Hakim-hakim 16:1-2

Samson’s Downfall

16:1 Samson went to Gaza. There he saw a prostitute and went in to have sex with her. ¹  16:2 The Gazites were told, ²  “Samson has come here!” So they surrounded the town ³  and hid all night at the city gate, waiting for him to leave. ⁴  They relaxed ⁵  all night, thinking, ⁶  “He will not leave ⁷  until morning comes; ⁸  then we will kill him!”

[16:1]  ¹ tn Heb “and he went in to her.” The idiom בּוֹא אֶל (bo’ ’el, “to go to”) often has sexual connotations.

[16:2]  ² tc Heb “To the Gazites, saying.” A verb is missing from the MT; some ancient Greek witnesses add “it was reported.”

[16:2]  ³ tn Heb “And they surrounded.” The rest of the verse suggests that “the town” is the object, not “the house.” Though the Gazites knew Samson was in the town, apparently they did not know exactly where he had gone. Otherwise, they would could have just gone into or surrounded the house and would not have needed to post guards at the city gate.

[16:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “and they lay in wait for him all night in the city gate.”

[16:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “were silent.”

[16:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “saying.”

[16:2]  ⁷ tn The words “He will not leave” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[16:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “until the light of the morning.”