Judges 13:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Manoah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, for we have seen God."

NIV: "We are doomed to die!" he said to his wife. "We have seen God!"

NASB: So Manoah said to his wife, 'We will certainly die, for we have seen God.'

CSB: "We’re certainly going to die," he said to his wife, "because we have seen God!"

NLT: and he said to his wife, 'We will certainly die, for we have seen God!'

KJV: And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.

NKJV: And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God!”

This expression of fear comes after Manoah and his wife witnessed a "man" vanishing into the flame of a burnt offering (Judges 13:15–21). After this "man" made a prophecy about their unborn child (Judges 13:2–14), the supernatural disappearance brought realization: this was no mere man, at all. It was the "angel of the LORD." Manoah turns to his wife and states what this implies: they have seen God—or at least some temporary manifestation. For at least a moment, he assumes this means they are doomed.

Manoah was not being melodramatic. God said to Moses very clearly that "man shall not see me and live" (Exodus 33:20). Even before that, it was commonly held that seeing God—in all His glory and power—resulted in death. Gideon's response to seeing the angel of the Lord vanish before his eyes was similar to Manoah's: "Alas, O LORD God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face" (Judges 6:22). The Lord quickly reassured Gideon, though, by saying, "Do not fear; you shall not die."

Neither Gideon nor Manoah had seen the glory of the Lord directly. They had seen Yahweh in a short-term human form meant to interact with people. Theologians refer to such incidents as "theophanies." Manoah's wife will answer his fear of death with reason, including confidence in the Lord's purposes (Judges 13:23).

Judges 13:8–25 explains how Manoah learned of his wife's interaction with a messenger from God. He prays for more understanding, so he can properly fulfill his obligations. The angel of the Lord appears, again, and repeats his instructions. The child is to be consecrated as a Nazirite for his entire life. Manoah prepares a sacrifice, and the angel disappears into the flames. This further confirms the truth of the message. Manoah and his wife name their child Samson, who shows signs of blessing and the influence of God's Spirit from an early age.

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).