Judges, Ruth: Revised Edition (The NIV Application Commentary)

by K. Lawson Younger

Significantly, Delilah is the only woman in the Samson cycle whose name is supplied (cf. the wife of Manoah, his Timnite wife, and the prostitute of Gaza). By only supplying Delilah’s name and using it seven times, the narrator singles her out as the most portentous of the four females in the story. While the text does not specify whether Delilah is Israelite or Philistine, the latter seems more likely in the context of the Samson cycle.96 Samson’s preferences have been for foreign women, not Israelites (at no time does Samson evince the slightest interest in Israelite women). Delilah is not connected to a man. No mention is made of her father, a brother, or a husband, even deceased. Yet, she seems to have her own house. In the world of the Old Testament, a woman was usually connected to a man. Thus Delilah’s unconnectedness raises questions about her status. The rulers (lit., “tyrants”)97 of the Philistines make the most of this opportunity. This time, there is no threat or coercion (as there was in the case of Samson’s wife); rather, they offer Delilah an extraordinary bounty for information concerning the secret of Samson’s strength (lit., “see in what his strength is great” [koah gadol]) and “how we may tie him up [’asar]” so that “[we may] subdue [‘anah] him” 16:5). They each offer her 1,100 shekels of silver, giving her a total of 5,500 shekels (an absurdly fantastic amount for this time period).98 This demonstrates how much they wanted Samson out of the way.