NOTES for Jdg 13:1-25

The beginning of the Philistine invasion is only mentioned; it is merely the latest consequence of yet another apostasy from God. Samson’s birth is related in much greater detail, and his story stands alongside the biblical accounts of the births of the greatest prophets.

Samson is destined from birth to serve God, and this is emphasized by the prohibition against shaving his head as a sign of the Nazirite vow, a special consecration to the Lord. Serving the Lord in a time of pagan rule must inevitably become opposition to the pagans. But the angel did not say that Samson would save the people from the Philistines, only that he would “begin to save” them.

Manoah’s fear before the Angel who revealed God to him is revealing. But it is also important to note the discernment of his wife, who understands that the Lord did not appear in order to destroy them. In one and the same family, two interconnected aspects of perceiving God were manifested: awe before Him and hope in Him.