Back More
Salem Press

Table of Contents

The Ancient World: Extraordinary People in Extraordinary Societies

Samson

Flourished: c.1100 bce; Israel

Locale: Israel

Related civilizations: Israel, Philistia

Major role/position: Warrior

Life: According to the biblical witness preserved in narratives spanning Judges 13–16, Samson was an accomplished military hero from the Israelite tribe of Dan. The triumphs of this physically overpowering rogue against neighboring Philistine men, however, were regularly offset by his failures with Philistine women, whose loyalties remained with their own people.

Delilah Cuts Samson’s Hair, by Master E. S., 1460/1465

CWEP_Samson.jpg

After being informed that her child would be remarkable, Manoah’s wife bore a son. This son, Samson, obtained his parents’ reluctant consent to marry a Philistine maiden. Their wedding feast turned sour when Philistine guests solved Samson’s riddle by snatching the answer from his bride. In revenge, Samson tied blazing torches to three hundred foxes, releasing them in his enemies’ grain fields. Credited with killing one thousand Philistines with the jawbone of an ass and carrying the city gates of Gaza uphill forty miles (sixty-four kilometers) to Hebron, Samson fell victim to the enchanting Delilah, who delivered him to her Philistine cohorts, who blinded him. Ultimately, Samson pulled down the pillars of the Philistine temple of Dagon, thereby killing three thousand worshipers and himself.

Influence: Whereas biblical legend presents Samson as a flawed Israelite and a Tarzan-like figure, whose bawdy exploits elude historical verification, it offers testimony that Philistine-Israelite tensions rapidly escalated during those decades immediately predating the founding of the Israelite monarchy. Samson’s story has evoked two compelling artistic renderings—John Milton’s dramatic poem Samson Agonistes (1671) and Camille Saint-Saëns’ opera Samson and Delilah (1877).

See also: Israel; Philistines.

—J. Kenneth Kuntz

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
"Samson." The Ancient World: Extraordinary People in Extraordinary Societies, edited by Shally-Jensen Michael, Salem Press, 2016. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=CWEP_0153.
APA 7th
Samson. The Ancient World: Extraordinary People in Extraordinary Societies, In S. Michael (Ed.), Salem Press, 2016. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=CWEP_0153.
CMOS 17th
"Samson." The Ancient World: Extraordinary People in Extraordinary Societies, Edited by Shally-Jensen Michael. Salem Press, 2016. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=CWEP_0153.