|
Bible People - Delilah |
||||||
|
|
||||||
Extra Websites Delilah
as one of the Bible's Top Ten Bad Women She
done him wrong: Samson's side of the story Wealth,
and the freedom it gave - this is what Delilah wanted Samson
as one of the ancient world's great fighters Samson
as a great Bible hero - though I don't see it myself In
depth
coverage of Delilah's story: the historical context, and some
controversial theories
|
Delilah
She Done Him Wrong Delilah, a courtesan in
a Philistine city, the lover of Samson See the story below |
|||||
|
Samson the Strong Man Delilah was a woman with a checkered past, probably a successful courtesan. She was beautiful, almost certainly a Philistine and so a traditional enemy of any Hebrew. She lived in one of the cities in the valley of Sorek.
Despite his appalling record of
violence, or perhaps because of it, he was a hero to the beleaguered
Hebrew settlers who were trying to find a place for themselves in land
already occupied by the Canaanites and Philistines. They looked for
champions, and Samson's qualities made him ideal - not as
a leader, because he did not have the cunning or intelligence for that
role, but as a fearless warrior who could protect them.
Magic,
and the Woman Delilah Three times she asked Samson what his secret was, and three times he gave her a false answer. It is hard to tell whether he was just tormenting her, or whether he knew the secret would be valuable to his enemies and was wary about telling it. Samson Tells His Secret Was this true? Only in so far as he believed it - but belief is a powerful thing. He was not alone in this belief. The warriors of ancient Sparta deliberately let their hair grow long, believing it terrified their enemies into submission. Delilah Acts When Delilah was satisfied that she had a truthful answer at last, she called the Philistines. 'The time has come, for he has told his whole secret to me.' They brought the money with them.
Then she told them the
secret and lulled Samson to sleep in her lap. While he slept she
allowed them to cut off his luxuriant hair. In the words of the story, 'the Lord had left him'. Samson's Eyes are Gouged Out
Delilah may have expected a quick death for him, rather than the long
drawn out torture which followed his capture. His eyes were gouged from their
sockets and he was thrown into prison. Bible Text for the story of Delilah
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Bible Stories: People of
the Old Testament - Bible Study Resource |
||||||
One of her lovers was Samson, a brutal Hebrew
warrior who described making love with his wife as 'plowing with my
heifer...'. He had already been married once, and had been the cause of the
death of his wife and her family. 
Eventually he told her what he himself believed: his strength came
from his long hair which, since it had never been cut, was far more plentiful that any
other man's.
