Judges 16:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other.

NIV: Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other,

NASB: Then Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left.

CSB: Samson took hold of the two middle pillars supporting the temple and leaned against them, one on his right hand and the other on his left.

NLT: Then Samson put his hands on the two center pillars that held up the temple. Pushing against them with both hands,

KJV: And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.

NKJV: And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left.

With his final breaths, Samson expressed faith in God, to a point, by asking that his strength be restored one last time (Judges 16:28). His clearly stated motive is revenge, against the hated enemies who have blinded him (Judges 16:21, 25). The thousands of Philistines gathered for the celebration of Samson's capture seem oblivious to the idea that he could be any danger to them now. He is sightless, broken, weak, and thoroughly humiliated. They don't suspect that his relationship with the God who empowered him is beginning to heal (Judges 16:17, 22).

Were Samson to get his strength back, the Philistines have left him in a dangerous spot. He stands between two pillars holding up the entire building. Historians suggest this was not an uncommon architectural design for some ancient temples. The weight of the roof held the solid pillars in place while they supported building. Some temples might have had a series of balconies, which would also have been part of the roof and ceiling structure. Samson senses an opportunity to strike a final blow against his enemies.

The pillars are close enough together that Samson can put one hand on each and push. In this moment, Samson doesn't know if the Lord has granted his prayer for a last burst of supernatural power. In prior incidents, he acted after sensing the overwhelming presence of God's Spirit (Judges 14:5–6; 15:14–15). This is an act of faith—until he tries to use it, he won't know if he has that power. If he strains against the columns and fails, he will experience both failure and humiliation.

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).