But Manoah is not done with his attempted manipulation. He now asks the question, “What is your name, so that we may honor [kabad] you when your word comes true?” (v. 17). This question contains a number of problems. (1) In the ancient Near Eastern context, knowing the name of a heavenly being provided power over that being. So Manoah is still seeking manipulative power through special knowledge. (2) Manoah asks his name in order to honor him—not immediately but after “[his] word comes true” (v. 17). In other words, Manoah still is doubtful about Yahweh’s words. Amazingly, Manoah does not
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