_A.M. 2843. B.C. 1161._ Samson was an eminent believer, (Hebrews 11:13,) and a glorious type of him who with his own arm wrought salvation. The occasion of raising him up, Judges 13:1. His birth foretold by an angel, Judges 13:2. His mother relates this to his father, Judges 13:6; Judges 13:7. The... [ Continue Reading ]
_The children of Israel did evil again_ That is, fell into idolatry, not, it seems, after the death of Abdon, the last judge, but in the days of the former judges. _The Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines_ These were a very inconsiderable people. They had but five cities of any note... [ Continue Reading ]
_Of the family of the Danites_ That is, of that tribe or people. _His wife was barren, and bare not_ An emphatical repetition of the same thing in other words, which is a usual elegance both in Scripture and other authors. _The angel_ The Son of God, yet distinguished from the Lord, because he appea... [ Continue Reading ]
_Now therefore beware_ She was to conform to the manner of life observed by the Nazarites, while she carried her infant in her womb, and perhaps while she nursed him; because, as it follows in the next verse, he was to be a perpetual Nazarite to God, from his conception to his death; which would hav... [ Continue Reading ]
_The child shall be a Nazarite_ Consecrated to God's service in a peculiar manner. _He shall begin to deliver Israel_ He did not complete the deliverance of the Israelites from the servile yoke of the Philistines; but the work was carried on and perfected by others, namely, by Eli, Samuel, and Saul,... [ Continue Reading ]
_A man of God came unto me_ A prophet, or sacred person, sent with a message from God. _Like the countenance of an angel, very terrible _ Or venerable, awful, full of majesty. Though Manoah's wife had never seen an angel before, yet she might well say this, as it was a prevailing opinion among all p... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then Manoah entreated the Lord_, &c. Not hesitating or doubting, on account of his wife's long barrenness, he believed the heavenly message, and looked upon the thing as quite certain, only he desired that the man of God might appear to them again, to instruct them in what manner they should treat... [ Continue Reading ]
_Now let thy words come to pass_ Or, thy words shall come to pass. I firmly believe thy promises shall be fulfilled. _How shall we order the child?_ Houbigant renders this, _What shall be the method of educating the child?_ What rules shall we observe in bringing him up? _How shall we do unto him?_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Of all that I said, let her beware_ While the child is in the womb, and after the child is born, let her observe the same orders. We may observe that the angel gives no answer to Manoah's question, how the child should be educated, &c., as willing that they should not be solicitous about that at th... [ Continue Reading ]
_Until we shall have made ready a kid_ He supposed him to be a man and a prophet, to whom he would in this manner express his respect, as was usual to strangers. _I will not eat of thy bread_ That is, meat, as bread is commonly taken in Scripture. _If thou wilt offer a burnt- offering_ As Manoah had... [ Continue Reading ]
_That when thy sayings come to pass, we may do thee honour_ Either by making honourable mention of thee, or by showing respect to thee by a present, such as they usually gave to prophets. _Seeing it is secret_ Meaning, not only, that it would be of no importance or service to him to know his name; b... [ Continue Reading ]
_And offered it upon a rock_ The presence and command of the angel being a sufficient warrant for the offering of sacrifice by a person who was no priest, and in a place otherwise forbidden. Vitringa, however, supposes that “it was the angel who upon this occasion performed the principal functions o... [ Continue Reading ]
_If the Lord were pleased to kill us_ The reasoning of Manoah's wife here is very just, and shows her to have been a woman of good understanding. Indeed, both of them seem to have been persons of eminent piety, who, amidst the prevailing corruption and idolatry of their people, retained their integr... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Lord blessed him_ That is, endowed him with all those graces and gifts of mind and body which were necessary for the work he was designed for. _The Spirit of the Lord began to move him_ To excite him to heroical designs and extraordinary actions, above the power of mere unassisted human abiliti... [ Continue Reading ]