Bible Book Judges story of Samson

Samson of the Bible Judge of Israel

Introduction

The Biblical account of the life of Samson is found in the book of Judges Chapter 13 . Though his mother was sterile and childless yet through divine intervention , an angel appeared to her mother announcing that she will conceived and have son ' Indeed Samson was born out of God 's will and purpose , that is , to be a nazarite or being set apart to God ' and to deliver Israel from the bondage of oppression in the hands of the Philistines

In Bible history

of the ancient Israel prior to Samson 's birth , Israel was conquered by the Philistines due to lack of a good leader that could unite them for war . The Philistines imposed stiff obligations and constantly oppressed them that have made all Israel hated the Philistines . Indeed , Samson had seen the oppressive measures that were imposed on them and the injuries it inflicted upon his fellow citizens while he was growing up disliked and hated the Philistines for that reason

Samson was not an ordinary man as he had a peculiar strength more than the strength of one hundred men put together . His strength depended on his hair , which according to the angel who announced his birth may not be cut , as it was the sign of his being a nazarite

According to Frances Lieber and Thomas Gamaliel Samson was born about 1155 B .C ' He was from the tribe of Dan , one of Jacob 's eleven sons who later made up the twelve tribes of Israel . Lieber and Gamaliel pointed out that Samson began to become judge of Israel after he killed one thousand Philistines immediately after he was captured for burning the fields of the Philistines , and from then on , Samson was judge of Israel for twenty years ' But Samson 's weakness for Philistines women created much trouble both for him and for the Philistines . His love affair to Delilah , which was marred by deception and betrayal , preceded his downfall in the hands of the Philistines who then gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza where he died along with about three thousand men who gathered at the temple to muck him

Literature (history or politics

The book of Judges is itself full of important history of the different judges who had led Israel towards freedom against the oppression by the neighboring countries who conquered them . James L . Crenshaw points out that Samson 's narrative comprises four chapters and ninety-six verses have been interpreted by critics as a solar myth . Scholars varied interpretation of the narrative however points to the fact that the narrative was historical rather than poetical despite of the presence of poetic text scattered here and there . Though the narrative does not tell the story of successful deliverance from the hands of the enemies , but it certainly tell of the history of the life of Israel under the judges Samson 's story was very interesting because it demonstrated how his interest with...