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Manoah

Samson’s father, who asked God to send the angel back so he could learn how to raise his son.

Old Testament · c. 1100 BC · Judges · Also known as Father of Samson, Manoah of Zorah

About Manoah

Manoah was "a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites," and his wife had no children. An angel appeared to her and promised a son who would be set apart to God from birth and "begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines." Manoah prayed, "let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born," and God answered. When Manoah asked the visitor’s name, he was told, "Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?" The angel went up in the flame of their offering. Manoah feared, "We shall surely die, because we have seen God," but his wife reasoned otherwise. Their son was Samson.

Zorah lay in the low hills west of Jerusalem, near Philistine territory. The angel’s answer, "it is secret," uses a Hebrew word meaning "wonderful," related to the "Wonderful" of Isaiah 9:6. Manoah’s wife is never named.

The story

A man of Zorah

"And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not." The angel of the LORD appeared to her: she would bear a son, drink no wine, and "no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb."

Judges 13:2-7

Teach us what we shall do

"Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born." God heard him, and Manoah asked, "How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?"

Judges 13:8-14

Seeing it is secret

"What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?" "Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?" Manoah offered a young goat on a rock, "for it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar."

Judges 13:15-20

We shall surely die

Manoah said, "We shall surely die, because we have seen God." His wife answered, "If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things." "And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him."

Judges 13:22-24

Key moments

Questions about Manoah

In meetBible these answers are given in Manoah’s voice. They are written by hand and checked against Scripture.

Why did you ask the angel to come back?

The message came to my wife, and I wanted to be sure we got it right. I prayed, "let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born." When he came, I asked, "How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?" God answered a father’s prayer for help.

Why wouldn’t the angel tell you his name?

I asked, "What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?" He answered, "Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?" The word means "wonderful," beyond understanding. Then he did something wonderful: he "ascended in the flame of the altar." Many readers see this as a meeting with the LORD himself.

Why did you think you would die?

"We shall surely die, because we have seen God." I knew no one could see God’s face and live. My wife was wiser that day: "If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things." She was right.

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Start with Judges 13.

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