Judges 13:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children.

NIV: A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth.

NASB: And there was a man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was infertile and had not given birth to any children.

CSB: There was a certain man from Zorah, from the family of Dan, whose name was Manoah; his wife was unable to conceive and had no children.

NLT: In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children.

KJV: And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.

NKJV: Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children.

The writer of Judges introduces Samson's family (Judges 13:24–25) with a classic story opening: "there was a certain man." This is Manoah, Samson's father. Manoah and his wife live in the territory of Dan in the city of Zorah. Scholars identify Zorah with the modern city of Sar'a, which is a short distance west of Jerusalem, placing it squarely in the Philistine-controlled territory in southern Canaan.

Many stories in the Old Testament begin with a woman struggling to have children. Manoah's unnamed wife is described as barren. God often used women otherwise unable to conceive to demonstrate His power; this also showed the significance of the person to be born to them. Examples include Abraham's wife Sarah (Genesis 16:1–2), Isaac's wife Rebekah (Genesis 25:21), Jacob's wife Rachel (Genesis 29:31), and Samuel's mother Hanna (1 Samuel 1:1–5). The New Testament begins with another example in John the Baptist's mother, Elizabeth (Luke 1:7).

The timeline of biblical events indicates that the lives Samson and the judge-turned-prophet Samuel significantly overlap. Samson's life will end before the Philistines are entirely defeated (Judges 16:31); Samuel will be the one to break their stranglehold (1 Samuel 7:12–14). This was between 1000 and 1100 years or so before the birth of Christ.

Judges 13:1–7 begins as Israel, once again, descends into sin and evil, resulting in hardship. This passage describes an interaction between a childless women and a messenger from God, possibly Yahweh Himself in human form. He tells her she will give birth to a son who is to be dedicated as a Nazirite from the womb. This child's purpose will be to begin rescuing Israel from oppression under the Philistines. The woman tells her husband, Manoah, who is from the tribe of Dan.

The Lord appoints another deliverer for Israel, this time in response to oppression under the Philistines. An impressive stranger appears to Manoah and his wife, announcing they will have a son. This child is to be set apart as a Nazarite from before birth until death. His mother must not drink wine or strong drink or eat any unclean thing. This visitor then disappears into the flames of a burnt offering. The couple realizes they have seen a manifestation of Yahweh, Himself. Samson is born and soon shows signs of God's influence.

After Jephthah's rescue (Judges 11—12) this passage begins with another generation sinning against God. As is the pattern of the book of Judges, this leads to oppression. Israel is subject to forty years of misery under the Philistines. God appears to the wife of Manoah in the territory of Dan. She is commanded to consecrate her unborn son as a Nazarite, and that this child will begin to save Israel from the Philistines. Samson is born and is blessed by God. This is as pure as Samson's life will be—the rest of his story is an awkward, scandalous example of the Lord using flawed people to accomplish His great purposes.

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).