Judges 13 Study Notes

13:1 The story of Samson is introduced with the pattern familiar in the book of Judges—of doing evil and being handed over to an enemy for a period of time. Based in the coastal plain, the Philistines were constantly seeking to expand their territory into the foothills of Israel. They were already a problem for Israel in 3:31, and they continued to be the chief threat to Israel during the time of Samuel and Saul. There is no mention on this occasion of Israel crying out for deliverance, yet the Lord would still send them a deliverer—of a sort.

13:2-7 The opening of Samson’s story, There was a certain man, almost exactly matches that of Samuel, inviting comparison of these two sons born to formerly barren women. The name of his father, Manoah, means “rest,” which is what Israel lacked. The description of his wife as unable to conceive and having no children echoes the description of Sarah in Gn 11:30, raising expectations of a child who would be of great significance for God’s plans. Their personal tragedy mirrored the pitiable state of the nation as a whole.

A Nazirite made a vow to abstain from wine and other alcoholic beverages, to remain separate from corpses and other sources of defilement, and to leave his hair uncut (Nm 6). Since the dietary restriction not to . . . eat anything unclean should have been observed by all Israelites all the time, it suggests that general standards of holiness were low during this period. The one that she would bear would be called to begin to save Israel from the power of the Philistines, though others would finish the work.

The Lord’s design for Samson paralleled his design for Israel. Israel was intended to be a holy people, because their Lord was holy (Lv 11:45). Their subsequent history and lack of faithfulness to their calling was matched by Samson’s career as he disobeyed every single one of the vows made on his behalf. From the womb on, Samson is a picture of Israel—chosen for holiness, but defiled by his sinful actions.

13:8 The woman’s husband, Manoah, prayed for a return visit from the angelic figure, presumably so they might receive additional instructions on how to raise this child. In reality, there was nothing more Manoah needed to know. Possibly he was jealous of the fact that the angel appeared to his wife rather than to him.

13:9-14 God graciously responded to Manoah’s request, though it is significant that when the angel appeared again it was initially to the woman alone. Learning of the appearance, Manoah sought to question the angel about his identity and the responsibilities of the boy. The angel simply repeated the instructions earlier given to his wife. There was nothing required of Manoah, only of his wife.

13:15-18 Manoah’s invitation to a meal may have been an act of hospitality, but the effect of his actions is unwittingly made clear by his words Please stay here, which literally meant, “Let us detain you.” The angel declined Manoah’s offer, instead inviting him to present it as a burnt offering to the Lord. Manoah asked the angel’s name. Apparently, he was still unable to put the clues together and recognize the angel of the Lord. The angel refused to answer his question, affirming that his name was beyond understanding—“extraordinary” or “wonderful.” In the OT, the Hebrew word translated “beyond understanding” is almost invariably used to describe God, not human experiences. If the formation of every child in the womb is “wondrous” (Ps 139:14), a work of God, how much more must this be true when a barren woman conceives?

13:19-21 Still Manoah failed to grasp the obvious. It was only when the heavenly messenger ascended in the flames going up from the altar that Manoah finally understood who this messenger was. The Hebrew word translated “beyond understanding” in v. 18 is related to the word translated “something miraculous” here. The irony was lost on Manoah.

13:22-23 Manoah’s wife understood God better than her husband did. Once he recognized the angel of the Lord, Manoah thought both he and his wife would die. This was indeed the standard penalty for seeing God (Ex 33:20). As Manoah’s wife noted, God obviously had other intentions.

13:24-25 So Samson was born as a result of the miraculous intervention of God. As he grew, the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him. These elements raise the expectation that he would be used by God to deliver his people powerfully—expectations that would be partially fulfilled but mostly unmet in what followed.