The lord of the Philistines decided to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon, who,

they believed, had delivered Samson into their hands. So a great number of men and

women, including the lords of the Philistines, gathered together in a large house. The

immense size of the house is indicated by the statement that there were upon the roof

about three thousand men and women (16: 27). As the people made merry, they called

for Samson so that he could amuse them. Samson was brought out of prison to please the

people, and as he stood before them he said to the boy who was leading him, "Suffer me

that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them".

Then Samson called upon the Lord:

and Samson took hold of the two pillars which supported the house, and he prayed:

He bowed himself with all his might and the house fell upon the lords of the

Philistines and on all the people, so that in his death he slew more people than he had

killed in the whole of his life.

When Samson was born, the Angel said that he would "begin to deliver Israel out of

the hand of the Philistines". This objective was to a great extent achieved, but Samson

was betrayed by the woman he loved and so became blind and was placed in prison. He

did not obey his father and mother who advised him to marry one of the daughters of his

own race. Instead, he sought one who was a daughter of the Philistines; the enemy

against which he had been called to fight.

Then he loved Delilah and possibly Delilah loved Samson, but she was bound to be on

the side of the Philistines, and consequently she could not be faithful to Samson when the

future of the Philistines was involved. It was therefore natural that Delilah should

support her own nation, and when a large sum of money was offered as a bribe, she could

hardly refuse. As a Nazarite, no razor should have been used to shave Samson's head,

though it must be admitted that he was asleep when this took place. Samson loved

Delilah and trusted her.

In reading the story, we may be surprised to find that Samson trusted her after she had

made three attempts to betray him. But he had full confidence in his strength and did not

contemplate the possibility of his hair being cut off. Samson was betrayed, and we may

remember the words of the apostle Paul in  II Cor. 6: 14, 15  when he told the

Corinthians not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.

We are told very little of Samson's life in prison. As he ground the corn he had plenty

of time to reflect on his condition, and the circumstances which had brought him to his

present state. He may have thought about the advice he had received from his parents,

and the risks he had taken in becoming involved with women associated with the enemy.