Judges 16:15-22
His Hair Began to Grow Again
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15“How can you say, ‘I love you,’” she asked, “when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and failed to reveal to me the source of your great strength!”
16Finally, after she had pressed him daily with her words and pleaded until he was sick to death,
17Samson told her all that was in his heart: “My hair has never been cut, because I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, my strength will leave me, and I will become as weak as any other man.”
18When Delilah realized that he had revealed to her all that was in his heart, she sent this message to the lords of the Philistines: “Come up once more, for he has revealed to me all that is in his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came to her, bringing the money in their hands.
19And having lulled him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his head. In this way she began to subdue him, and his strength left him.
20Then she called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” When Samson awoke from his sleep, he thought, “I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.
21Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze shackles and forced to grind grain in the prison.
22However, the hair of his head began to grow back after it had been shaved.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Delilah presses Samson day after day until he tells her the truth. His hair has never been cut because he has been a Nazirite to God from the womb. If it is shaved, he says, his strength will leave him.
She sends for the Philistine rulers, who arrive with the money. While he sleeps on her lap, she calls a man to shave his seven braids. When she announces the Philistines again, Samson expects to escape as before. But the narrator tells us what he does not know: the LORD has departed from him.
The Philistines seize him, gouge out his eyes, take him to Gaza, and bind him in bronze shackles. He is forced to grind grain in prison. His confidence in another escape has met a terrible limit.
One detail remains at the end: his hair begins to grow again. It leaves the account open, but it does not undo his blindness or captivity. Nor should we treat the hair as a magic source of power. The decisive loss named by the narrator is the LORD's departure.
Questions
1 What does Samson finally tell Delilah?
AnswerHe says his hair has never been cut because he has been a Nazirite from the womb, and that shaving it would leave him weak.
2 Who arranges the shaving, and what does Samson fail to realize?
AnswerDelilah calls a man to shave him while he sleeps. When he wakes, he does not know that the LORD has departed from him.
3 What happens to Samson after his capture?
AnswerThe Philistines blind him, take him to Gaza, bind him with bronze shackles, and make him grind grain in prison.
4 How can we speak honestly about a possible new beginning?
AnswerWe can hope in God’s mercy while acknowledging harm that remains. Hope does not require promising that every loss will be reversed.
What This Means for Us
Consequences can remain even when a person's future is not yet settled. We may pray for mercy and change without promising a return to everything that existed before. Speak truthfully about both the damage and the need for help. A hopeful detail should not be made to carry more assurance than God has given.
Prayer
Lord, have mercy when confidence collapses and consequences remain. Help us speak truthfully, seek the help we need, and hope in You without pretending the harm has disappeared. Amen.
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