13:1The Philistines lived on the west side of Canaan, along the Mediterranean seacoast. From Samson’s day until the time of David they were the major enemy force in the land and a constant threat to Israel. The Philistines were fierce warriors; they had the advantage over Israel in numbers, tactical expertise, and technology. They knew the secret of making weapons out of iron (1 Samuel 13:19-22). But none of that mattered when God was fighting for Israel.
Life Application Study BibleJudgesChapter 13
Judges 13
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 381, 382
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
13Judges 13
The Birth of Samson
1Again the Israelites did evil in the LORD’s sight, so the LORD handed them over to the Philistines, who oppressed them for forty years. 2In those days aman named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children.?The angel of the LORD appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, “Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son. 4So be careful; you must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food.* 5You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.” 6The woman ran and told her husband, “A man of God appeared to me! He looked like one of God’s angels, terrifying to see. I didn’t ask where he was from, and he didn’t tell me his name. 7But he told me, ‘You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food. For your son will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from the moment of his birth until the day of his death.’” 8Then Manoah prayed to the LORD, saying, “LORD, please let the man of God come back to us again and give us more instructions about this son who is to be born.” 9God answered Manoah’s prayer, and the angel of God appeared once again to his wife as she was sitting in the field. But her husband, Manoah, was not with her. 10So she quickly ran and told her husband, “The man who appeared to me the other day is here again!” “Manoah ran back with his wife and asked, “Are you the man who spoke to my wife the other day?” “Yes,” he replied, 11I am.” 12So Manoah asked him, “When your words come true, what kind of rules should govern the boy's life and work?” 13The angel of the LORD replied, “Be sure your wife follows the instructions I gave her. 14She must not eat grapes or raisins, drink wine or any other alcoholic drink, or eat any forbidden food.” 15Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “Please stay here until we can prepare a young goat for you to eat.” 16"I will stay,” the angel of the LORD replied, “but I will not eat anything. However, you may prepare a burnt offering as a sacrifice to the LORD.” (Manoah didn’t realize it was the angel of the LORD.) 17Then Manoah asked the angel of the LORD, “What is your name? For when all this comes true, we want to honor you.” 18“Why do you ask my name?” the angel of the Lor replied. “It is too wonderful for you to understand.” 18Then Manoah tooka young goat and a grain offering and offered it on a rock as a sacrifice to the LORD. And as Manoah and his wife watched, the LORD did an amazing thing. 20As the flames from the altar shot up toward the sky, the angel of the LORD ascended in the fire. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell with their faces to the ground. 21The angel did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. Manoah finally realized it was the angel of the LORD,?2and he said to his wife, “We will certainly die, for we have seen God!” 23But his wife said, “If the LORD were going to kill us, he wouldn't have accepted our burnt offering and grain offering. He wouldn't have appeared to us and told us this wonderful thing and done these miracles.” 24When her son was born, she named him Samson. And the LORD blessed him as he grew up. 25And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him while he lived in Mahaneh-dan, which is located between the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol.
Textual footnotes
- 13:4 Hebrew any unclean thing; also in 13:7, 14.
Life Application Notes 6 notes
13:1Once again the cycle of sin, judgment, and repentance began (3:8, 9, 14, 15; 4:4-4; 6:1-14; 10:6-11:11). The Israelites would not turn to God unless they had been stunned by suffering, Oppression, and death. This suffering was not caused by God, but resulted from the fact that the people ignored God, their Judge and Ruler. What will it take for you to follow God? The warnings in God’s Word are clear: If we continue to harden our hearts against God, we can expect the same fate as Israel.
13:5Samson was to be a Nazirite—a person who took a vow to be set apart for God’s service. Samson's parents made the vow for him. A Nazirite vow was sometimes temporary, but in Samson’s case, it was for life. As a Nazirite, Samson could not cut his hair, touch a dead body, or drink anything containing alcohol. Although Samson often used poor judgment and sinned terribly, he accomplished much when he determined to be set apart for God. In this way he was like the nation Israel. As long as the Israelites remained set apart for God, the nation thrived. But they fell into terrible sin when they ignored God.
13:18Why did the angel keep his name a secret? In those days people believed that if they knew someone’s name, they knew his character and how to control him. By not giving his name, the angel was not allowing himself to be controlled by Manoah. He was also saying that his name was a mystery beyond understanding and too wonderful to imagine. Manoah asked the angel for an answer that he wouldn't have understood. Sometimes we ask God questions and then receive no answer. This may not be because God is saying no. We may have asked for knowledge beyond our ability to understand or accept.
13:19Manoah sacrificed a grain offering to the LORD. A grain offering was grain, oil, and flour shaped into a cake and burned on the altar along with the burnt offering (the young goat). The grain offering, described in Leviticus 2, was offered to God as a sign of honor, respect, and worship. it was an acknowledgment that because the Israelites’ food came from God, they owed their lives to him. With the grain offering, Manoah showed his desire to serve God and demonstrated his respect.
13:25Samson’s tribe, Dan, continued to wander in their inherited land (18:1), which was yet unconquered (Joshua 19:47, 48). Samson must have grown up with his warlike tribe’s yearnings for a permanent and settled territory. Thus, his visits to the tribal army camp stirred his heart, and God's Spirit began preparing him for his role as judge and leader against the Philistines. Perhaps there are things that stir your heart. These may indicate areas where God wants to use you. God uses a variety of means to develop and prepare us: hereditary traits, environmental influences, and personal experiences. As with Samson, this preparation often begins long before adulthood. Work at being sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading and the tasks God has prepared for you. Your past may be more useful to you than you imagine.