Judges Chapter 16 Summary - Key Points & Themes

Read Judges Chapter 16 Summary

Samson visits a prostitute in Gaza; when the Philistines surround the city planning to kill him at dawn, he rises at midnight, tears up the city gates, doorposts, and bar, and carries them to a hill near Hebron. Samson falls in love with Delilah in the Valley of Sorek; bribed by Philistine lords with eleven hundred pieces of silver each, she persistently asks the secret of his strength. Three times he deceives her—new bowstrings, new ropes, weaving his hair—but finally reveals his Nazirite vow: no razor has touched his head. While he sleeps on her lap, she has his seven locks shaved; the LORD departs, the Philistines seize him, gouge out his eyes, and put him to grinding in Gaza's prison.

Original

Characters in This Chapter

Deborah

Prophetess and judge who led Israel to victory over the Canaanites

Gideon

Judge who defeated the Midianites with 300 men, demonstrating God's power

Samson

Nazirite judge with supernatural strength who fought the Philistines

Jephthah

Outcast who became judge and defeated the Ammonites

Delilah

The Woman who Betrayed Samson

Manoah

Father of Samson

Places in This Chapter

Canaan

The Promised Land where Israel settled but failed to completely drive out the inhabitants

Bethel

Location of the tabernacle during parts of the judges period

Shiloh

Central sanctuary where the tabernacle was located

Gaza

Gaza was one of the five major Philistine cities on the Mediterranean coast. Samson was taken here after his capture, where he pushed down the pillars of the temple of Dagon, killing himself and thousands of Philistines. Philip met the Ethiopian eunuch on the road to Gaza.

Hebron

Hebron is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their wives are buried in the Cave of Machpelah here. David was anointed king of Judah in Hebron and ruled from there for seven years before moving the capital to Jerusalem.

Valley of Sorek

The Valley of Sorek was where Delilah lived. Samson fell in love with her here, and she persistently pressured him until he revealed the secret of his strength. The valley was a fertile region known for its vineyards, connecting the coastal plain to the hill country.

Zorah

Zorah was a town in the lowlands of Judah near the Philistine border. It was the birthplace and hometown of Samson. His father Manoah lived here when the angel announced Samson's birth. Samson was buried between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Position in Book

Incomplete ConquestChapters 1-2

The JudgesChapters 3-16

Stories of the judges including Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson who delivered Israel from various oppressors.

Moral and Spiritual DeclineChapters 17-21

Bible Bites

A left-handed hero the enemy never saw coming

The judge Ehud was left-handed, so he hid his sword on his right thigh, the side guards never checked (Judges 3:15-21). His 'weakness' became the very reason his surprise attack succeeded. The Bible loves an unlikely hero.

Judges 3:15-21