Judges13
New Living Translation
1Again the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines, who oppressed them for forty years.
2In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children.
3The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, “Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son.
4So be careful; you must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food.
5You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.”
6The woman ran and told her husband, “A man of God appeared to me! He looked like one of God’s angels, terrifying to see. I didn’t ask where he was from, and he didn’t tell me his name.
7But he told me, ‘You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food. For your son will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from the moment of his birth until the day of his death.’”
8Then Manoah prayed to the Lord, saying, “Lord, please let the man of God come back to us again and give us more instructions about this son who is to be born.”
9God answered Manoah’s prayer, and the angel of God appeared once again to his wife as she was sitting in the field. But her husband, Manoah, was not with her.
10So she quickly ran and told her husband, “The man who appeared to me the other day is here again!”
11Manoah ran back with his wife and asked, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife the other day?” “Yes,” he replied, “I am.”
12So Manoah asked him, “When your words come true, what kind of rules should govern the boy’s life and work?”
13The angel of the Lord replied, “Be sure your wife follows the instructions I gave her.
14She must not eat grapes or raisins, drink wine or any other alcoholic drink, or eat any forbidden food.”
15Then Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “Please stay here until we can prepare a young goat for you to eat.”
16“I will stay,” the angel of the Lord replied, “but I will not eat anything. However, you may prepare a burnt offering as a sacrifice to the Lord.” (Manoah didn’t realize it was the angel of the Lord.)
17Then Manoah asked the angel of the Lord, “What is your name? For when all this comes true, we want to honor you.”
18“Why do you ask my name?” the angel of the Lord replied. “It is too wonderful for you to understand.”
19Then Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered it on a rock as a sacrifice to the Lord. And as Manoah and his wife watched, the Lord did an amazing thing.
20As the flames from the altar shot up toward the sky, the angel of the Lord ascended in the fire. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell with their faces to the ground.
21The angel did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. Manoah finally realized it was the angel of the Lord,
22and he said to his wife, “We will certainly die, for we have seen God!”
23But his wife said, “If the Lord were going to kill us, he wouldn’t have accepted our burnt offering and grain offering. He wouldn’t have appeared to us and told us this wonderful thing and done these miracles.”
24When her son was born, she named him Samson. And the Lord blessed him as he grew up.
25And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he lived in Mahaneh-dan, which is located between the towns of 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