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

by K. Lawson Younger

The epilogue to this climactic slaughter of the Philistines records Samson’s first prayer, the first time that he calls on Yahweh. But it is immediately plain that this is only due to the exhaustion from the massacre, a desperation of thirst. From the tone of Samson’s prayer, it seems clear that this is little more than “an impudent harangue”86 and a demand for water (cf. Israel’s demands in the wilderness). You have given into the hand of your servant this great victory, and now will I die of thirst, and will I fall into the hands of the uncircumcised? (author’s translation) In the first line Samson speaks better than he knows. In the next two lines he rants at Yahweh to do something about his thirst! The suspense is sustained to the very end as Samson uses the same pejorative (“uncircumcised”) as his parents (14:3) to describe the Philistines (15:18). Purely out of his grace, God provides water through a rocky place at Lehi. Samson drinks and is revived. So the spring is called En Hakkore (“the spring of the caller”).