Judges 16 14

Judges 16:14 kjv

And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.

Judges 16:14 nkjv

So she wove it tightly with the batten of the loom, and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he awoke from his sleep, and pulled out the batten and the web from the loom.

Judges 16:14 niv

and tightened it with the pin. Again she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric.

Judges 16:14 esv

So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his head and wove them into the web. And she made them tight with the pin and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he awoke from his sleep and pulled away the pin, the loom, and the web.

Judges 16:14 nlt

Then she tightened it with the loom shuttle. Again she cried out, "Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!" But Samson woke up, pulled back the loom shuttle, and yanked his hair away from the loom and the fabric.

Judges 16 verses

Judges 16 14 Meaning

Judges 16:14 describes Delilah's second successful, yet still foiled, attempt to trick Samson into revealing the secret of his immense strength. She entwined Samson's hair with the warp threads on a weaver's loom and secured it tightly with a strong peg, attempting to bind him. When she announced the Philistine threat, Samson awoke abruptly and effortlessly tore away the loom, the peg, and the woven fabric, demonstrating his undiminished physical power. This episode highlights Samson's repeated pattern of carelessness and Delilah's escalating cunning, despite his awareness of her intentions.

Judges 16 14 Context

Judges 16:14 is situated in the middle of the narrative of Samson's destructive relationship with Delilah. Following two previous, failed attempts to discover the source of Samson's supernatural strength (Judg 16:6-12), Delilah intensifies her efforts, resorting to persistent nagging and emotional manipulation. Despite Samson having effortlessly broken previous bonds (fresh cords, new ropes), he continually falls back into Delilah's traps. This particular episode highlights Delilah's increasing understanding of Samson's true nature – that he reveals just enough of the truth, playfully or carelessly, to still maintain his strength. The immediate historical context involves the Philistine oppression of Israel and Samson's unique, but largely ineffective, role as a Nazirite judge called to deliver his people, whose weakness for foreign women continually undermines his divine purpose.

Judges 16 14 Word analysis

• And she fastened it: This highlights Delilah's active role as the enabler of Samson's eventual downfall. Her agency is repeatedly emphasized.
• with the pin: Hebrew: יָתֵד (yated). This refers to a tent peg, or a strong, thick nail, commonly used for securing objects. The very term "yated" links to the story of Jael (Judg 4:21), who used a yated decisively for victory against an oppressor. Here, a "yated" is used in an attempt to ensnare, a perversion of its powerful, liberating use in Jael's hand. Its commonness signifies a domestic, mundane entrapment, rather than a powerful, spiritual threat that Samson should be more alert to.
• and said unto him: Delilah's recurring announcement serves as both a taunt and a warning. It demonstrates her manipulative technique and Samson's dangerous complacency.
• The Philistines be upon thee, Samson: This repeated phrase acts as a wake-up call, designed to startle Samson into action and reveal whether his "binding" was effective. It’s the constant external threat, yet Samson is internally complacent.
• And he awaked out of his sleep: Hebrew: וַיִּקַץ (vayiqqaṣ). This term signifies an abrupt or sudden awakening, often implying a startle. It shows Samson was deeply asleep, suggesting a lack of vigilance, yet still retained his strength to react instantaneously. His physical wakefulness contrasts with his spiritual sleep concerning Delilah's true intentions.
• and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web:
  • went away with: Indicates his sheer, effortless power in tearing free. He is not merely escaping the bind, but taking parts of the loom with him, illustrating the complete inadequacy of Delilah's "strength-binding" attempts thus far.
  • the pin of the beam: This emphasizes the sturdy nature of the object used, a structural part of a loom, highlighting the force Samson exerted.
  • the web: Hebrew: מַסָּכֶת (massākhet). This refers to the weaver's shuttle or the entire fabric on the loom, or the frame itself. The imagery places Samson in a domestic, sedentary, and therefore vulnerable position, rather than on the battlefield. This indicates he allowed himself to be placed in a non-threatening situation where he was being entrapped. This imagery signifies a web of deceit, an entangling snare.

Judges 16 14 Bonus section

• The three attempts by Delilah that Samson foils are stepping stones toward his final downfall, each more elaborate and intimate than the last. This verse shows the penultimate stage before the truth is fully divulged.
• The repeated phrase "The Philistines be upon thee, Samson" acts as a dark premonition of his eventual capture by them, emphasizing that his enemy was not only external but internal: his own unchecked desires and complacency.
• Samson’s entanglement with foreign women throughout Judges is a recurring theme of spiritual compromise that undermines his role as judge and deliverer of Israel (e.g., Timnah, Gaza harlot, Delilah). This highlights the dangers of unequal yokes and giving oneself over to ungodly desires, leading to eventual downfall and blindness.
• The image of Samson waking "out of his sleep" after each trap can be seen as a spiritual metaphor. Though physically awake and powerful, he remained spiritually dormant, blind to the true danger presented by Delilah's persistent malice and the consequences of his own moral compromises.

Judges 16 14 Commentary

Judges 16:14 powerfully illustrates Samson's grave spiritual and relational complacency, coupled with Delilah's relentless and escalating deceit. Samson, repeatedly "mocking" Delilah by offering false secrets, simultaneously allows himself to be put into increasingly restrictive and vulnerable positions. His habitual pattern of succumbing to temptation is clear: he gives Delilah enough information for her to "test" him, only to easily break free, demonstrating his strength yet revealing his foolishness. Each time he awakens "out of his sleep," it underscores a lack of watchfulness and an underlying spiritual lethargy that makes him susceptible to the snare, even when forewarned by Delilah's very words about the Philistines. The incident with the woven hair and the peg represents another boundary crossed, showing his comfort in revealing sacred aspects of his Nazirite vow (hair implies part of the vow even if not stated fully until 16:17). The contrast between Samson's physical might and his spiritual weakness is glaring.