Judges 13:4. Now, therefore, beware, &c.— As Samson was to be a perfect Nazarite unto God, from the womb to the day of his death, Jdg 13:7 his mother is commanded to live as the Nazarites did, (Numbers 6:0.) while she carried him in her womb, and, most likely, while she nursed him; because a child in the womb, and its mother, live by the same nourishment. 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
(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
(4) Drink not wine.—The mother is to share for a time in part of the Nazarite vow.Strong drink.—Sheekar (LXX., Sikera) means intoxicating liquor not made from grapes (Luke 1:15).Eat not any unclean thing.—Leviticus 11:0. The law applied to all Israelites, but is to be specially observed by the wife of Manoah, to impress on her and on the nation the separated character of her son. 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
THE ANGEL IN THE FIELDJudges 13:1-18IN our ignorance not in our knowledge, in our blindness not in our light, we call nature secular and think of the ordinary course of events as a series of cold operations, governed by law and force, having nothing to do with divine purpose and love. Oftentimes we think so, and suffer because we do not understand. It is a pitiful error. The natural could not exist, there could be neither substance nor order without the over-nature which is at once law and... read more
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Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Judges 13:3
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