Judges13
New King James Version
1Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.
2Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children.
3And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.
4Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean.
5For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”
6So the woman came and told her husband, saying, “A Man of God came to me, and His countenance was like the countenance of the Angel of God, very awesome; but I did not ask Him where He was from, and He did not tell me His name.
7And He said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. Now drink no wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’ ”
8Then Manoah prayed to the Lord, and said, “O my Lord, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born.”
9And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the Angel of God came to the woman again as she was sitting in the field; but Manoah her husband was not with her.
10Then the woman ran in haste and told her husband, and said to him, “Look, the Man who came to me the other day has just now appeared to me!”
11So Manoah arose and followed his wife. When he came to the Man, he said to Him, “Are You the Man who spoke to this woman?” And He said, “I am.”
12Manoah said, “Now let Your words come to pass! What will be the boy’s rule of life, and his work?”
13So the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful.
14She may not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor may she drink wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean. All that I commanded her let her observe.”
15Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “Please let us detain You, and we will prepare a young goat for You.”
16And the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Though you detain Me, I will not eat your food. But if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to the Lord.” (For Manoah did not know He was the Angel of the Lord.)
17Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?”
18And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?”
19So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it upon the rock to the Lord. And He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on—
20it happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar—the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar! When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground.
21When the Angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and his wife, then Manoah knew that He was the Angel of the Lord.
22And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God!”
23But his wife said to him, “If the Lord had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have told us such things as these at this time.”
24So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him.
25And the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him at Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Judges 13.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The Philistines, Samson announced. (1–7). The angel appears to Manoah. (8–14). Manoah's sacrifice. (15–23). Birth of Samson. (24, 25).
vv1-7
Israel did evil: then God delivered them again into the hands of the Philistines. When Israel was in this distress, Samson was born. His parents had been long childless. Many eminent persons were born of such mothers. Mercies long waited for, often prove signal mercies; and by them others may be encouraged to continue their hope in God's mercy. The angel notices her affliction. God often sends comfort to his people very seasonably, when they feel their troubles most. This deliverer of Israel must be devoted to God. Manoah's wife was satisfied that the messenger was of God. She gave her husband a particular account, both of the promise and of the precept. Husbands and wives should tell each other their experiences of communion with God, and their improvements in acquaintance with him, that they may help each other in the way that is holy.
vv8-14
Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet, as Manoah, have believed. Good men are more careful and desirous to know the duty to be done by them, than to know the events concerning them: duty is ours, events are God's. God will guide those by his counsel, who desire to know their duty, and apply to him to teach them. Pious parents, especially, will beg Divine assistance. The angel repeats the directions he had before given. There is need of much care for the right ordering both of ourselves and our children, that we may be duly separate from the world, and living sacrifices to the Lord.
vv15-23
What Manoah asked for instruction in his duty, he was readily told; but what he asked to gratify his curiosity, was denied. God has in his word given full directions concerning our duty, but never designed to answer other questionings. There are secret things which belong not to us, of which we must be quite contented to be ignorant, while in this world. The name of our Lord is wonderful and secret; but by his wonderful works he makes himself known as far as is needful for us. Prayer is the ascent of the soul to God. But without Christ in the heart by faith, our services are offensive smoke; in him, acceptable flame. We may apply this to Christ's sacrifice of himself for us; he ascended in the flame of his own offering, for by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, Heb 9:12. In Manoah's reflections there is great fear; We shall surely die. In his wife's reflection there is great faith. As a help meet for him, she encouraged him. Let believers who have had communion with God in the word and prayer, to whom he has graciously manifested himself, and who have had reason to think God has accepted their works, take encouragement from thence in a cloudy and dark day. God would not have done what he has done for my soul, if he had designed to forsake me, and leave me to perish at last; for his work is perfect. Learn to reason as Manoah's wife; If God designed me to perish under his wrath, he would not give me tokens of his favour.
Key Words
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
יִשְׂרָאֵל: Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
יָסַף: to add or augment (often adverbial, to continue to do a thing)
עָשָׂה: to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
רַע: bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)
עַיִן: an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape)
נָתַן: to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
יָד: a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etc.),
פְּלִשְׁתִּי: a Pelishtite or inhabitant of Pelesheth
אַרְבָּעִים: forty
Cross References
Judges 13Establishes the standard legal requirements for a Nazarite vow, which Samson was called to from birth.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Direct law specifying that no razor shall touch the head of a dedicated Nazarite.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Connects the Angel's 'secret' (or 'Wonderful') name with the Messianic title in Isaiah.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Parallel inquiry of a divine messenger's name, where the name is likewise withheld as secret.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Similar miraculous sign of fire consuming a sacrifice and the Angel's sudden departure.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Parallel terror of Gideon realizing he had seen the Angel of the Lord face-to-face.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The foundational law that no man can see God's face and live, prompting Manoah's terror.
Supported by Matthew Poole
New Testament parallel of John the Baptist, who was also forbidden wine from the womb.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Hannah's parallel vow dedicating her unborn son Samuel as a lifelong Nazarite.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Abrahamic precedent of offering hospitable food to travelers who were actually divine visitors.
Supported by Matthew Poole
New Testament Hall of Faith commendation of Samson as a divinely raised deliverer.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Confirms Samson only began deliverance, judging Israel twenty years during the forty-year Philistine oppression.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Geographical identification of Zorah on the border of Judah and Dan.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Illustrates how the Spirit of the Lord actively empowered Samson for acts of physical deliverance.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB