The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 131

,ii. 3-14). We may suppose the date of improper to apply to nn angel, seeing that the ensuing narrative to be somewhere in Galn-ul means man of God, I asked him the first decade of the Philistine oppression. not, &c. No doubt from awe. Jacob, on the Ver. 2.-Zore.h. Enumerated among the contrary, asked the angel with whom he had cities in the tribe of Dan in Josh. xix. 41, wrestled, " Tell me, I pray thee, thy name " but ascribed to Judah, ibid. xv. 33 (there (Gen. xxxii. 29). Seevers. 17, 18. In the tre.uslit~rated Zoreah) and in 2 Chron. xi. Septuagint (Cod. Alex.) and Vulgate the '/Wt 10. Probably the boundary passed through is omitted. " I asked him, but he did not the city, as that of Judah and Benjamin did tell me." through Jerusalem. In Neh. xi. 29 it is Ver. 10.-And the woman ... ran, &c. tmnsliterated Zareah, and also ascribed to Acting in the true spi.J.it of a loving and JuJah. It is almost always coupled with trustful wife, and showing that she felt that Esht.101, as in ver. 25 of this chapter. It neither angel nor man of God stood before was situated in the Shephelah, or plain her own husband in the claim to her con- country, n.nd was fortified by Rehoboam fidence and obedience. (2 Chron. xi. 10). It is supposed to be Ver. 12.-Let thy words come, &c. The represented by the modern Surah, at the verb is singular in the Hebrew here and in entrance of the Wady Ghurab. The family ver. 17. Possibly the true reading is word, of the Danites. It appears from Numb. as in the Septuagint. If the text is correct, n.--vi. 42, 43 that there was only one family words must be taken collectively, 11/l ma.king in the tribe of Dan, so that in this case tribe one promise. The saying marks Mn.noah's and family were co-extensive. earnest desire for a sou. .Some, however, Ver. 3.-Thou ehalt . .. bear a son. It construe it, If thy words eoJne. How shall is obvious to compare the promise to Abraham we order, &c.-literally, What will be the and Sarah (Gen. xvii. 19; xviii. 10, 14), to mam,ner of the chi7,d,, and what will be his H:mnah (1 Sam. i 17), to Elizabeth (Luke doing 1 i. e. either, What will be his manner i. 13), and to the blessed Virgin (Luke i (cf. 1 Sam. viii 11, and following verses), 31). and what will be his action or work? or, Ver. 5.-The child shall be a liazarite, What will be his proper treatment, anuJ, what &c. So it was said, though not in the same shall be done to him? The former is the words, concerning Samuel (1 Sam. i 11) most natural rendering of the words, and and concerning John the Baptist (Luke i. though the latter seems a.t first more suitable 15}. A N azarite (or, more correctly, a Nazi. to the angel's reply, yet ifwe take the angel's rite) means one separated, and specially dedi- reply as referring Manoah to what he had cated to God. The law of the Ne.zarites is contained in Numb. vi, where, however, only Nazarite,s of days, i. e. Naze.rites for a. tinct answer to the questions. His = aa.id before in vers. 4 and 6, we have a dis- will be to live as a N aza.rite, e.nd his action definite time, are spoken of. Samson, or work will be to begin to deliver Israel Samuel, and John the Baptist were perpetual (cf. Gen. xvi. 12, where both the manner NaWl1"ites, Nazarites of for ever, as the and the actions of Ishmael are foretold). In Mishna classifies them. Abstinence from fact, Manoah's question refers directly to strong drink, and from anything made of vers. 4 and 6, and is a. request to have a the grape ; letting the locks of the head confirmation of what was then ea.id ; just as grow unchecked by the razor ; and keeping David asked age.in and age.in, What shall be quite clee.r of any pollution from a dead done to the man that killeth this Phili,stine? body, even in case of the death of his nearest (1 Sam. xvii. 26, 30). relations, were the chief articles of a N azarite' s Ver. 14.-She may not eat of anything, vow. St. Paul took the vow of a Naze.rite &c. Nearly the identical words of Numb. of days, and offered the prescribed sacrifices, vi 4. together with "the hair of the head of his Ver. 15.-Let us detain thee, &c. H11 separatio!l," as we read in Acts xviii 18 ; wishes to detain him as a guest till he has x:xi 23-26. He shall begin, &c. This is had time to cook a kid for him (cf. Gen. an exact description of what Samson did. xviiL 7). For thee. The Hebrew is before He did not "deliver Is~!" as the other thu. The phrase is elliptical. The full judges did; but be began to shake the sentence would be, wntil we have dressed a Philistine power, and prepared the way for kid and set it before thee, as in Gen. x:viii. 8. the deliverance of Israel in the time of his Ver. 16,-I will not eat of thy bread, worthier successor Samuel. &c. The angel refuses to eat of bis meat, Ver. 6.-A man of God, i. e, a prophet, but suggests that if he would offer the kid applied to Moses, Samuel, David, Shemaiah, as a bw-nt offering, he must olfer it to the Elijah, Elisha, and other prophets, and to Lord. The angel, perhaps perceiving ~hnt Timothy in the New Testament. Manoah's Manonh was in doubt as to who ho might wife applies it to the angel, not being sure be, had a holy dread lest he might olfer the that he was not human. It would not be kid to him, just aa the angel whom St. John OR, Xlll, 1-25.] THE BOOK OF JUDGES. 139