Question 1

Who are Samson and Delilah in this passage?

Accepted Answer

Samson is an Israelite judge who from birth was set apart to God with a special vow that included not cutting his hair. God gave him great physical strength to fight the Philistines, Israel’s enemies. Delilah is a woman in the valley of Sorek whom Samson loves. The Philistine rulers offer her a large payment if she can learn the secret of his strength. She keeps pressing Samson with her questions until he finally tells her about his hair. She then betrays him, leading to his capture and disgrace.

Question 2

Why did Samson lose his strength after his hair was cut?

Accepted Answer

Samson’s uncut hair was a sign of his Nazarite vow, showing he was set apart to God. The hair itself was not magic, but it was tied to his obedience and calling. When he told Delilah his secret and allowed his hair to be shaved, he broke that outward sign of his vow. The passage says the Lord left him, so his strength went away. Samson had treated God’s gift as if it was always his to use, but this shows that real strength came from God, not from Samson himself.

Question 3

What is the meaning of Samson carrying away the city gates of Gaza?

Accepted Answer

When the men of Gaza planned to kill Samson in the morning, he got up at midnight, lifted the doors of the city gate with their posts, and carried them to the top of a hill. This act shows how completely helpless the Philistines were against the strength God had given him. It is also a sign that no human stronghold can finally trap God’s servant when God chooses to deliver him. At the same time, it sits next to Samson’s moral failure, reminding us that a person can be strong in body yet careless in heart.

Question 4

Why did Delilah betray Samson for money?

Accepted Answer

Delilah had been promised a very large sum of silver by the Philistine rulers if she could uncover the source of Samson’s strength. The story shows how greed and desire for gain can overrule love and loyalty. Delilah uses words of love but keeps pressing Samson until he gives in. She is willing to hand him over to enemies who want to hurt him, just to receive payment. Her choice warns us about letting money or advantage guide our actions, especially when it harms others and fights against what God is doing.

Question 5

What does it mean that Samson “wist not that the Lord was departed from him”?

Accepted Answer

When Samson woke after Delilah had his hair shaved, he thought he would go out and fight as before. But the passage says he did not know that the Lord had left him. This shows how far his heart had drifted. He had grown used to God’s strength and assumed it would always be there, even while he played with sin. The line warns that a person can keep some outward form while losing the inner reality. Real power in God’s service does not rest in habit but in a living walk with God.

Question 6

Why did the Philistines praise Dagon after capturing Samson?

Accepted Answer

After Samson was captured, blinded, and put in prison, the Philistine rulers gathered to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They said their god had given Samson into their hand and praised Dagon as if he had beaten the God of Israel. This shows their pride and spiritual blindness. From their view, Samson’s fall proved their god was stronger. Yet the story later shows that the true God was still in control, even using Samson’s weakness and final act to bring down their leaders in Dagon’s own temple.

Question 7

What is the meaning of Samson’s final prayer and death?

Accepted Answer

In the end, as Samson stands between the pillars in the Philistine temple, he prays, asking the Lord to remember him and strengthen him one more time so he can strike the Philistines for his blinded eyes. God hears and gives him strength to pull down the building, killing many, including the rulers. His death takes more enemies than he killed in life. This ending shows both judgment on the Philistines and a kind of sad mercy for Samson, who finally turns back to God in weakness, not self-confidence.

Question 8

How does this story warn about temptation and relationships?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows how repeated flirting with sin wears a person down. Samson ignores clear warning signs as Delilah tests him again and again, each time with men hiding nearby. He treats his calling lightly and keeps going back into the same trap. Delilah’s words of love hide a plan to hurt him, and Samson gives his heart where it is not safe. The story warns us to be careful about relationships that pull us away from God, to listen when danger is plain, and not to treat sin as a game.

Question 9

What does this passage teach about God’s strength and human weakness?

Accepted Answer

The story holds both together. On one side, Samson is very weak in his desires and choices. He gives in to lust, pride, and foolish trust in someone who has already betrayed him. He ends up blind and in chains. On the other side, every true victory he has comes from God, even his final act when he can no longer rely on himself and must pray. This teaches that human strength without obedience leads to ruin, but God can still work through broken people who turn back to him, showing his rule even in their failure.

Judges 16:1

Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.

Samson Escapes Gaza

Samson and Delilah

Delilah Learns the Secret

Samson’s Vengeance and Death

Samson Escapes Gaza

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Judges 16:1

Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.

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Samson Escapes Gaza

Samson and Delilah

Delilah Learns the Secret

Samson’s Vengeance and Death

Samson Escapes Gaza

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