27 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO Judges 13 This chapter relates the birth of Samson, another of the judges of Israel, which was foretold by an angel to his mother, who told her husband of it, Judges 13:1 upon whose entreaty the angel appeared again, and related the same to them both, Judges 13:8 and who was very, respectfully treated by the man, and by the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord,.... Committed idolatry, which was the evil they were prone unto, and were frequently guilty of: and the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines forty years: which according to Josephus (f) are to be reckoned from the death of the last judge, and the time of Samson's birth;...
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary - Matthew Henry
At this chapter begins the story of Samson, the last of the judges of Israel whose story is recorded in this book, and next before Eli. The passages related concerning him are, from first to last, very surprising and uncommon. The figure he makes in this history is really great, and yet vastly different from that of his predecessors. We never find...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites,.... Of the tribe of Dan, in which tribe Zorah was, and seems to have lain both on the borders of Judah and Dan, Joshua 15:33; [See comments on Joshua 15:33], [See comments on Joshua 19:41], and this man was not a mean man, but of rank and figure, a principal man in the country,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman,.... According to Josephus (k), it was in a plain without the city; and that he appeared in the form of a man is certain from Judges 13:6 but was not a mere man, a prophet of the Lord, nor a created angel, but the uncreated one, the Angel of the covenant, the Son and Word of God, who often appeared...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink,.... Any liquor inebriating and intoxicating, neither new wine nor old wine, as the Targum, and so Jarchi; the reason of this appears in the next verse, because the child she should conceive and bear was to be a Nazarite, and to be one from his mother's womb; and from all such...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For, lo, thou shalt conceive and bear a son,.... Which is not only repeated for the confirmation of it, but that she might take notice that he was to be a Nazarite, and therefore must conform to everything agreeable to the law of the Nazarites, and take care that it was observed in him: and no razor shall come on his head; to cut off the hair of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then the woman came and told her husband,.... To whom it would be joyful news, as it was to her: saying, a man of God came unto me; he appeared in an human form, and therefore she calls him a man; and by his mien and deportment, and the message he brought, she concluded he was a man of God, that is, a prophet; by which name such persons went in...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But he said unto me, behold, thou shalt conceive and bear a son,.... She says nothing of her barrenness, which the angel took notice of to her, that having been to her reproach: and now drink no wine nor strong drink; neither new wine nor old wine; so the Targum as before: neither eat any unclean thing; which was so in a ceremonial sense;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then Manoah entreated the Lord,.... Josephus (l) makes the woman to entreat the Lord; but the text is clear for it that it was Manoah that prayed: and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send unto us; he believed that the man that came to his wife was a man of God, and that he was of his sending; nor was he incredulous of the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And God hearkened unto the voice of Manoah,.... Heard his prayer and answered it: and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field; who very likely returned to the same place where she was before, in hope her husband's prayers would be heard, and the man return and come to her where he had before met her; as well as she might...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the woman made haste, and ran,.... It is not improbable what Josephus says (m), that she entreated the angel to stay a little till she fetched her husband, which he assented to, and then made all the haste she could to him, partly through eagerness to acquaint him with it, and partly that she might not make the prophet she took him to be wait...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Manoah arose and went after his wife,.... As soon as she had delivered the above, she made all the haste she could to the man again, lest he should think her too long, and depart; and it was proper enough she should go first, to direct her husband where the man was; Jarchi interprets it, after her counsel and advice: and came to the man, and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Manoah said, now let thy words come to pass,.... Which was not only a wish that they might, but a prayer of faith that they would come pass: how shall we order the child? and how shall we do unto him? he believed a child would be born, and as he was to be a Nazarite, he knew what were the rules and orders to be observed concerning one in...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the angel of the Lord said unto Manoah,.... Giving him no direct answer to his question, either what should be done to the child, or what that should do; only reminds of and repeats what he had said to his wife, which she should be careful to observe and would, and that was enough for him to know: of all that I said to the woman, let her...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
She may not eat of anything that cometh from the vine,.... Grapes moist or dried, kernels, or husks, or anything made of them: neither let her drink wine, or strong drink; as she was to be careful to abstain from such liquors, so her husband also is enjoined not to suffer her to drink any: nor eat any unclean thing; which was so by the law of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Manoah said unto the angel of the Lord,.... Being satisfied with what he had said, and perceiving that he chose to say no more, and was about to depart: I pray thee let me detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee; to eat a meal with them, in token of gratitude for the trouble he had been at in bringing these messages to them,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the angel of the Lord said unto Manoah,.... In answer to his request: though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread; that is, should he be prevailed upon to stay awhile with him, until an entertainment should be got ready, he would not eat of any of his provisions; for "bread" is put for all eatables, or whatsoever he might provide for...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Manoah said unto the angel of the Lord, what is thy name,.... Who art thou, and by what name art thou called? for since he could not prevail upon him to stay and eat a meal with him, he desired to know his name, and where he lived, that when he heard his name mentioned he might speak well of him, or send to him upon occasion; or if any message...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the angel of the Lord said unto him,.... Being so importunate, and pressing upon him; why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret? and not to be known; as his nature and essence as a divine Person, which may be meant by his name, is what passes knowledge, is infinite and incomprehensible; see Proverbs 30:4 or "wonderful" (p); which...