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The Antiquities of the Jews - Table of Contents
The Antiquities of the Jews
Written by Flavius Josephus
Translated by William Whiston
Book Five
Chapter 8
Concerning The Fortitude Of Samson, And What
Mischiefs He Brought Upon The Philistines
1. After Abdon was dead, the Philistines overcame the
Israelites, and received tribute of them for forty years; from
which distress they were delivered after this manner:
2. There was one Manoah, a person of such great virtue, that he
had few men his equals, and without dispute the principal person
of his country. He had a wife celebrated for her beauty, and
excelling her contemporaries. He had no children; and, being
uneasy at his want of posterity, he entreated God to give them
seed of their own bodies to succeed them; and with that intent
he came constantly into the suburbs (18) together with his wife;
which suburbs were in the Great Plain. Now he was fond of his
wife to a degree of madness, and on that account was
unmeasurably jealous of her. Now, when his wife was once alone,
an apparition was seen by her: it was an angel of God, and
resembled a young man beautiful and tall, and brought her the
good news that she should have a son, born by God's providence,
that should be a goodly child, of great strength; by whom, when
he was grown up to man's estate, the Philistines should be
afflicted. He exhorted her also not to poll his hair, and that
he should avoid all other kinds of drink, (for so had God
commanded,) and be entirely contented with water. So the angel,
when he had delivered that message, went his way, his coming
having been by the will of God.
3. Now the wife informed her husband when he came home of what
the angel had said, who showed so great an admiration of the
beauty and tallness of the young man that had appeared to her,
that her husband was astonished, and out of himself for
jealousy, and such suspicions as are excited by that passion:
but she was desirous of having her husband's unreasonable sorrow
taken away; accordingly she entreated God to send the angel
again, that he might be seen by her husband. So the angel came
again by the favor of God, while they were in the suburbs, and
appeared to her when she was alone without her husband. She
desired the angel to stay so long till she might bring her
husband; and that request being granted, she goes to call Manoah.
When he saw the angel he was not yet free from suspicion, and he
desired him to inform him of all that he had told his wife; but
when he said it was sufficient that she alone knew what he had
said, he then requested of him to tell who he was, that when the
child was born they might return him thanks, and give him a
present. He replied that he did not want any present, for that
he did not bring them the good news of the birth of a son out of
the want of any thing. And when Manoah had entreated him to
stay, and partake of his hospitality, he did not give his
consent. However he was persuaded, at the earnest request of
Manoah to stay so long as while he brought him one mark of his
hospitality; so he slew a kid of the goats, and bid his wife
boil it. When all was ready, the angel enjoined him to set the
loaves and the flesh, but without the vessels, upon the rock;
which when they had done, he touched the flesh with the rod
which he had in his hand, which, upon the breaking out of a
flame, was consumed, together with the loaves; and the angel
ascended openly, in their sight, up to heaven, by means of the
smoke, as by a vehicle. Now Manoah was afraid that some danger
would come to them from this sight of God; but his wife bade him
be of good courage, for that God appeared to them for their
benefit.
4. So the woman proved with child, and was careful to observe
the injunctions that were given her; and they called the child,
when he was born, Samson, which name signifies one that is
strong. So the child grew apace; and it appeared evidently that
he would be a prophet, (19) both by the moderation of his diet,
and the permission of his hair to grow.
5. Now when he once came with his parents to Timhath, a city of
the Philistines, when there was a great festival, he fell in
love with a maid of that country, and he desired of his parents
that they would procure him the damsel for his wife: but they
refused so to do, because she was not of the stock of Israel;
yet because this marriage was of God, who intended to convert it
to the benefit of the Hebrews, he over-persuaded them to procure
her to be espoused to him. And as he was continually coming to
her parents, he met a lion, and though he was naked, he received
his onset, and strangled him with his hands, and cast the wild
beast into a woody piece of ground on the inside of the road.
6. And when he was going another time to the damsel, he lit upon
a swarm of bees making their combs in the breast of that lion;
and taking three honey-combs away, he gave them, together with
the rest of his presents, to the damsel. Now the people of
Timhath, out of a dread of the young man's strength, gave him
during the time of the wedding-feast (for he then feasted them
all) thirty of the most stout of their youth, in pretense to be
his companions, but in reality to be a guard upon him, that he
might not attempt to give them any disturbance. Now as they were
drinking merrily and playing, Samson said, as was usual at such
times, Come, if I propose you a riddle, and you can expound it
in these seven days' thee, I will give you every one a linen
shirt and a garment, as the reward of your wisdom." So they
being very ambitious to obtain the glory of wisdom, together
with the gains, desired him to propose his riddle. He, "That a
devourer produced sweet food out of itself, though itself were
very disagreeable." And when they were not able, in three days'
time, to find out the meaning of the riddle, they desired the
damsel to discover it by the means of her husband, and tell it
them; and they threatened to burn her if she did not tell it
them. So when the damsel entreated Samson to tell it her, he at
first refused to do it; but when she lay hard at him, and fell
into tears, and made his refusal to tell it a sign of his
unkindness to her, he informed her of his slaughter of a lion,
and how he found bees in his breast, and carried away three
honey-combs, and brought them to her. Thus he, suspecting
nothing of deceit, informed her of all, and she revealed it to
those that desired to know it. Then on the seventh day, whereon
they were to expound the riddle proposed to them, they met
together before sun-setting, and said, "Nothing is more
disagreeable than a lion to those that light on it, and nothing
is sweeter than honey to those that make use of it." To which
Samson made this rejoinder: "Nothing is more deceitful than a
woman for such was the person that discovered my interpretation
to you." Accordingly he gave them the presents he had promised
them, making such Askelonites as met him upon the road his prey,
who were themselves Philistines also. But he divorced this his
wife; and the girl despised his anger, and was married to his
companion, who made the former match between them.
7. At this injurious treatment Samson was so provoked, that he
resolved to punish all the Philistines, as well as her: so it
being then summer-time, and the fruits of the land being almost
ripe enough for reaping, he caught three hundred foxes, and
joining lighted torches to their tails, he sent them into the
fields of the Philistines, by which means the fruits of the
fields perished. Now when the Philistines knew that this was
Samson's doing, and knew also for what cause he did it, they
sent their rulers to Timhath, and burnt his former wife, and her
relations, who had been the occasion of their misfortunes.
8. Now when Samson had slain many of the Philistines in the
plain country, he dwelt at Etam, which is a strong rock of the
tribe of Judah; for the Philistines at that time made an
expedition against that tribe: but the people of Judah said that
they did not act justly with them, in inflicting punishments
upon them while they paid their tribute, and this only on
account of Samson's offenses. They answered, that in case they
would not be blamed themselves, they must deliver up Samson, and
put him into their power. So they being desirous not to be
blamed themselves, came to the rock with three thousand armed
men, and complained to Samson of the bold insults he had made
upon the Philistines, who were men able to bring calamity upon
the whole nation of the Hebrews; and they told him they were
come to take him, and to deliver him up to them, and put him
into their power; so they desired him to bear this willingly.
Accordingly, when he had received assurance from them upon oath,
that they would do him no other harm than only to deliver him
into his enemies' hands, he came down from the rock, and put
himself into the power of his countrymen. Then did they bind him
with two cords, and lead him on, in order to deliver him to the
Philistines; and when they came to a certain place, which is now
called the Jaw-bone, on account of the great action there
performed by Samson, though of old it had no particular name at
all, the Philistines, who had pitched their camp not far off,
came to meet them with joy and shouting, as having done a great
thing, and gained what they desired; but Samson broke his bonds
asunder, and catching up the jaw-bone of an ass that lay down at
his feet, fell upon his enemies, and smiting them with his
jaw-bone, slew a thousand of them, and put the rest to flight
and into great disorder.
9. Upon this slaughter Samson was too proud of what he had
performed, and said that this did not come to pass by the
assistance of God, but that his success was to be ascribed to
his own courage; and vaunted himself, that it was out of a dread
of him that some of his enemies fell and the rest ran away upon
his use of the jaw-bone; but when a great thirst came upon him,
he considered that human courage is nothing, and bare his
testimony that all is to be ascribed to God, and besought him
that he would not be angry at any thing he had said, nor give
him up into the hands of his enemies, but afford him help under
his affliction, and deliver him from the misfortune he was
under. Accordingly God was moved with his entreaties, and raised
him up a plentiful fountain of sweet water at a certain rock
whence it was that Samson called the place the Jaw-bone, (20)
and so it is called to this day.
10. After this fight Samson held the Philistines in contempt,
and came to Gaza, and took up his lodgings in a certain inn.
When the rulers of Gaza were informed of his coming thither,
they seized upon the gates, and placed men in ambush about them,
that he might not escape without being perceived; but Samson,
who was acquainted with their contrivances against him, arose
about midnight, and ran by force upon the gates, with their
posts and beams, and the rest of their wooden furniture, and
carried them away on his shoulders, and bare them to the
mountain that is over Hebron, and there laid them down.
11. However, he at length (21) transgressed the laws of his
country, and altered his own regular way of living, and imitated
the strange customs of foreigners, which thing was the beginning
of his miseries; for he fell in love with a woman that was a
harlot among the Philistines: her name was Delilah, and he lived
with her. So those that administered the public affairs of the
Philistines came to her, and, with promises, induced her to get
out of Samson what was the cause of that his strength, by which
he became unconquerable to his enemies. Accordingly, when they
were drinking, and had the like conversation together, she
pretended to admire the actions he had done, and contrived to
get out of him by subtlety, by what means he so much excelled
others in strength. Samson, in order to delude Delilah, for he
had not yet lost his senses, replied, that if he were bound with
seven such green withs of a vine as might still be wreathed, he
should be weaker than any other man. The woman said no more
then, but told this to the rulers of the Philistines, and hid
certain of the soldiers in ambush within the house; and when he
was disordered in drink and asleep, she bound him as fast as
possible with the withs; and then upon her awakening him, she
told him some of the people were upon him; but he broke the
withs, and endeavored to defend himself, as though some of the
people were upon him. Now this woman, in the constant
conversation Samson had with her, pretended that she took it
very ill that he had such little confidence in her affections to
him, that he would not tell her what she desired, as if she
would not conceal what she knew it was for his interest to have
concealed. However, he deluded her again, and told her, that if
they bound him with seven cords, he should lose his strength.
And when, upon doing this, she gained nothing, he told her the
third thee, that his hair should be woven into a web; but when,
upon doing this, the truth was not yet discovered, at length
Samson, upon Delilah's prayer, (for he was doomed to fall into
some affliction,) was desirous to please her, and told her that
God took care of him, and that he was born by his providence,
and that "thence it is that I suffer my hair to grow, God having
charged me never to poll my head, and thence my strength is
according to the increase and continuance of my hair." When she
had learned thus much, and had deprived him of his hair, she
delivered him up to his enemies, when he was not strong enough
to defend himself from their attempts upon him; so they put out
his eyes, and bound him, and had him led about among them.
12. But in process of time Samson's hair grew again. And there
was a public festival among the Philistines, when the rulers,
and those of the most eminent character, were feasting together;
(now the room wherein they were had its roof supported by two
pillars) so they sent for Samson, and he was brought to their
feast, that they might insult him in their cups. Hereupon he,
thinking it one of the greatest misfortunes, if he should not be
able to revenge himself when he was thus insulted, persuaded the
boy that led him by the hand, that he was weary and wanted to
rest himself, and desired he would bring him near the pillars;
and as soon as he came to them, he rushed with force against
them, and overthrew the house, by overthrowing its pillars, with
three thousand men in it, who were all slain, and Samson with
them. And such was the end of this man, when he had ruled over
the Israelites twenty years. And indeed this man deserves to be
admired for his courage and strength, and magnanimity at his
death, and that his wrath against his enemies went so far as to
die himself with them. But as for his being ensnared by a woman,
that is to be ascribed to human nature, which is too weak to
resist the temptations to that sin; but we ought to bear him
witness, that in all other respects he was one of extraordinary
virtue. But his kindred took away his body, and buried it in
Sarasat his own country, with the rest of his family.
Continue on to
Book
Five,
Chapter 9,
The Antiquities of the Jews
by
Flavius Josephus
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The Antiquities of the Jews - Table of Contents
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