Delilah
Paid to find the secret of Samson’s strength, she asked until he told her.
Old Testament · c. 1100 BC · Judges · Also known as The woman of Sorek
About Delilah
Delilah lived in the valley of Sorek, and Samson loved her. The lords of the Philistines each offered her eleven hundred pieces of silver to discover the secret of his great strength. Three times Samson gave her false answers, and three times she tied him and cried, "The Philistines be upon thee, Samson." She pressed him day after day until he told her the truth: he was a Nazirite, and no razor had ever touched his head. She had his hair shaved while he slept, and the Philistines captured him. Scripture never says she loved him.
Samson was a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth; his uncut hair was a sign of that vow (Judges 13:5). Judges doesn’t say whether Delilah was a Philistine or an Israelite, only that she lived in the valley of Sorek, near Philistine territory.
The story
Eleven hundred pieces of silver
"He loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah." The lords of the Philistines came to her: "Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth… and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver."
Judges 16:4-5
Three false answers
Samson told her he would be weak if bound with fresh bowstrings, then new ropes, then if his seven locks were woven into a loom. Each time she did it and cried, "The Philistines be upon thee, Samson," and each time he broke free.
Judges 16:6-14
Thine heart is not with me
"How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me?" she said. "She pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death." Then "he told her all his heart": "There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb."
Judges 16:15-17
The Philistines be upon thee
She made him sleep on her knees and had the seven locks shaved. "The Philistines be upon thee, Samson." He woke and thought to shake himself free, "And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him." The Philistines seized him, put out his eyes, and set him grinding in prison.
Judges 16:18-21
Key moments
- Samson loves her: In the valley of Sorek. (Judges 16:4)
- Bribed by the Philistines: Eleven hundred pieces of silver each. (Judges 16:5)
- Three failed tries: "Thou hast mocked me." (Judges 16:15)
- Learns the secret: "He told her all his heart." (Judges 16:17)
- Betrays Samson: His hair is shaved. (Judges 16:19)
Questions about Delilah
In meetBible these answers are given in Delilah’s voice. They are written by hand and checked against Scripture.
Did you love Samson?
Judges says "he loved a woman… whose name was Delilah." It never says I loved him. I used love as a lever: "How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me?" Scripture records the offer of silver and what I did, and leaves my heart unstated.
Why did you betray him?
The lords of the Philistines promised me "every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver," and when I called them the last time, they "came up unto her, and brought money in their hand." Scripture gives the money as the setting. Whether anything else moved me isn’t said.
Were you a Philistine?
Judges doesn’t say. It says only that I lived "in the valley of Sorek," which lay between Israelite and Philistine land. People often assume I was a Philistine because of who paid me, but the text leaves it open.
Connected people
Read it yourself
Start with Judges 16.