Judges 13:3. The angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman— The same angel as appeared to Gideon, Joshua, Moses, &c. See the observations on those appearances, Jdg 13:22 of this chapter: See also Vitringae Observat. Sacrae, tom. 1. It is observable, that some of the greatest men of the Jewish nation were born of women who had been barren; as Isaac, Samuel, and John the Baptist. read more
2. Zorah—a Danite town ( :-) lying on the common boundary of Judah and Dan, so that it was near the Philistine border. read more
3. the angel of the Lord—The messenger of the covenant, the divine personage who made so many remarkable appearances of a similar kind already described. read more
F. The sixth apostasy chs. 13-16"From chapters 13 to 18, the author concentrates on the tribe of Dan, which had been one of the largest and most prominent tribes during the wilderness march (Numbers 2:25-31). In the period of the judges, however, Dan seemed helpless against the Amorites (Judges 1:34) and moved northward to find new territory (chs. 17-18). Contrasted with these failures are the exploits of Samson, whose personal achievements are detailed in four chapters. Yet his own life was a... read more
The announcement of Samson’s birth 13:2-7The Angel of the Lord again appeared (cf. Judges 6:11). This time He announced to a barren Danite woman that she would bear a son (cf. Genesis 16:11; Luke 1:26-38). Samson’s birth by a barren woman indicated God’s supernatural provision of him for a special purpose. The meaning of Samson’s name may derive from shemesh ("sun") and the diminutive ending on, meaning "little sun" or "sunny boy." Samson’s mother may have named him "little sun" in honor of a... read more
The Story of SamsonExcept for Judges 15:20 and Judges 16:31, Samson has none of the characteristics of a Judge. His exploits against the Philistines are all solitary, and though they doubtless afforded relief to the Israelites, they left no permanent result. We learn much more of the internal organisation of the Philistines than of any of the other foes of Israel; and it was their continued and formidable opposition which, under the will of Jehovah, really welded Israel into a single nation in... read more
(2) There was a certain man. . . .—The narrative of the birth of Samuel (1 Samuel 1:1) is similarly introduced.Zoran.—The name means “place of hornets.” In Joshua 15:33 it is mentioned with Eshtaol among the towns north-east of the Shephelah, and it belonged to Dan (Joshua 19:41). Robinson identifies it with Surah, fourteen miles from Jerusalem, seven miles south of Yalo, west of Kirjath-jearim. It is mentioned again in 1 Chronicles 11:10; Nehemiah 11:29. Its conical hill and abundant fountain... read more
(3) The angel of the Lord.—On this expression see Judges 2:1. Rabbi Levi Ben Gershom says that this “messenger of the Lord” was Phinehas; but nothing can be clearer than that, as in Judges 6:11, Genesis 18:10, Luke 1:11-28, a supernatural being is meant. read more
Judges 13:21 The golden moments in the stream of life rush past us, and we see nothing but sand; the angels come to visit us, and we only know them when they are gone. George Eliot. A Woman's Logic Judges 13:22-23 We say usually that woman has instinct and man has logic. That is an ingenious definition to save the masculine face. For really instinct is logic without its forms, and you have only to look at this text to see that the woman's instinct and logic are alike sound and convincing. I.... read more
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Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Judges 13:2
THE ANGEL OF JEHOVAH ANNOUNCES SAMSON'S BIRTH"And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not. And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not; but thou shalt conceive and bear a son. Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink no wine nor strong drink; and eat not any unclean thing: for, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall... read more