him with fetters of braſs, and he did grind in the Pri- ſon-houſle &.
gs Who now durſt apprehend him, becauſe they reſted in the Al. ſurance which Delilah had given them, that now «!l was diſcovered anddone. þ Which was doneby them our of Revenge and policy, to diſcnable him from doing them much harm, in calc he ſhould re- cover his Strength ; but not withour Gods providence, puniihing him in that part which had been greatly inſtrumental to bis tinfull
ufts. : Becauſe this was a great and ſtrong Ciry, where he wouid be kept ſafely ; and upoathe Sea-coaft,at ſufficient diſtance from Sammons
oy ——— ono
\ y 10 - x
! ; :
people ; and to repair the Honour of that place, vpon which he had faſtened ſo great a ſcorn, Juag. 16. 3. God alfo ordering things thus, that where he firſt ſinned, Judg. 16. 1. there he ſhould receive his puniſhment. k As Captives and Slaves uſe to da : See Exod. 11 5. Iſa. 47: 2: Matth, 24: 41: He made himſelf a Slave to vile Luſts and Harlots, and row God ſuffers men to uſe him like a Slave.
22 Howbeit, the hair of his head began to grow a- gain / || after he was ſhaven.
{ T his Circumſtance, thoughin it ſelf inconrfiderable, is noted as a ſign of the recovery of Gods favour, and his former Strength, in ſome good degrees upon his bitter Repentance, and his renewing of his Vow with God, which was allowed for Nazarites to do, Numb. 6. 9, &. And which is here ſuppoſed he did, and by the EfeRs proved. NR;
23 Then the. lords of the Philiſtines gathered them
together w, for to offer a great ſacrifice unto Dagon *
their god, and torejoyce : for they ſaid, Our god hath
delivered Samſon our enemy into our hand.
1 Either upon ſome annual or cuſtomary Solemnity : or, rather, upon this ſpecial occaſion, to praiſe Dagor for this fingular Favour, And they did not appoint this ſolema Service as ſoon as Samſon was taken, but ſome conſiderable time after, as appears by the growth of Samſons Hair in the mean time, becauſe they would give ſufficient
time and warning for all their Friends and Allies to come thither;
and for the making of all neceſſary voreparations for ſo greatan Oc- caſion. » Which is by moit ſuppoſed to be an Ido], whoſe upper part was like a Man, and whoſe lower part was like a Fiſh ; whence there is mention of Dagons hands, but not of his feer, in 1 Sam. 5. 4+ And this place being near Egypr, where ſome of their gods were worſhipped in the form of Fiſhes ; and being near the Sea, it ſeems moſt probable, that it was one of the Sea-gods cf the Heathens ; and that it had in ſomepart the reſemblance of a Fiſh.
24 And when the peopleſaw him, they praiſed their god : for they ſaid, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the defiroyer of our countrey, + which ſlew many of us.
25 And it came to paſs when their hearts were mer- ry, that they ſaid, Call for Samſon, that he may make us ſport. And they called for Samſon out of the pri-
ſon-houſe, and he made | them ſpore », and they {et + Heb;
him between the pillars,
1: Eeither firſt, paſſively, being madeby them the marter oftheir Sport andDeriſion; and of many birter Scoffs, and other Indignities or Injuries: Orz Secondly, Attively, by tome ridiculous Affionsy or ſome proofs of more than ordinary Strength yer remaining in him, like the ruins of a great and goodly Building ; whereby he lull'd them afleep in ſecurity, unril by this ſeeming Complaiſance he prepared the way for that which he deſigned ; otherwiſe his generous Soul would never have been forced to make them Sport, fave in order to their Deſtruttion.
26 And Samſon faid unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me, that I may feel the pillars where- upon the houſe ſtandeth, that I may lean upon them.
27 Now the houſe was full of men and women, and all the lords of the Philiſtines were there : andrhere were upon the roof s about three thouſand men and women, that beheld while Samſon made ſport.
o Which after the manner was flat, and had Windows thrcugh
which they might ſee what was done in the lower parts of the Houſe.
28 And Samſon called unto the LORD, and ſaid, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and firengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, chat I may be at once avenged of the Philiſtines for my TWO eyes p.
p This prayer was not an a&t of Malice and Revenge, but of Faith and Zeal for Gad, who was there publickly diſhonoured ; and
* Juſtice, in puniſhing their inſolencies and vindicating the whole
Common-wealrh of Iſrael, which was his Duty, as he was Judge; to do. And this 1s manifeſt from hence, becauſe God who heareth not Sinners, and would never uſe his Omniportency to gratifie any Mans impotent Malice, did manifeſt by the Effe&, that he ac- cepted and owned his prayer as the diQtare of his own Spirit. And that in this prayer he mentions only his Perſonal Injurie, theloſs of his Eyes, and not their Indignities to God and his people, muſt be aſcribed to that prudent Care which he had, and declared upon former eccaſions, of deriving the Rage and Hatred of the Phil:ftines upon himſelf alone, and diverting it from the people, For which end I conceive this prayer was made with an audible Voice, though he knew they would entertain it with Scorn and Lavghter, which alſo he knew would quickly be turned into Mourning.
29 And Samſon took hold of the two middle pillars, upon which the houſe ſtood, and || on which it was
born up, ef the one with his right hand, and of the #e leaned on themes
other with his left gq.
30 And Samſon faid, Let + me die with the Phili- ſtines r: and he bowed himſelf with al bis mights and the houſe fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein; ſo the dead which he flew at his death, were more than they which he ſlew in his life.
9 Wu. tow could ſo great a Building, containing ſo many thou- ſands of people, reſt upon two pillars ſo near placed together ? Here Infidels rriumph, as if they had got an unan{werable Argument a- gainſ? the truth ofthe Scriptures. But ir is a far more incredible and ridiculous thing to imagine, that the Pen-man of this Book ſhould feign ſuch a Circumſtance as this, if ir had been talſe, whereby he would have utterly overthrown the Credit of the whole Book; and that he ſhould do this before a people that cenld exfily
2 R 2 have
Chap. XVI: q
|| Or, as
when he i was ſhaven. il
T Heb. and who multiplied our ſlain.
before
them,
| Or;
F Heb. my ſoul
jog | Mk
+ Heb. Micajah.
XVI.
_ credible of them,