Judges 13:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson. And the young man grew, and the Lord blessed him.

NIV: The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the Lord blessed him,

NASB: So the woman gave birth to a son, and named him Samson; and the child grew up and the Lord blessed him.

CSB: So the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew, and the Lord blessed him.

NLT: When her son was born, she named him Samson. And the Lord blessed him as he grew up.

KJV: And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him.

NKJV: So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him.

Everything "the angel of the LORD" said to Manoah and his wife happens (Judges 13:2–14). This proves they were right to trust Him. They have a son, and Manoah's wife names him "Samson." In the Old Testament, both women and men are shown deciding the names of their children.

Scholars offer many possible explanations for this choice. Scripture, itself, gives no clear motives for selecting the name "Samson." The name is related to the word for "sun," meaning perhaps "little sun." Some commentators suggest this shows how enmeshed Israel's worship of the Lord was with that of other gods. Manoah and his wife lived close to Beth Shemesh, the center of worship for a solar cult. During this era, Yahweh may have sometimes also been depicted as the sun, perhaps borrowing from pagan cults. It could be that Samson's name was influenced by all of that. Or, it might have been a deliberate choice to defy such beliefs (Judges 6:32). We cannot say for sure.

Samson grew from baby to young man, and He was blessed by the Lord. Details are scarce in this part of his life. We're not told if this blessing took the form of unusually good health and strength, or financial blessings, or other happy circumstances. Samson will later be known for Holy Spirit-driven acts of supernatural strength (Judges 14:6, 19; 15:14–15; 16:3) but is not depicted as an obviously muscular person. The precise nature of these blessings, or how they appear, is not explained in the Bible.

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).