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| Samson
(c. 12th cent. BC) Biographical Samson is the antagonist of the Philistines, regarded as one of the 'judges' of Israel, but he is portrayed not as a judge but as a popular hero with immense strength and sarcastic humour. He was the son of Manoah, from the tribe of Dan. His mother, who had been childless, received a visit from an angel who told her she would conceive a son. From birth, he was consecrated as a Nazarite, a religious devotee, and it is possible that this vow was made simply out of a desire for revenge. He is said to have married a Philistine woman from Timnath. Samson was not motivated by any serious religious or patriotic cause; he became the enemy of the Philistines purely out of personal revenge, which was the one passion stronger in him than his love for women. The stories of his exploits are clearly drawn from popular tales, with elements of mythology mixed in. Samson began his career by killing a lion on his way to visit a Philistine woman. On his return, he found that the carcass, much like the skull of Onesilus, had been occupied by a swarm of bees; he took the honey and this incident inspired a riddle. The story of Samson’s marriage and the riddle is particularly interesting as a reflection of social customs, especially the practice of the wife remaining with her parents after marriage. His next act of revenge, prompted by his wife’s betrayal, was to catch 300 foxes and set them loose in the fields with firebrands tied to their tails. The Philistines retaliated by burning her and her father’s household, and Samson responded by attacking them 'hip and thigh', killing a thousand men with the jawbone of an ass. This story seems to have been influenced by a rock shaped like a jawbone, from which flowed a spring called En-hakkore, meaning 'the spring of the caller' (a reference to the partridge). The famous tale of Samson removing the gates of Gaza to Hebron, 40 miles away—'no journey of the Sabbath'—was later exaggerated. Finally, the Philistine Delilah learned the secret of Samson’s strength and, by cutting off his hair, rendered him vulnerable. He was blinded and forced to perform menial work, and as his hair grew back, so did his strength. During a festival to Dagon, he was brought out before the Philistines in the temple, and by pulling down the house on top of them, he killed more in his death than in his lifetime, also dying in the process. Son of Manoah, he probably married an unnamed woman from Timnath |
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