Samson
Within the Old Testament, the book of Judges serves as a bridge between the Torah and the former prophets. This time period is where the tribes start the transformation from wanderers to a thriving nation. Instead of being ruled by a single leader, the tribes are under the control of appointed judges who are supposed to rule in G-d’s judgment. Out of all of the stories within the book of Judges, the epic tale of Samson is the most notable due to its size and importance. The tragic tale of Samson has commonly been re-told in many ways, shapes, and forms. Little, though, has been covered on Samson’s beginnings. Although Samson’s heroic actions later in life have a major impact on the book of Judges, it is his mysterious beginnings that hold the most key elements into the overall meaning of the story. Within the story of Samson’s conception, there are numerous key elements that are highlighted in order to produce a deeper meaning. The very first occurrence is the issue of being barren. In Judges 13:2 it states, “And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose names was Mano’ah; and his wife was barren and they had no childrenâ
This mix-up in who the offering should be directed is to illustrate one of G-d’s primary laws of the covenant dealing with worshiping others instead of solely G-d. By having Mano’ah choose to originally want to make the offering to the messenger, it gives the example of how quickly a person can forget the laws of the covenant. With simply the news of a child to come, Mano’ah is willing to make an offering to someone else rather than G-d. He essentially is willing to break the laws of the covenant in order to accept the message the man has delivered. Although Samson’s mother is visited by the messenger and given the message that they will conceive a child, Mano’ah must see it for himself to fully believe it. This need to physically see the messenger exemplifies how cautious and hesitant people are in general. Mano’ah is unwilling to simply go on the word of his wife and therefore needs the physical proof himself. Although he calls to G-d for wisdom and guidance on how to raise the child, it is more of a way to see if what his wife said happened is actually true. By sending the messenger once again, it not only justifies Samson’s mother’s story but also illustrates that G-d is serious about the message. The second part to Judges 13:2 mentions how Samson’s parents do not have any children at all. This is vital to the overall Samson story because of the condensation that occurs with birth order. Being the first born male within a family automatically guarantees that one will be sole inheritor of the family’s wealth, position, and power within a given society. In most cultures, being first born is everything. Therefore, if Samson’s parents were to have had children before his birth, then it would have possibly decreased Samson’s overall status in life. Once the messenger delivers his news again to both Mano’ah and his wife, Mano’ah desires to make an offering the messenger. Mano’ah is under the assumption that since the messenger is the one who delivered the news, there he is the o
Some topics in this essay:
Beginnings Testament,
G-d Mano’ah,
Philistines Judges,
Samson G-d,
G-d G-d,
mano’ah wife,
samson’s mother,
laws covenant,
key elements,
offering g-d,
tale samson,
book judges,
overall importance,
story samson’s conception,
overall importance child,
message conceive child,
judges 132,
mother visited,
samson’s mother visited,
samson’s parents children,
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Approximate Word count = 1376
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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