Judges 16:26 - Printer Friendly

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.”

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.

Judges 16:23–31 begins with a great Philistine celebration in Gaza. This honors the false god, Dagon, for the capture of Samson. Samson, blind and humiliated, is put on display in the crowded temple for the entertainment of thousands of men and women, including the Philistine lords. He asks to lean against the pillars that support the building and prays to the Lord for one more burst of strength to avenge his eyes. With God's strength, he knocks the pillars down, killing thousands of Philistines and himself. He is buried near his hometown of Zorah.

After escaping an ambush in the Philistine city of Gaza, Samson rips the city gates out and walks away with them. When he falls deeply in love with Delilah, Philistine nobles pay her a fortune to seduce Samson into revealing the secret of his strength. She eventually succeeds, shaving his head while he sleeps. The Philistines gouge out Samson's eyes and put him in prison in Gaza. He is put on display at a celebration for the Philistine idol Dagon. God grants a last moment of supernatural power in response to Samson prayer. Samson collapses the support beams of the temple, crushing himself along with thousands of Philistine leaders.

Samson's story began in chapter 14 and will end here. His time as a judge lasted twenty years (Judges 15:20), but Scripture records only a few major incidents from his life. No specific times are assigned to these events. Samson humiliates Gaza by ripping out the city gates with his bare hands. He then falls for Delilah, who finds out the secret of his strength and betrays him. The Philistines blind Samson and enslave him in a prison near Gaza. They then parade him around during a noblemen's celebration in the temple of Dagon. With power from the Lord, granted as a last request, Samson collapses the temple's support pillars. This kills everyone inside, including himself. This begins the process of Israel's liberation (Judges 13:5), which later men such as Samuel will complete (1 Samuel 7:11–14).

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).