Judges 13:24

_AND THE WOMAN BARE A SON, AND CALLED HIS NAME SAMSON: AND THE CHILD GREW, AND THE LORD BLESSED HIM._ The woman bare a son, and called his name Samson. The birth of this child of promise, and the report of the important national services he was to render, must from the first have made him an object of special interest and careful instruction....

24,25 The Spirit of the Lord began to move Samson when a youth. This was evidence that the Lord blessed him. Where God gives his blessing, he gives his Spirit to qualify for the blessing. Those are blessed indeed in whom the Spirit of grace begins to work in the days of their childhood. Samson drank no wine or strong drink, yet excelled in strength and courage, for he had the Spirit of God moving him; therefore be not drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit....

Verse Judges 13:24. _AND CALLED HIS NAME SAMSON_] The original שמשון _shimshon_, which is from the root שמש _shamash, to serve_, (whence _shemesh, the sun_,) probably means either a _little sun_, or a _little servant_; and this latter is so likely a name to be imposed on an only son, by maternal fondness, that it leaves but little doubt of the propriety of the etymology. _AND THE LORD BLESSED HIM._] Gave evident proofs that the child was under the peculiar protection of the Most High; causing him to increase daily in stature and extraordinary strength....

SAMSON - The etymology is doubtful. Perhaps it comes from a word signifying “to minister,” in allusion to his Nazaritic consecration to the service of God....

EXPOSITION JUDGES 13:1 DID EVIL AGAIN. It by no means follows from this phrase that this chapter is in direct chronological sequence to the preceding The scene is shifted to the tribe of Dan, and to the Philistines on the west, and there is nothing to guide us as to the exact time when the things narrated occurred. But the end of the forty years probably coincided with the judgeship of Samuel; for there was no complete deliverance in the time of Samson, only occasional cheeks to the Philistine domination (see Judges 13:5). It was not till the days of Samuel that the Philistines were really smitten (see 1 Samuel 7:3). We may suppose the date of the ensuing narrative to be somew

AND THE WOMAN BARE A SON, AND CALLED NAME SAMSON,.... After these appearances were over, Manoah and his wife returned to their habitation, and she soon became pregnant, and at the usual course of time brought forth a son, and she gave him the name of Samson; for what reason it is not easy to determine. Josephus says s the word signifies "strong"; perhaps he was born a strong robust child, which is not unlikely, or the woman might have some prophetic hint of his future strength, and so gave him this name; but the word has not the signification of strength in it; it rather signifies the sun, which is indeed a strong body, and is compared to a strong man running his race, and so a strong man may be compared to that; but rather, with respect to the sun, this name might be given him, because of the splendour of his countenance with which he might be born, or in memory of the shining countenan...

6. SIXTH DECLENSION: UNDER THE PHILISTINES AND SAMSON CHAPTER 13 _ 1. Israel delivered to the Philistines (Judges 13:1)_ 2. Manoah and his wife (Judges 13:2) 3. Samson born (Judges 13:24) The sixth and last declension of Israel in this book is now before us. This section has deep and interesting lessons. The darkest period is reached. The Philistines lorded over Israel. We miss in connection with this declension the statement which occurs in every preceding departure from Jehovah: “And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD.” Here is no cry recorded nor a return unto the Lord. It seems the greatest indifference controlled the people so that there was no desire to cry to the Lord. And w

THE BIRTH OF SAMSON. Judges 13:1. D's usual introduction. Judges 13:2. Zorah (p. 31) is now Sar-' a, 800 ft. above the valley of Sorek (Wady es-Surâ r), 17 m. W. of Jerusalem. In Joshua 15:33 and 2 Chronicles 11:16 it is no longer Danite, but Judahite, evidently because the Danites of the town had moved to the north (Judges 18). Judges 13:3. On the angel of the Lord see 21*. The words but thou shalt conceive and bear a son belong to Judges 13:5

CALLED HIS NAME. called him. Figure of speech _Pleonasm._ App-6. GREW. Israel waited twenty years for deliverance. Compare Judges 15:20; Judges 16:31....

_Samson_ The form implies that the word is either an adjective or a diminutive, -solar" or -little sun," from _shemesh_= -sun." The Engl. _Samson_, based on the Gk. Σαμψών, is nearer the original pronunciation than the _Shimshôn_of the M.T. In Babylonian _Shamshânu_has recently been found as a proper name (Hilprecht-Clay, _Bab. Exp._ix. 27. 70), and in Egyptian Shamshân occurs as the name of a town in S.W. Palestine on the list of places captured by Ramses II (b.c. 1292 1225). It cannot be without significance that less than 2 m. from Ṣar-a, just across the valley, lies -Ain Shems, which preserves the name of the ancient Beth-shemesh (-temple of the sun) or Ir-shemesh (-city of the sun"), 1 Samuel 6:9 ff., Joshua 15:10;...