Chapter
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Verse
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Judges 16:26
ESV And Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, "Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them."
NIV Samson said to the servant who held his hand, "Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them."
NASB Then Samson said to the boy who was holding his hand, 'Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, so that I may lean against them.'
CSB Samson said to the young man who was leading him by the hand, "Lead me where I can feel the pillars supporting the temple, so I can lean against them."
NLT Samson said to the young servant who was leading him by the hand, 'Place my hands against the pillars that hold up the temple. I want to rest against them.'
KJV And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them.
NKJV Then Samson said to the lad who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars which support the temple, so that I can lean on them.”

What does Judges 16:26 mean?

Here, the point of view switches from the celebrating Philistines to Samson. He stands in what is likely a Philistine temple, among thousands of nobles from their culture (Judges 16:23–24). He is blind (Judges 16:21), ridiculed and seems thoroughly defeated. However, he is not as helpless as he seems. Samson lost his supernatural strength because he betrayed its secret to Delilah (Judges 16:17–20). In prison, he seems to have finally come to a point of submissive faith (Judges 16:28), foreshadowed by his regrowing hair (Judges 16:22).

The Philistines, in their celebration, brought Samson out for their own entertainment. That choice was probably fueled by copious amounts of alcohol (Judges 16:25). Complacency and comfort in their oppression of Israel (Judges 13:1) was exactly what God intended to disrupt, using Samson (Judges 13:5; 14:4). In this case, their arrogance and carelessness will lead to a devastating result (Judges 16:29–30).

Samson is standing at the center of the large temple. Archaeologists differ as to the exact construction of such buildings. This one featured two main pillars which supported the main weight of the roof and walls. A young man is holding Samson's hand, likely to lead him around in his blindness. Samson asks to lean against the support pillars. He speaks as if he's tired and needs to rest.
Expand
Expand
Expand
What is the Gospel?
Download the app:
BibleRef.com is part of Got Questions Ministries

For answers to your Bible questions, please visit