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They humiliated Samson by bringing him to the palace of their god Dagon. This recalls a similar situation with King Saul. After the last battle at Mount Gilboa when Saul and his sons died, the Philistines stripped him and carried off his head and his armour.
They placed his armour in the temple of their god and they impaled his head in the temple of Dagon 1 Chron There was a pause in the entertainment that Samson provided to the Philistines. Hence, the narrator describes to us that the Philistines put Samson between the pillars at the centre of the building. Why they did so is not clear. It is possible that they stationed him at the centre of the temple so people would have a good view of Samson.
Two pillars supporting the roof were integral parts of the temple construction they were three metres apart set on the ground stone bases. It is also a reminder to the reader of Samson's previous heroic deeds, where pillars also played a role when he carried the gates of Gaza. By describing Samson carrying the gates, the narrator reinforced the image of Samson that appeared in chapters Samson is described as having larger than life strength which will be displayed when he would topple the temple.
According to Mobley: "it serves as a dress rehearsal for the conclusion of the entire saga: here in Gaza, Samson topples a structure, the city gate. He will do so again.
Because Samson was blind, he had an escort who held him by his hand. Samson asked him to lead him so he could feel the pillars the temple rested on. In the previous verse v. This detail is significant for a person who wants to topple the pillars of the temple and not to lean on them.
Samson is portrayed here as helpless; he is blind and needs help. This is in contrast to his past when all along he fought his battles with no aid. Nevertheless, Samson who had been passive so far and did as he was told by the Philistines, then took the initiative. He ordered the boy who was leading him to guide him, so he could feel the pillars in order to lean on them.
The boy who guided Samson is a secondary character and his role is limited exclusively to this verse-he neither appears before nor after. Meanwhile, there is a pause by the narrator. He describes a packed temple with men and women and the Philistine seranim in attendance.
In addition, there were 3, people on the roof, all of them were watching Samson dance. So far, we read in verses 23, 24, 27 about the Philistine's deeds, and in verses about Samson's actions. Now the narrator breaks from his pattern and describes the temple and the celebration that is taking place.
This is done in order to increase the tension and the magnitude of Samson's act. According to our verse, not only was the temple full of men and woman, additionally there were 3, people on the roof.
As we previously mentioned, the numbers of Samson's enemies increased from episode to episode. Since, 3, refers only to the people on the roof, the sage's exaggerated, and "R. Levi said: It is written, And there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women v. These were the number on the edge of the roof, but no one knows how many were behind them.
Samson's revenge and his death are described in verses Samson uttered a short prayer to God. He pleaded for God's help for one last display of strength that would help him take vengeance against the Philistines. In contrast to his first prayer to God at Ramath-lehi, where he referred to God by the pronoun You Jud , here in his second prayer to God, Samson uttered the divine name twice, O Lord God.
This divine title is rarely used in the Torah Gen , 8; Deut. It is used in a context of complaint prayer and request. He asked God to remember him for the personal wrong he was suffering. In other words, this is his last request from God. Like Abraham and Gideon's pleas, Samson also appeals to precedent. God has strengthened him in the past, now he asks him for the last time, and he would not trouble God anymore. Furthermore, he asks God to remember him. The motif of remembrance is recurring many times in the Hebrew Bible.
It implies faithfulness to the covenant between God and his people. Samson is calling on God to act based on the special relationship he has with God as he has been a Nazirite of God even before he was born. Since Samson's eyes were gouged, he asks for revenge on the Philistines: "if only for one of my two eyes.
In other words, the death of the Philistines would atone for the cruelty exacted upon him. Not clear, however, is why Samson mentioned only one eye. Why didn't he ask for revenge for the loss of two eyes? We find an answer in the Midrash:. Aha answered: He begged from Him: 'Sovereign of the Universe! Grant me reward for my loss of one eye in this world and let the reward for my loss of the other one be kept ready for me in the hereafter.
The narrator does not tell the reader that God hearkened to Samson's prayer, but his actions show that his prayer was answered.
Samson grasped the two main pillars that supported the roof, and then bending forward, he forced them out of the perpendicular. Feeling that he had regained his strength he said: "let me die with the Philistines" v.
This is not a request, but it is a cheering cry that resulted in the death of thousands of Philistines. Ironically, blind, chained, and ridiculed, as he died, Samson killed more Philistines than in his entire life before, ending his life in a dramatic fashion. Usually people achieve more during their lifetime, but with Samson we find the reverse.
The measure of Samson's success is the number of casualties he inflicted on the Philistines. Samson dies according to his own wish. Samson's desire to die has been compared to some of the fables from ancient times, in particular, the fable of the wasp and the snake.
The Snake, being in great torment and not knowing how to rid himself of his enemy, saw a wagon heavily laden with wood, and went and purposely placed his head under the wheels, saying, "At least my enemy and I shall perish together. Just when the dolphin was about to catch him, the tuna fish heaved himself forward with a great effort and landed on an island.
Matching his effort, the dolphin ran aground beside him. The tuna fish then turned to look at the gasping dolphin and said, 'I do not grieve over my own death, so long as I am able to see that the one to blame is dying together with me! The fable shows that people readily undergo a disaster when they can witness the destruction of those who are to blame. In his first prayer to God, Samson asked for his life and he was revived Judg By contrast, his second prayer asked for his death and his wish was granted.
This is the only time in the Hebrew Bible that such a wish was granted. The Bible mentions other heroes who implored God to end their lives. According to the Gemara, the reason for Samson's harsh punishment is because "Samson rebelled [against God] through his eyes as it said, And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me, because she is pleasing in my eyes; therefore the Philistines put out his eyes, as it said, and the Philistines laid hold on him and put out his eyes.
In other words, God can see all, but man's vision is limited. Ironically, as long as Samson could see, he was "blind" to his own deeds; it was only when the Philistines put out his eyes that he became aware of his weakness. Remember for me the twenty two years that I judged Israel and I did not even say to them, 'Bring a staff for me from one place to another place.
Taken a bribe to look the other way. Samson says further, as recorded in the Gemarah, that he had been careful not to accept bribes. The Prince of Peace. Home Sermons Temptation: Samson's Downfall. View all Sermons. If you want to avoid temptation and the destruction that come with it, you must: 1.
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Because God chose him and empowered him by His Spirit as a judge of Israel. But Samson had one major problem—getting involved with the wrong women. Judges tells us the tragic downfall of Samson. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.
Come now, tell me how you can be tied.
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