Introduction

Delilah is introduced in Judges 16:4 as a woman from the valley of Sorek with whom Samson falls in love. She is apporached by the Philistines and offered money to aid them in capturing Samson. She accepts the offer and uses Samson's love, to convice him to reveal the source of his strength so the Philistines can capture him. We aren't told anything about Delilah's life before or after Samson.

Genealogy & Etymology

Meaning of Delilah

Delilah ironically means feeble. It is unclear if this is a Philistine name and the word came to mean feeble in Hebrew becuase of what happened to Samson, or if that's what the name meant even before her actions.

Family?

As I mentioned, we aren't told anything about Delilah's origins, but we are given where she is from. The Valley of Sorek was on the border of Israel and Philistine, meaning both Israelites and Philistines were likely to present in the area. The Tribe of Israel that settled there was the Tribe of Dan. Most people assume Delilah was a Philistine—likely because Philistine leaders approached her and she was easily convinced to betray Samson for them—however, there is a small possibility that she was from the Tribe of Dan.

The point of these chapters in Judges is to tell us the story of Samson, so Delilah's history wasn't important to the author, however I do wonder if her family (or lack thereof) explains her motive. The Philistines offer her 5500 pieces of silver to betray Samson. If her family was destitute or she didn't have a family, she may have been in dire need of the money. That does not excuse her actions, but it does explain motive. That being said, she may have simply had a love of money and it may have had nothing to do with her family.

Questions

About the Passage

1. How old was Delilah? When she met Samson? When she betrayed him?
2. Why did Delilah want the money?
3. Did she ever care for Samson?
4. Did she regret her actions?
5. Did she stop to think about the Philistines' offer or did she accept the bribe on the spot?
6. Was she given all the money upfront or was some or all of it contingent on her getting the right information?
7. Was she a Philistine?
8. Where is the valley of Sorek?
9. How did Delilah view Samson?
10. Did she only betray him for the money or did she believe he was dangerous?
11. What did she do after Samson was imprisoned?
12. What did she do with the money?
13. Was she sad when Samson died?
14. Did she know they would gouge out his eyes?
15. Did she ever turn her heart to God?
16. Why did she continue to believe Samson after he lied to her?
17. Did her family know she was planning to betray Samson?

If I could meet her

If I could speak to Delilah, there are two areas I would focus on: her motive/persepctive before betraying Samson and her feelings after the fact.

We are told the story from God's perspective, but Delilah must have rationalized her actions in her own mind. Whatever she told herself to believe that it was ok to lead Samson on and trick him out of his secret is dangerous. I want to know what her thought process was so I can avoid it!

The Bible doesn't tell us about Delilah's life after Samson but I want to know how her decisions effected her long term. Did this make it difficult for her to find a husband? Did she settle down and have kids? Did she regret her actions or did she consider Samson a casualty of war?

Phototheology

Phototheology is a way of learning the Bible taught by Ivor Myers.[3] I am employing this technique in my weekly Woman of God study journal. The following three pormpts are the ones I drew from the card deck while studying Delilah.

Find one or more parallels to the story.

There are two stories I see parallels with: the story of Adam and Eve and Judas' betrayal of Messiah.

Adam & Eve

Both Delilah and Eve facilitated the death of their respective partners. Eve was decieved about her actions and had no intention of harming Adam, but Delilah knew exactly what she was doing. Similarly, both Adam and Samson are fully aware of their own actions and willingly step into sin. In contrast, Adam blames Eve for their predicament after the fall but Samson never blames Delilah for his situation.

Judas Betrays Messiah

Judas sets up Messiah for 30 pieces of silver (~$317 by the same calulcation used above) the same way Delilah sets up Samson for silver (though considerably more). We get to see Judas' remorse in the aftermath of his actions, but we aren't told Delilah's reaction. Many have speculated that Judas thought Messiah wouldd "fight back" and that His arrest would force Him to usher in the Kingdom of God—remember the disciples didn't understand that Messiah was here to die for our sins. This makes me wonder about Delilah's headspace when she betrayed Samson. Did she believe that ever if the Philistines knew his secret that he would still manage to fight back? Or did she truly not care about him? Another instance of betrayal that could be considered similar was the betrayal of Joseph's brothers selling him in to slavery.

In which cycle of divine math is the text located? Is there any significance?

Delilah's story takes place after the 400 years Israel was predicted to spend in Egypt, but before the 70 years they are prophesied to be in captivity in Babylon. This is the "good" times, when Israel is free and able to make their own decisions. This is when we see Satan push the hardest to get them to succumb to idolatry and disobedience. The sins committed during this time bring them closer to captivity. Samson is tempted by many women—Delilah is just the only one who uses it to her advantage in this way—but he is supposed to be a leader and jugdge for Israel. This failure in leadership is what will ultimately cause Israel to go back in to captivity for 70 years.

Compare or contrast with the Mosaic cycle.

Journal Pages

References & Footnotes

1. Samson. Encyclopedia Britannica; visited March 29, 2025
2. Strong's H1807. דְּלִילָה". Blue Letter Bible; visited March 29, 2025
3. Pastor Ivor Myers' Phototheology Game Deck