Samson and Delilah: Where Did His Strength Really Come From?

Samson and Delilah

Before Samson was born, an angel came to his mother with a message. She and her husband had no children, but the angel told her she would have a son.

This son would belong to God in a special way from the very beginning. He would be a Nazirite, someone set apart for God in a particular way. Part of what marked that dedication was this: his hair was never to be cut.

His hair wasn't magic, and it wasn't the actual source of his strength. It was a sign, a visible way of showing that his whole life was set apart for God.

The boy was born, and they named him Samson. And the Bible tells us that as he grew, the Lord blessed him.

Samson grew up, and something remarkable began to happen. The Spirit of the Lord started to stir in him.

Over the years that followed, God gave Samson extraordinary strength, far beyond ordinary human strength. It showed up again and again, in different moments, in his struggles with the Philistines, the people who ruled over Israel at that time.

Judges doesn't pretend Samson always used that strength wisely. It just tells us where the strength came from: God.

Later, Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah.

The rulers of the Philistines came to her with an offer. If she could find out the secret of Samson's incredible strength, and how they might overpower him, they would each give her a large sum of silver.

Delilah agreed. And she began to ask Samson her question, again and again: "Tell me the secret of your great strength."

Samson didn't tell her the truth. Instead, he gave her an answer that wasn't true: tie me up with fresh bowstrings, he said, and I'll become as weak as anyone else.

Delilah tied him up exactly as he said, then called out that the Philistines were coming for him. Samson snapped the bowstrings easily. The secret was still safe.

She asked him again. This time he told her to tie him up with brand new ropes. Same result. He broke free.

She asked a third time. He told her to weave his hair into the loom she was using. When she tested it, he simply pulled it loose.

Three times, Delilah asked. Three times, Samson gave her an answer that wasn't true.

Delilah did not stop asking. Three times, Samson had given her answers that were not true, but Judges says she pressed him day after day, until finally, he told her everything.

He explained that he had been set apart to God as a Nazirite from before his birth. A razor had never been used on his head. Samson told her that if his hair were shaved, his strength would leave him and he would become like any other man.

Delilah realized that this time he had told her the truth.

Delilah had asked Samson again and again. Three times before, Samson had given her answers that were not true. Now he finally told her the truth.

Judges tells us Delilah kept pressing him, day after day, until he finally gave in.

If you were watching this moment happen, what would you want to ask Samson?

Delilah sent word to the Philistine rulers. They came and brought the silver with them. Then Delilah let Samson fall asleep. While he slept, she had the seven locks of his hair shaved off.

Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”

Samson woke up. He thought he would go out as he had before and shake himself free.

But Judges tells us something Samson did not yet know: the LORD had left him.

The Philistines seized Samson. They took away his sight. They brought him down to Gaza. There they bound him with bronze shackles.

Samson was put to work grinding grain in prison. The man who had once shown extraordinary strength was now a prisoner.

But Judges adds one small detail: the hair on Samson's head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

A lot has changed. Samson had once been able to break free from ropes. Now he is bound in prison. He can no longer see. And Judges tells us that the LORD had left him.

How do you think you would feel if you were Samson right now, remembering how strong you used to be?

Just notice how much his situation has changed: from breaking ropes with his bare hands to sitting blind in a prison cell.

Later, the rulers of the Philistines gathered for a great celebration. They offered a sacrifice to their god Dagon. They said their god had delivered Samson into their hands.

Then they called for Samson to be brought out of prison. They wanted him brought before the crowd.

Samson was led by the hand. The building was full of people. The Philistine rulers were there too. Samson was brought into the middle of the gathering.

Samson asked the young man who was leading him to let him feel the pillars that supported the building. He wanted to rest against them.

Then Samson prayed. He said, “Lord GOD, please remember me.” And he asked God to strengthen him just once more.

This is important. At the end of Samson's story, Samson does not speak about his hair as the source of his strength. He asks God for strength.

Samson placed one hand on one pillar and the other hand on the second. Then he pushed. The building fell.

Samson died there along with many of the Philistines who were inside.

Judges later says Samson's brothers and his father's family came for him. They brought him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol, in the tomb of his father Manoah.

Samson had judged Israel for twenty years.

Samson's story does not have an easy ending. Near the end, Samson prayed, “Lord GOD, please remember me.” And he asked God for strength one more time.

What do you think about Samson turning back to God at this moment, after everything that happened?

It is okay if this story leaves you with questions.

How to Talk About This Story With Your Child

Samson's story is one of the harder Bible stories to read with a young child. He was given extraordinary strength. But Judges does not tell us that having that strength meant Samson always made wise choices. Those are two different things.

It is also important to be careful with Samson's hair. His hair was not magic. It was connected with his lifelong Nazirite dedication to God.

When Samson's hair was cut, Judges 16:20 gives us the most important sentence: “he did not know that the LORD had left him.” That keeps the focus where the biblical story puts it.

The ending is difficult too. Samson was captured. He lost his sight. He became a prisoner. And eventually he died when the Philistine building fell.

There is no need to make those facts graphic for a child. But there is also no need to pretend the story has a cheerful ending.

Near the end, Samson prayed. He asked God to remember him and give him strength once more.

If your child finds the ending sad or difficult, you can simply say, “Yes. It is a hard ending.” Then allow questions.

Bible reading does not require a child to feel one particular emotion about every story.

Pray Together

You do not have to use these exact words. You can talk to God together in your own words. Or you can pray:

God, thank You for listening when we call to You. Thank You for the story of Samson. Help us remember that strength comes from You, not from something magical in ourselves. Help us make wise choices with what You give us. And when we have questions or when things are difficult, help us know that we can still talk to You. Amen.

Before Samson was born, God had set him apart in a special way. As Samson grew, the Lord blessed him, and the Spirit of the Lord worked through him. Samson was given extraordinary strength.

Years later, Delilah kept asking him about the secret of that strength. Eventually Samson told her about his Nazirite dedication. His hair was shaved.

Then Judges tells us, “the LORD had left him.” Samson was captured and became a prisoner.

Near the end of his life, Samson prayed, “Lord GOD, please remember me.” He asked God for strength one more time. And God gave him strength for that final act.

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