1Israel serveth the Philistines forty years. 2An angel appeareth to Manoah's wife, who was barren, and telleth her that she shall bear a son. 6She informeth her husband of it. 8At Manoah's prayer the angel appeareth to him, and instructeth him what they must do. 15Manoah's sacrifice, whereby the angel is discovered. 24Samson is born.
1AND the children of Israel did evila again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
a Judges 2:11; 3:7; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6.
2¶And there was a certain man of 1Zorah, of the family of the 2Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.
1 Situated on the west-side of the mountain, which parts Judah and Dan from each other; on the east-side did the tribe of Judah dwell. See Joshua 15:33; 19:40, 41.
2 That is, of the tribe of Dan.
3And the 3angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.
3 Understand here the Son of God Himself, as Judges 6:11. See the annotation on verse 16 below.
4Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and 4drink not wineb nor strong drink, and eat not any 5unclean thing:
4 See Num. 6:3, 4.
b Num. 6:2, 3.
5 See Leviticus 11.
5For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no 6razor shall come onc his head: for the child shall be a 7Nazarite unto God from 8the womb: and he shall 9begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.
6 See Num. 6:5.
c Num. 6:5; 1 Sam. 1:11.
7 That is, set apart. See hereof Num. 6 on verse 2.
8 The word mother’s as in – the mother’s womb - may be understood here and in the 7th verse from Judges 16:17.
9 But not deliver entirely, which was done afterward in the time of Samuel and David. See 1 Sam. 7:13, 14; 2 Sam. 8:1; 21:15, etc.; 23:12.
6¶Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A 10man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very 11terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name:
10 As such are called the prophets and teachers of God’s people, because they are called of God to a holy and godly service, unto whom (as being His messengers) He reveals most familiarly His sacred will, to manifest and declare the same unto the people, and because they are instruments of his Holy Spirit. See Joshua 14:6; 1 Sam. 2:27; 1 Kings 13:1; 17:18, 24; 2 Kings chapters 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; Ezra 3:2; Neh. 12:24, 36. Also 1 Tim. 6:11; 2 Tim. 3:17; 2 Peter 1:21.
11 That is, honorable, venerable, or also terrible.
7But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.
8¶Then Manoah 12intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.
12 See Gen. 25 on verse 21.
9And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her.
10And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day.
11And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am.
12And Manoah said, Now let 13thy words come to pass. How shall we 14order the child, and how shall we do unto him?
13 Or, every one of thy words, that is, let all Thy words come to pass, or be fulfilled.
14 That is, how shall we deal with him, and what shall we observe in his upbringing?
13And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman 15let her beware.
15 The Angel answers indeed concerning the duty of the woman, but all this looked mainly upon the state and office of the son, for which those commands were given to the mother.
14She may not eat of any thing that 16cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.
16 What is edible, as grapes, raisins, etc. See Num. 6:3, 4.
15¶And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid 17for thee.
17 That is, to set before Thee. Compare Judges 6:18, 19.
16And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat 18of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. 19For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD.
18 That is, meat, victuals. As if He would say, that kid should be either for food for Me, or for a burnt-offering. Now I have no need of any meat, as being not a man, but an Angel, yea, the Son of God. If thou then offerest unto Me a burnt-offering, that shalt thou offer up even to God Himself; giving thereby to understand, that He was very God. Compare the three following verses, and verses 22, 23.
19 This is the reason why Manoah provided meat, and set it before Him.
17And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee 20honour?
20 With a unique present, in token of thankfulness. Compare 1 Sam. 9:7, 8; 1 Kings 14 on verse 3.
18And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is 21secret?
21 Hebr. peli, that is, wonderful, or hidden. Compare Isa. 9:6. Other, and he was wonderful, namely, in His doing, as appears in the following verse.
19So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and 22offered it upon a rock unto 23the LORD: and 24the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on.
22 Compare Judges 6 on verse 26.
23 According to the words of the Angel, verse 16.
24 Or, he, namely, this Angel.
20For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.
21But the angel of the LORD did no more 25appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD.
25 Hebr. added no more, or proceeded no more to appear.
22And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall 26surely die,d because we have seen God.
26 Hebr. dying die. Compare Judges 6:22 and the annotation there.
d Exod. 33:20; Deut. 5:26; Judges 6:22, 23.
23But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as 27these.
27 Being no sign of anger, but of special favor and grace.
24¶And the woman bare a son, and called his name 28Samson:e and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.
28 Hebr. Schimschon.
e Heb. 11:32.
25And the Spirit of the LORD began to 29move him at times in the 30camp of Dan between 31Zorah and Eshtaol.
29 That is here, secretly and in an extraordinary or special manner to provoke him and to move him to be zealous in his calling, and to seek opportunity to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines. The Hebrew word has divers significations, as of going, footstep, once, or more times, turn, journey, and is also taken for an anvil, whereon they strike one blow after another, or, by turns and successively. From which comes the signification of smiting, driving, driving on, as if a smith stroke upon an anvil. Compare the phrase used Mat. 4:1; Luke 4:1; Rom. 8:14; 2 Peter 1:21.
30 Hebr. Machaneh-Dan. The reason why this place was so called, see Judges 18:11, 12. It may be that Samson had something to do here with the Philistines.
31 See on verse 2. Esthaol was positioned further into the west, toward the sea, by the brook Sorek. See Judges 16:4, 31.