What does Judges 16:24 mean?

Samson was the Philistine's public enemy number one. They all praised Dagon—an idol adapted from the Amorites—when they saw that Samson was finally captured and humiliated in his blindness. In this way, the Philistines demonstrate the kind of faithfulness to their false god which the true God of Israel wants to see, in His own people, towards Him. Instead, Israel has repeatedly abandoned Him to take part in the worship of the false gods of Canaan and the surrounding nations.

It's not just Philistines rulers who give credit to the false god Dagon for Samson's capture. His feats of terror against the Philistines (Judges 15:4–5; 14–15; 16:3) have alarmed the populace for years (Judges 15:20). So long as Samson was free, the Philistines in Palestine could not feel safe. This, of course, was the point of God's use of Samson (Judges 13:5; 14:4). Samson's coarse, immoral lifestyle is difficult to understand, but the main purpose of his life was to shatter the complacent oppression wielded by the Philistines. The assembled nobles don't know it yet, but this unique judge (Judges 2:16–19) will once more strike terror into those who harm God's people (Judges 16:30).