Judges 16:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when their hearts were merry, they said, “Call Samson, that he may entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars.

NIV: While they were in high spirits, they shouted, 'Bring out Samson to entertain us.' So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them. When they stood him among the pillars,

NASB: It so happened when they were in high spirits, that they said, 'Call for Samson, that he may amuse us.' So they called for Samson from the prison, and he entertained them. And they made him stand between the pillars.

CSB: When they were in good spirits, they said, "Bring Samson here to entertain us." So they brought Samson from prison, and he entertained them. They had him stand between the pillars.

NLT: Half drunk by now, the people demanded, 'Bring out Samson so he can amuse us!' So he was brought from the prison to amuse them, and they had him stand between the pillars supporting the roof.

KJV: And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.

NKJV: So it happened, when their hearts were merry, that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may perform for us.” So they called for Samson from the prison, and he performed for them. And they stationed him between the pillars.

A huge celebration is going on in Gaza. The rulers of the Philistines have come from their five cities (Joshua 13:3). These nobles, and presumably the wealthiest and most influential of their people, have gathered for a party in honor of their false god Dagon (Judges 16:23–24). The dreaded and feared Israelite Samson has finally been captured, drained of his supernatural strength, and blinded. As far as they know, the brutal threat posed by Samson has ended.

When the party really gets going, people call for Samson to be brought out to entertain them. The expression that "their hearts were merry" is sometimes associated with drunkenness (1 Samuel 25:36; Esther 1:10). Instead of keeping Samson tightly bound in slave labor (Judges 16:21), they want to mock him in public. Samson is brought into the temple building and made to stand before them all between the two central pillars of the building.

The way in which Samson is made to "entertain" the Philistines is not described. Perhaps it was simply the opportunity to look at Samson in his current pathetic condition. Perhaps he was made to navigate obstacles in his blindness. It's also possible, but not as likely, that they knew his strength had returned (Judges 16:22) and made him demonstrate it in some controlled way. That Samson is about to pray for great strength seems to contradict that possibility, as well (Judges 16:28). Whatever was done to him, the once fearsome Samson was joyfully mocked by thousands of Philistines. This decision will not end well for the oppressors of Israel (Judges 13:1, 5; 16:30).

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).