harlot b, and went in unto her. 7 a A chief City, to make ſome new attempt upon the Philiſtines, whom he feared not either in their Cities or in their. Camps, having had ſuch large experience of his own Strength, and of Gods Afſi- | Nance ; poſſibly he came in thicher by Night, unknown and un- obſerved till afterwards. b Going into an houſe of publick En- tertainment to refreſh himſelf, as the manner was, Joſh. 200 To He there ſaw this Harlot ; which implies, that he did not go thither upon ſo evil a Deſign, but accidentally ſaw her there, and by gi- ving way to laſtful Looks upon her, was enſnared by her. : 2 And it was told the Gazites, ſaying, Samſon is come hither. And they compaſſed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were þ quiet all night, ſaying, In the morning, when it is day, we ſhall kill him c. : $29 c This they choſe to do, rather than toſeize upon him in his Houfe nd bed by Night ; either becaufe they knew not certainly in whar Houſe or place he was; or, becauſe they thought that might cauſe great Terror, and Confuſion, and Miſchief among their own peo- ple ; whereas in the day-time they might more fully diſcover him, ' and more unexpeRedly ſurprize him,and more certainly dire& their Blows, and uſe their Weapons againſt him- = And Samſon lay till midnight,and aroſe at midnight d, and took the doors of the gate of the city e, and the two poſts, and went away with them f, Þ bar and all, and put rhe upon his ſhoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that « before Hebron g. 4 Being either ſmitten in Conſcience for his Sin, when he firſt © awaked, and rhence fearing Danger, as he had juſt cauſe to do; or * > being ſecretly warned by God in a Dream ; or, by an inward im- + KE pulſe, for the prevention of his deſigned Deſtruticn. e Nor the "I reat Gates, but leſſer Doors made in them, and ſtrengthened with Sina poſts and bars. f The Watch-men not expeCGting him till
at Iſa, 47. 2+grind meal, (:.
© 2 8 >
opper part of the Gate- houſe, as the manner new is, to get ſomereſt, whereby to fit themſelves for their hard Service intended in the morning ; or, if ſome of them were in his way, he could eaſtly and ſpeedily ſtrike them dead, and break the Door, whilſt the reſt were partly aſtoniſhed with the ſurpriſe ; and partly, preparing them- ielves for refiſtance : Nor durſt they purſue him. whom they new again perceived to have ſuch prodigious Strength and Courage ; and to be ſo much above the fear of them, that he did not run away with all ſpeed, but went leiſurely, having ſo great a weight on his Shoulders, wherewith they knew he could both defend himſe]fand offend them. g Either, 1. To an Hill near Hebron, which was above twenty miles trom Gazs; or, 2. To the top of an high Hill not far from Gaza, which looked towards Hebron, which alſo ſtood upon another high Hill, and might be ſeen frem this place, theugh it was at a great diſtance from it. And Samſon did this not cut of vain Oftentation, bur as an evidence of his great Strength for the -Encouragement of his people to join with him more vigorouſly for their own Deliverance, than yet they had done, or durſt do 5 and for the greater terror and contempt of the Philiſtines. Ir ma {ſeem ſtrange that Samſon immediately after ſo foul a Sin ſhould have the Courage in himſelf, and the Strength from Ged, for ſo greay a work. Bur firſt, it is probable, that Samſon had in ſeme meaſure repented of his Sin, and begged of Ged pardon and Affiſtance, which alſo he perceived by Inſtin&, that God would afford him. 2. This ſingular Strength and Conrage was not in it ſelf a Grace, but a Gifr, which might have been in a graceleſs perſon, and therefore might continue in a good Man, notwithſtanding an hainous at of Sin: and it was ſuch a.gift as did not depend upon the diſpoſition of his Mind, but upon the right ordering of his Body, by the Rule given to him, and others of that Order. h 4 4 And it came topaſs afterwards, that he loved a woman b || in the valley of Sorek, whoſe name was || Or, Delilah. Fe. bruk.
h Either firſt, with Conjugal Love, ſo as to Marry her, as divers both Jews and Chriſtians have thought. Or, Secondly, with Luſt. ful Love, as#an Harlot: which though not certain, becauſe the Phraſe is here ambiguous, ſhe being neither called an Harlot : as ſhe of Gaza was, v. 1+ nor yet his Wife, as ſhe of Timnath was, Judge 14: 2, 3, 20: yet it may ſeem more probable; partly, becauſe the dreadful puniſhment now inflifted upon Samſon for this Sin, whom God ſpared for the firſt Offence, is an intimation, that this Sin was not inferior tothe former ; partly, becauſe the Cofidence which the Philiſtine lords had in her, and their bold and frequent Treating with her, and the whole courſe of her Carriage tuwards Samſon, ſhew her to be a mercenary and perfidious Harlot, and rot a Wife; whoſe 2fffecCtion and Intereſt wou]d have obliged her to beter things and partly, becauſe Smſon did not carry her home to his Houle, as Husbands uſe to do their Wives; but lodged in her Houſe : as appears from the whole Story. ;
5 And the lerds of the Philiſtines 5 came up unto her, and ſaid unto her, Entice him, and ſee wherein his great ſtrength lieth, and by what means we may prevail againſt him, chat we may bind him to || afic | Or, him & ; and we will give thee every one of us eleven ##n6le hundred pieces of filver /.
; The lords of their five principal Cities, who ſeem to have been united together at this timein one Ariſtocratical Government; or at leaſt were leagued together againft him as their common E- nemy. k To chaſtite him for his Injuries done to us. They mean to pryniſh him ſeverely, as they did ; but they expreſs it in mild words, leſt the horror of it mightmove her ro pity him. 1 ( i.e.) Shekels, as rhat Phraſe is commonly uſed.as Numb,7: 13, $5. 2 Sam. 18: 12. 2 King. 6: 25»
6 © And Delilah faid ro Samſon, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great ſtrength /ieth m, and where- with thou mighteſt be bound, to affli& thee ?
_ m What is the cauſe of this prodigious Strength, or wherein doth ir conſiſt ? She ſeems to ask meerly our of curioſity, to underſtand the ſtate of a perſon whom fhe ſo highly values.
7 And Samſon ſaid unto her, If they bind me with | | ſeven ||f green withs, that were never dried 2, then |: = = ; COFAsS.
ſhall I be weak, and be as + another man. + Heb.