get her for me, for she is all right in my eyes. After three failed attempts at doing so, she finally goads Samson into telling her that his vigor is derived from his hair. WordPress enthusiast. While Samson was away, the father of the woman of Timnah gave Samson’s wife to one of his friends. Yes, God got the glory and accomplished His will, but what happened in the life of Samson? [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). [5] Samson was attracted to Philistine women; he had previously been married to one. Tagged with women of the bible. 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. [5] The Bible says that Samson loved her (Judges 16:4) but not that she loved him. [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. Accessed April 4, 2015, Filed under Women's Studies [11], Late aggadah say that Samson and Delilah had sons together who were strong like their father; Eldad ha-Dani claims that their sons resided in the land of Havilah and each had voices as "triumphal...as a lion’s roar". About Shenica R. GrahamWeb Artist and CSS designer. Delilah was a woman of Sorek. [10] Midrashim on Delilah reveal negative attitudes toward non-Jewish women[10] and are supposed to "demonstrate the havoc that a foreign woman could wreak". [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.