Here's chapter 13. The beginning of what will be another distrurbing story of the Judges. We are beginning the familiar, yet often misunderstood/misrepresented story of Samson.
The story will get ugly. But for this one chapter, most of the interactions are humorous.
Chapter 13, verse 1.
"And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of YHWH, so YHWH gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years."
Don't suppose there's much to add. Just the tragic cycle of disobedience.
Some background on the Philistines: The Philistines were a non-Semitic, sea-faring people group and one of the chief enemies of Israel in the Old Testament. We've encountered the Philistines before, all the way back in chapter 3, with the brief (but memorable) story of Shamgar and his ox-goad. But going all the way back to Genesis, to the story of Abraham, we read that Abraham stayed "in the land of the Philistines many days." The word for Philistine in Hebrew is פלשתים or "inhabitant of Peleshet", which generally describes a stretch of land that runs from Egypt to Lebanon (or even further north into Syria and Turkey). The word Philistine is actually where the word Palestine comes from. So, when we call people native people, living in the land of Canaan (so as to avoid any sort of political statement) Palestinians, we're essentially calling them Philistines. Really, though, there's no connection between the Ancient Philistines and the modern Palestinians. (Again, this is not a political statement, in any form or fashion, it's simply an interesting little language tidbit.) We don't know when exactly the Philistines came into the land of Canaan, nor are we absolutely certain of their origin. However, from what archeologists have been able to study, the evidence suggests they were Greek-ish in origin (that's a big umbrella). Not everyone agrees with that conclusion, as some scholars have suggest they came from a Hurrian background (Syria). Whoever they were, the conquest of Babylon wiped their culture off the face of the earth. Regarding their principle abomination: The chief deity of the Philistines is Dagon. He's mentioned explicitly in chapter 16 of Judges, as part of the story of Samson. Dagon was worshipped throughout Mesopotamia. He'll show up again in 1 Samuel, in an extremely funny story about the Ark of the Covenant. The mythology of Dagon is interesting but limited. He's worshipped as a god of fertility. He is depicted as half-man, half-fish (he's got connections to Nineveh and the story of Jonah, by the way). He's been called the father of Baal, but then again, so was El. Interestingly, though, there is little in the mythology of Baal that connects him to Dagon. |
Verses 2-7.
"There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children. And the angel of YHWH appeared to the woman and said to her, 'Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.'"
There's something missing from the beginning of this story. Why isn't Israel/Dan crying out to YHWH for deliverance? What is the nature of their relationship to the Philistines? It's an interesting relationship to consider here in chapter 13 before we get into the stories of Samson's marriage in chapter 14.
This is also the first time that we've gotten a birth narrative for one of the Judges of Israel. It follows a pretty familiar pattern in Scripture: A childless woman is visited by a heavenly messenger. Her child (in some form or fashion) will be set apart for the God of Israel. We'll see the same thing with Samuel in a few chapters.
Barrenness in biblical literature affords itself to the unique intercession of God in a number of women's stories, like the story of Sarai, Rebekah, Rachel... Each of them highlighting the importance of God's promise to Abraham finding fulfillment in the continuation of his lineage. And I can't help but be struck by the tendency of God to reveal His divine plan and promises in the most dire and least likely circumstances. It would seem as though whenever we get into our minds that the promises of God are doomed to fail, that is precisely when God decides to thwart our nay-saying.
Typologically, all of these conception/birth pronouncements and narratives serve as foreshadowing to the penultimate pronouncement of Mary's conception of the מָשִׁיחַ or "Messiah" (Translated as Anointed One or "Christ" in Greek). He (the Messiah) will be the Deliverer. The Judge. He will be uniquely set apart for YHWH's purposes.
And it should be clear by this point that the Judges are by no means the only typological foreshadowing of Christ in the Old Testament. The kings of Israel function in a similar capacity (especially David and to a lesser degree, Solomon). Additionally, at the end of Deuteronomy, we see Moses specifically indicate to the people that YHWH will send a "prophet like me from among you" which creates an expectation as you read through Scripture that another Moses will show up eventually!
The immediate follow-up to Moses... Joshua (whose name means "YHWH saves" and is the actual Hebrew name for Jesus) is another sort of type preceding the Christ, as he brings the people into the Promised Land and he drives out their enemies.
Frankly, there are too many characters (Moses, Joshua, Boaz, David, Solomon, Samson, Melchizedek, etc.), things (the Tabernacle, the Temple, the bronze serpent, etc.), situations/events (the Exodus, the "sacrifice" of Isaac, the story of Jonah, etc.) that typologically point ahead to person and work of Jesus for me to list them all in this post.
I guess the point I'm trying to make, before we dive into Samson's life, is that Samson -- for better or for worse -- is going to foreshadow things we should expect/anticipate by the time we get to Jesus. We just need to be careful in defining that foreshadowing because much of Samson's life is like an anti-type to Jesus.
Verses 6-7.
"Then the woman came and told her husband, 'A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name, but he said to me, 'Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.'"
What is the Nazirite Vow and what does it entail? The name comes from the Hebrew verb נזיר which means "to separate." Don't think of it in terms of social separation; think of it in terms of distinction. The person who takes a Nazirite Vow (which is a completely voluntary vow) is going to live and behave in a way that distinguishes them from the rest of the people. The Nazirite Vow is also not a lifetime vow. It certainly can be, as was intended for Samson, but typically it had a very defined window of time. Clear beginning and clear end. (Numbers 6) Here are the expectations for someone taking a Nazirite Vow:
Quite the commitment. And as we'll see (spoiler alert) the child this prophecy concerns is going to be a miserable failure when it comes to the Nazirite Vow. I suppose that's the good news? |
Verses 8-10.
"Then Manoah prayed to YHWH and said, 'O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born.' And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of YHWH came again to the woman as she sat in the field. But Manoah her husband was not with her. So the woman ran quickly and told her husband, 'Behold, the man who came to me the other day has appeared to me.'"
Now, there is something "awesome" about the appearance of this angel (whose true identity I've covered a few times), that Manoah's wife observes in verse 6. However, the point I want to make is primarily about our depiction of biblical angelic messengers:
The notion that these angels, these messengers are winged creatures makes absolutely no sense and there is nothing in Scripture that supports that kind of depiction. Instead, we are left with the impression... over and over again, that the appearance of these angelic messengers is awfully human. Both Manoah and his wife refer to him as "the man of God" or the "man who came to me"
Additionally, there is no angelic halo ever mentioned in Scripture. In fact, the depiction of halos seems to originate with the pagan artwork/worship of Roman and Greek cultures, who often showed their rulers crowned with a halo to indicate their divine personage.
Now, there are other spiritual beings, like the cherubim and the seraphim in Scripture that are described as having wings, along with some other crazy features. Those are entirely separate and distinct from the angelic messengers, though.
Verses 11-14.
"And Manoah arose and went after his wife and came to the man and said to him, 'Are you the man who spoke to this woman?' And he said, 'I am.' And Manoah said, 'Now when your words come true, what is to be the child's manner of life, and what is his mission?' And the angel of YHWH said to Manoah, 'Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful. She may not eat of anything that comes from the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, or eat any unclean thing. All that I commanded her let her observe.'"
Manoah gets what he asked for, and yet, I can't help but feel like Manoah would have been a bit frustrated by how little additional information he was able to extract from this messenger.
Verses 15-20.
"Manoah said to the angel of YHWH, 'Please let us detain you and prepare a young goat for you.' And the angel of YHWH said to Manoah, 'If you detain me, I will not eat of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to YHWH.' (For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of YHWH.) And Manoah said to the angel of YHWH, 'What is your name, so that, when your words come true, we may honor you?' And the angel of YHWH said to him, 'Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?' So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it on the rock to YHWH, to the one who works wonders, and Manoah and his wife were watching. And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of YHWH went up in the flame of the altar. Now Manoah and his wife were watching, and they fell on their faces to the ground."
Ok, I've lots of problems with the translation here.
The translators have chosen to render Manoah's request to the angel of YHWH as "detain", which while it may be a perfectly literal rendering of the Hebrew word נַעְצְרָה it is certainly not the way normal human beings communicate with each other.
The offer from Manoah is to host this messenger, to prepare a meal for them, to show them hospitality... Detain, especially in our 21st Century English minds carries an entirely different (I'd argue negative!) connotation. I don't know, just seems like a weird, wooden translation.
Secondly, I'd like to point out a problem I have with the translation of the angel of YHWH's response to Manoah, regarding his name. The angel says to Manoah:
לָ֥מָּה זֶּ֖ה תִּשְׁאַ֣ל לִשְׁמִ֑י וְהוּא־פֶֽלִאי׃ ס
Again, you could construct this sentence in English to say, "Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?" But I'm certain as you read that, it struck you as odd and disjointed.
I prefer to translate לָ֥מָּה in this instance as "how" not "why" and then פֶֽלִאי makes sense translated as "wonderful" as if there is an air of incredulity to the angel of YHWH's response to Manoah?"
However, פֶֽלִאי can also be glossed as "incomprehensible, extraordinary." With that in mind, allow me the opportunity to reconstruct this interaction (as I understand it).
Manoah: "Wow, this is crazy and great news. Please, stay a while, let us make you some dinner to show our gratitude."
Angel of YHWH: "I'll stay, but I've got no interest in dinner. But how's about a burnt offering instead to show your gratitude?" (wink, wink)
Manoah: Dull as a doorknob, still has no idea who he's talking to. "Well, alright! But at least tell me your name!"
"Buddy, how is it you haven't figured this out yet? If I were to tell you my name right now, it would be so incomprehensible and wonderful to you, that your brain would disintegrate into goop and come spilling out of your ears." (Take this with a grain of salt)
The goat is sacrificed on the altar. The flame rises up from the offering and the angel of YHWH with the flame. And our brains should be associating this event with all the many ways that YHWH interacts, communicates, demonstrates, and reveals Himself via fire in the OT (pillar of fire in the wilderness, the burning bush in Exodus 3, or significance of Sinai covered in smoke because YHWH descended on it in fire, or the fire that consumed 250 men in Numbers 16, or the fire Elijah calls from God to consume his enemies).
Not coincidentally, the Son of God shares a similar association to fire in the NT: Rev. 2:18, "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire," Luke 12:49, "I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled!" 2 Thessalonians 1:7, "...to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire," [John in reference to Jesus] "I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." When Jesus sends His Spirit to His disciples, what happens? Acts 2:3-4, "They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them." |
After this remarkable encounter, Manoah and his wife have crystal clarity on what has just transpired. They fall to their faces in reverence.
Verses 21-23.
"The angel of YHWH appeared no more to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of YHWH. And Manoah said to his wife, 'We shall surely die, for we have seen God.' But his wife said to him, 'If YHWH had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burn offering and a grain offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us such things as these.'"
This is a genuinely funny back-and-forth between Manoah and his wife. On one hand, Manoah is appropriately terrified by what's just happened! And yet, like every wife that has ever lived, Manoah's wife very reasonably points out how dumb he's being. If YHWH had wanted to kill them, why go throw all the hullabaloo?
There's good news in this text. When God speaks a word of promise to you, it is unchanging, faithful, and true... even if you're a complete numbskull.
Verses 24-25.
"And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson. And the young man grew, and YHWH blessed him. And the Spirit of YHWH began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan between Zarah and Eshtaol."
As you can see from the map, we're about 15 miles west of Jerusalem. Eshtaol and Zorah being towns very near each other (2 miles or so), Mahaneh-dan can be understood as the "encampment of Dan" between the two towns.
I want to point out the connection between Beth-Shemesh (south of Zorah, which is unfortunately covered by what was intended to be a helpful red circle) and the name Samson.
Beth-Shemesh (from the words שמש and בית) means "House of the Sun" which denotes it was a place where a particular sun-goddess was worshipped. That's goddess' name: Shamshu.
(Shamshu is not to be confused with the Mesopotamian god, Shamash, whose name also means "sun." I know it's confusing.)
Going back to the Hebrew word for sun שמש... If I were to transliterate that word שמש... going right to left, one character at a time, this is how I'd do it: (sh)ש(m)מ(sh)ש
Sh-m-sh.
Hopefully, you can see all the similarities in the construction of the words Beth-Shemesh, Samson, and Shamshu.
The name Samson (שִׁמְשׁ֑וֹן) comes from that Hebrew word for sun = שמש, which potentially creates all sorts of connections to Beth-Shemesh, Shapash, and pagan worship. Many scholars have submitted many interesting theories regarding their relationship to each other.
All of this raises the question, what are the implications of Samson's name and its connection to Beth-Shemesh/Shamash?
Frankly, I don't know and think it is impossible to say. There will be some word-play that occurs later in the story of Samson involving his name, but more on that later.
Some scholars take issue with the authenticity of Samson's story, or its relationship to the Hebrew Scriptures. It certainly is an odd story, and it will introduce some strange features that we don't encounter anywhere else in Judges or the rest of the Hebrew Bible.
All of this is just meant to serve as a jumping-off point for what will certainly be a strange, challenging story about a man we should not admire, that serves a God that is better than we could possibly deserve.