The Role Of Samson In The Book Of Judges

The book of Judges presents numerous figures designated as “judges” that illustrate the complexities of leadership in the time before the Hebrews had actual kings to rule them. One such figure is arguably the book’s most famous leader, Samson. The tale of Samson is well-known even among those that have never read Judges, yet if asked what the core characteristic of the Samson is, physical strength would likely be the most common answer. Samson is clearly capable of feats of great strength, but for all his physical prowess, it is his weakness towards the women of Philistia that truly defines who he is as a character and illustrates how he functions as a judge of the Hebrew people.
Samson’s proclivity for Philistine women as partners is presented

After a feat of great strength in Gaza, Samson becomes enthralled with Delilah: “he fell in love with a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah” (16:4). The text does not provide as much information or motivation for Samson’s relationship to Delilah as it does in the case of his first wife, yet its placement structurally reinforces the relationship as a mark of weakness. The text states that “Samson lay only until midnight. Then […] he rose up, took hold of two posts pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill […]” (16:3). By beginning the chapter with Samson’s display of physical might, the text needs only to present his love of Delilah in simple declarative terms. The two events are juxtaposed to first portray the literal strength of Samson’s character before shifting gears into his figurative weakness of the heart. Samson initially toys with Delilah in her attempts to uncover the secret of his overwhelming power, yet much like his first bride, it is by mere persistence that Delilah eventually breaks Samson’s resolve. The text states: “Finally after she had nagged him with her words day after day, and pestered him, he was tired to death. So he told her his whole secret […]” (16:16-17). Mighty as Samson may be, it is his weakness in the domestic sphere that facilitates his capture and disfigurement. This final chapter of Samson’s story has added weight in that it is in his weakness for his wife that the text give a possible explanation for God’s abandonment of Samson. Samson has failed to withhold information for a second time and is likely that it is this second offense that causes God to abandon