Who is…
Samson

Hebrew: שִׁמְשׁ֑וֹן —transliteration: Shimshon —meaning: man of the sun

Samson was the son of Manoah, a Danite, and was born at Zorah. Manoah’s wife was previously barren. An angel announced his coming birth and his Nazarite calling to Manoah’s wife. He was dedicated to God from the womb. The angel also revealed that “he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines (Judges 13:5).”

The narrative of his life is given in Judges 13-16. Scripture describes his personal strength, flaws, and ultimate sacrificial death.

His mother is not named in Scripture, nor are any siblings evident.

Samson is the first Nazarite mentioned in Scripture (Judges 13:3-5; compare Numbers 6:1-21).

The first recorded event of his life was his marriage with a Philistine woman of Timnath (Judges 14:1-5). Such a marriage was not forbidden by the law of Moses, as the Philistines were not one of the 7 doomed nations (devoted to destruction by God and with who they were never to intermarry: the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusite, and Girgashites — Exodus 34:11-16; Deuteronomy 7:1-4). However, Samson’s marriage was very ill-advised and unblessed.

His wife was soon taken from him and given “to his companion” (Judges 14:20).

Samson’s wife betrayed the answer to his riddle, and after he left in anger, her father gave her to one of Samson’s companions.

Samson took revenge by burning the standing grain of the Philistines (15:1-8). The Philistines in turn burned her and her father to death (Judges 15:6). No children from this marriage are mentioned.

He avenged her death, killing 1,000 Philistines at Ramath-lehi (Judges 15:7-19).

Judge of Israel

During the 20 years following this, he judged Israel; but we have no record of this part of his life.

Probably these 20 years were simultaneous with the last 20 years of Eli’s life. Eli lived at Shiloh.

His fall with the deceiver Delilah and his subsequent death

After this we have an account of his exploits at Gaza (Judges 16:1-3), and of his infatuation with the Philistine woman Delilah, and her treachery (Judg. 16:4-20), and then of his melancholy death (Judg. 16:21-31).

He perished in the last terrible destruction he brought upon his enemies.

“So the dead which he slew at his death were more [in social and political importance = the elite of the people] than they which he slew in his life.”

“Straining all his nerves, he bowed: As with the force of winds and waters pent, When mountains tremble, those two massy pillars With horrible convulsion to and fro He tugged, he shook, till down they came, and drew The whole roof after them, with burst of thunder Upon the heads of all who sat beneath, Lords, ladies, captains, counselors, or priests, Their choice nobility and flower” —Milton's Samson Agonistes

“Unlike Samson, who succumbed to the evils of the Philistine culture, our lives must be distinctive, virtuous, and godly if we are to effectively influence modern society.” (from video “On the Promised Land: Crossroads of the World”

His death and burial (Judges 16:31)

After pulling down the Philistine temple and killing more people in his death than during his life, “his brothers and all his father’s household came down and took him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father.” Only his paternal family is mentioned at the burial—no wife, sons, or daughters.

List of miraculous events in Samson’s life

These are the events the Bible presents as involving direct divine intervention, the empowering presence of the Spirit of the Lord, answered prayer, or superhuman strength beyond normal human ability. The water from the rock and the final temple collapse are presented as direct answers to his prayers. His entire life of strength was rooted in his Nazarite calling and God’s empowerment, not his own natural ability.

1. Miraculous Birth Announced by an Angel (Judges 13:2–24)

   An angel of the Lord appeared to Samson’s long barren mother and announced that she would conceive and give birth to a son who would be a Nazirite dedicated to God from birth and would begin to deliver Israel from the Philistines.

   The angel gave specific instructions about her diet during pregnancy and the boy’s uncut hair. The announcement and conception are presented as a divine miracle, similar to other barren-woman births in Scripture (e.g., Isaac, Samuel, John the Baptist).

2. The Spirit of the Lord Begins to Stir in Him (Judges 13:25)

   As Samson grew, “the Lord blessed him, and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.”

3. Tearing Apart a Young Lion with His Bare Hands (Judges 14:5–6)

   On the way to Timnah, a young lion attacked Samson. “The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat.” He did not tell his parents what he had done.

4. Killing 30 Philistines in Ashkelon (Judges 14:19)

   After the Philistines solved his riddle by threatening his wife, “the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him.” He went down to Ashkelon, struck down 30 of their men, stripped them of everything, and gave their clothes to the men who had explained the riddle.

5. Breaking Free from New Ropes (Judges 15:13–14)

   The men of Judah bound Samson with two new ropes and handed him over to the Philistines. As the Philistines approached shouting, “the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands.”

6. Killing 1,000 Philistines with a Donkey’s Jawbone (Judges 15:15–17)

7. Still empowered after breaking the ropes, Samson grabbed a fresh jawbone of a donkey and struck down a thousand men. Afterward he said, “With a donkey’s jawbone I have made donkeys of them; with a donkey’s jawbone I have killed a thousand men.”

8. Water Miraculously Provided from the Rock (Judges 15:18–19)

   After the battle, Samson was extremely thirsty and cried out to God: “You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”

   God’s response: “Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived.” He named the spring En Hakkore (“the spring of the one who called”).

9. Carrying Off the Gates of Gaza (Judges 16:1–3)

   Samson went to Gaza and visited a prostitute. The Gazites plotted to kill him at the city gate. At midnight he got up, “took hold of the doors of the city gate, together with the two posts, and tore them loose, bar and all. He lifted them to his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.”

   This was a massive feat of superhuman strength (city gates were enormous and heavy).

10. Pulling Down the Temple of Dagon (Judges 16:28–30)

    After his hair was cut, Samson was captured, blinded, and imprisoned. During a great sacrifice to Dagon, he was brought out to entertain the crowd. He prayed: “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more…”

    God answered. Samson pushed the central pillars of the temple with all his might, and the building collapsed, killing a great number of Philistines (including himself). The text notes that “those he killed when he died were more than those he killed while he lived.”

Did Samson have any children?

The Book of Judges (chapters 13–16) gives a detailed account of Samson’s life—from his miraculous birth to his death—but never mentions any sons or daughters. This silence is significant in the biblical narrative, where lineage and descendants are often highlighted for other figures (including other judges). Other judges are sometimes noted for having large families (for example, Ibzan had 30 sons and 30 daughters in Judges 12:8–9).

He “fell in love” with Delilah (Judges 16:4), who betrayed him to the Philistines. The text does not describe this as a formal marriage, and no children are referenced.

He visited a prostitute in Gaza (Judges 16:1), again with no mention of offspring.

If he had any children, they are unknown. While the Bible is very specific about Samson’s parents, his Nazarite vow, his exploits, and his relationships with women, it is completely silent about him having any children. The canonical text simply does not mention them if they ever existed.