Answer: Philistia
The Philistines settled in an area of the Levant which is close to, and includes, the present day Gaza strip. This land, which had been part of southern Canaan, was taken some time in the 19th century BC at about the time of Abraham. In Genesis 21, we are told about Abraham and the Philistines. Archaeological remains show that they were a war-like people who originated in Crete and islands in the Aegean Sea. They fortified five cities called the Pentapolis: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdad, Ekron and Gath, and they absorbed much of the culture and gods of the Canaanites.
In the 2nd century BC, Joshua led the Israelites into the promised land and began to conquer it. Later, in the time of the Judges, the Israelites disobeyed God and did not drive out the pagan people, compromising with them instead. In Judges 2, we read "The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said '... Yet you have disobeyed me ... Now therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you'". There is a continuing cycle of doing evil, repentance and deliverance throughout the time of the Judges (1380 BC to 1049 BC). Samson is one of these Judges. A Judge in this context is a military leader, not a judicial official. Samson's story begins in Judges 13, and it is very interesting to read it all the way through.
From Quiz: Samson and Delilah
Answer: Judges
The story of Samson is found in Judges, chapters 13-16. God sent Samson to deliver the Israelites from the Philistines.
From Quiz: Samson - the Nazirite
Answer: Manoah
Judges 13:2. This verse introduced Manoah and his unnamed wife who was barren.
From Quiz: The World's Strongest Man: Samson
Answer: It does not say
Samson's weakness is for women. In Judges 14, Samson says to his father and mother, "I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah (Timnath); now get her for me as my wife". Samson's parents disapprove of his choice of wife, but the Bible says "His parents did not know that this was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time, they were ruling over Israel". The woman who becomes his wife isn't named in the Bible, but she is given the name Semadar in the 1949 movie. There are many other differences between the Bible account and the movie, but Samson's riddle is in both. The Bible account is more gruesome. Semadar is killed accidentally with a spear in the film, but in the Bible we read "So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death". Don't confuse this woman with Delilah; she comes into Samson's life later. Samson never marries Delilah.
From Quiz: Samson and Delilah
Answer: Dan
Samson was the son of a man named Manoah who live in Zorah. His mother's name is not mentioned in the Bible.
From Quiz: Samson - the Nazirite
Answer: Father: Manoah, Mother: not mentioned
In modern day Hebrew "manoah" means "deceased" and "rest". This may be seen as yet another example of the Father's down-graded depiction. The name of the mother is not mentioned.
From Quiz: The Story Of Samson
Answer: Zorah
Judges 13:2. The same verse that introduced Samson's parents also introduced their hometown.
From Quiz: The World's Strongest Man: Samson
Answer: The Valley of Sorek
Once again Samson falls for a woman, probably from what his parents called "the uncircumcised", and as we follow the story to its end, we can see that it is in the purposes of the Lord. We can see how Samson had an eye for the women because Judges 16 starts with, "One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her ... Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah". In ancient times, the Valley of Sorek marked part of the border between Philistia and Israel. It would have included the border city Beth-Shemesh, which has since been excavated. Delilah might have been a Philistine, but we don't know. Again, we are not told.
From Quiz: Samson and Delilah
Answer: Dan
Judges 13:2. It also in a way tells us what tribe of Israel Samson was from, too.
From Quiz: The World's Strongest Man: Samson
Answer: She was offered money by the Philistine rulers
Unlike in the movie, in which Delilah is shown with a complex personality, capable of love, hate, revenge, jealousy and regret, the Bible only shows us that she is avaricious and treacherous. Delilah is motivated only by the shekels of silver offered to her by the rulers of the Philistines. We read "The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, 'See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so that we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver'".
From Quiz: Samson and Delilah
Answer: Her name is not mentioned in the Bible.
Samson saw her when he went to Timnah. When he returned home, he told his parents of his decision to marry her. They were not very pleased, as they had hoped he would marry one of their own.
From Quiz: Samson - the Nazirite
Answer: 30 sheets and 30 change of garments
The number 3 and its multiples are recurrent throughout the story.
In FunTrivia terms the riddle should be rated "Very Difficult" since it pertains to Samson's incident with the lion of which only he is aware. But Samson's weakness to the feminine power leads him to a loss after he is persuaded by his wife to reveal her the solution. She then surrenders it to her fellow people. This is but an omen to Samson's future destiny in the hands of another Philistine woman.
From Quiz: The Story Of Samson
Answer: twice
Judges 13:3-21. An angel of the LORD foretold of the birth of Samson. The Angel gave his mother a set of rules to follow: Before the child is born, you cannot eat or drink of the fruit of the vineyard and eat nothing unclean. After he's born, you cannot cut his hair, for he is to be a Nazarite unto God. Manoah's wife told her husband; at first Manoah couldn't believe it. He wanted the LORD to send the angel to teach them to raise their kid. Manoah saw the angel and sacrificed an offering to him. Soon after, Samson was born and he grew to be very strong and the Spirit of the LORD began to flow through him.
From Quiz: The World's Strongest Man: Samson
Answer: Put him to sleep and shaved off his hair
There is a long account in Judges 16 of how Delilah manages to wear Samson down by constant nagging. On three occasions he gave her false answers. She would tie him with seven fresh thongs that have not been dried, then she would tie him with fresh new ropes, then she would weave the seven braids of his head into a fabric on the loom and tighten it with a pin. On all three occasions she would call "Samson, the Philistines are upon you", but he broke free. We read, "With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was tired to death, so he told her everything". She called back the Philistines who brought her the silver, then we read, "Having put him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair... and his strength left him".
In the movie, Delilah puts something in Samson's drink whilst the woman who really loves him (only in the film) called Miriam, and a young Saul, start travelling to where Samson's parents had been killed by the Philistines, expecting him to follow later. In the Bible, Samson's parents are not mentioned again after Samson had married the woman from Timnah, and Saul is never mentioned in Judges, but it is quite likely that he would have been a boy at this time in history.
From Quiz: Samson and Delilah
Answer: A lion
Samson tore apart the lion with his bare hands and killed it. He didn't mention this incident to his parents or anyone else.
From Quiz: Samson - the Nazirite
Answer: 300 foxes and the jawbone of an ass
In a contradicting manner to his great physical ability, Samson is also portrayed as an extremely artistic and imaginative character. He split the 300 foxes to 150 pairs, tied them by the tail and set the tails on fire. The foxes franticly disperse in the Philistine fields and burn them. Later on, the jawbone of the ass is used to kill Philistines. Samson finds the time to a poetic retreat immediately after he finishes slaughtering a thousand of them.
From Quiz: The Story Of Samson
Answer: Philistines
Judges 14:1. Samson went to a city called Timnath. There he saw a Philistine girl, and he instantly wanted to marry her. His parents were against it but they didn't know that Samson's interests were of the LORD's doing.
From Quiz: The World's Strongest Man: Samson
Answer: Bound him with bronze shackles and set him to grinding grain in prison
The historical account, as told in the Bible, is again far more gruesome than in the 1949 movie. I don't think the cinema goers of the 1950s would have wanted to watch the true story of Samson's blinding, or the burning of his wife and her father. Cecil B DeMille's movie was a box office success, but real life is harder, and the Bible doesn't spare us the reality of the cruelty of the human race throughout history. In Judges 16, we read, "But he did not know that the Lord had left him. Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison". In the movie, Delilah only helps the Philistine ruler (the Saran of Gaza) on condition that he promises not to draw any of Samson's blood. When Delilah has departed, the Saran sticks to the letter, but not the spirit, of his promise. He has a red hot poker placed close to, but not touching, Samson's eyes. That is bad enough, but not as gruesome as gouging.
Note also that Samson's hair had started growing again whilst he was in prison. We can see this as a glimmer of hope against the tragedy that had befallen him.
From Quiz: Samson and Delilah
Answer: Honey
Samson asked the bridal guests to solve a riddle after which he would give them thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes. The riddle was "Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet".
From Quiz: Samson - the Nazirite
Answer: Gaza
Time and time again, Samson is used by God to create friction with the Philistine rulers. After a long time in solitude, Samson goes to Philistine harlot in Gaza city. He is aware that the Gazans plan to catch him, wakes up early, removes Gaza's city gates and carries them to the area of Hebron (a distance of about 60km).
Gath and Ekron are other Philistine cities mentioned in the Bible.
From Quiz: The Story Of Samson
Answer: Lion
Judges 14:5-6. He also kept this great act to himself. The Spirit of the LORD was with him. He ripped that lion apart!
From Quiz: The World's Strongest Man: Samson
Answer: Dagon
Dagon was the chief deity of the Philistines. He was often represented with the head of a man and the tail of a fish. If he was a sea god, this would make sense as the Philistines were called the people of the sea. Dagon was worshipped in Canaan where the Philistines settled, and also in Mesopotamia by the Babylonians. He was regarded as the father of Baal, another pagan god who is mentioned in the Bible who was later given the name Baalzebub by the Jews. Ashtoreth was another god worshipped by the Philistines, Canaanites, Phoenicians and Babylonians.
During a 1972 excavation, the remains of a Philistine temple were found at Tell Qasile, near Tel Aviv. It has a room whose roof was originally supported by two wooden pillars on round stone bases. The Gaza temple was probably similar to this one.
In Deuteronomy 7, Moses tells the Israelites, "When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you... you shall not intermarry with them... for they would turn away your sons from following me (God), to serve other gods". Samson should have known this applied to him too.
From Quiz: Samson and Delilah
Answer: honey
Judges 14:8-9. He found the honey from the lion's carcass, and went on eating. He also took it to his parents and they ate some of it. Samson however didn't tell anyone about where he found it.
From Quiz: The World's Strongest Man: Samson
Answer: She is not mentioned
In the Bible, Delilah is never mentioned again. Once Samson had been captured by the Philistines, she no longer has any importance with regard to Samson or how God uses him. The Bible often gives details about people of minor political importance who would never be considered in other ancient writings, but they are very important in the providences of God.
In the movie, Delilah is warned by Samson not to go to the celebrations at the temple of Dagon, but she ignores his warning and sits in the temple close to the Saran. When Miriam and Saul plead for mercy, Delilah is jealous of Miriam's love of Samson and so she does nothing to stop the entertainment. In the film, Samson is used for entertainment which fits in with the Bible account where we read "So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them". The Bible doesn't say what the entertainment was. In the film, Delilah shows some sympathy for Samson by taking the whip from the man who is using it against him, and she gestures that she might be intending to use it to entertain the crowd.
From Quiz: Samson and Delilah
Answer: None of these
Samson met Delilah in the Valley of Sorek and fell in love with her. Delilah, however, betrayed him for the price offered by the Philistines. The Philistine rulers promised that each one of them would give her eleven hundred shekels of silver if she found out the secret of Samson's strength.
From Quiz: Samson - the Nazirite
Answer: both
Judges 14:10-14. There was a special challenge at Samson's wedding feast. Samson made a bet saying if his 30 companions could solve his riddle, he would give them each one sheet and one change of garments. If they didn't solve the riddle, the companions would owe Samson 30 sheets and 30 changes of garments. The riddle was: "Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness". This challenge was also given a time limit, seven days from that day. Within three days they couldn't solve the riddle and they weren't in a losing mood.
From Quiz: The World's Strongest Man: Samson
Answer: A servant (or a boy)
In Judges 16, we read, "When they (the Philistines) stood him among the pillars, Samson said to the servant who held his hand, 'Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them'... Then Samson prayed to the Lord, 'O Sovereign Lord, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes'. Then Samson reached towards the two central pillars on which the temple stood... Samson said 'Let me die with the Philistines!' Then he pushed with all his might and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived". In the movie, it is Delilah who takes Samson up to the pillars and places his hands where they support the temple. She dies with him in the movie, but as I said before, Delilah is never mentioned in this chapter of Judges. In the Bible, the word "servant" is often translated as "boy", or "young boy".
From Quiz: Samson and Delilah
Answer: "Let me die with the Philistines"
Samson was brought to Gaza and was set to be ridiculed during a victory ceremony in the name of Dagon, the Philistine god. In an ultimate display of his creativity, the blind Samson asks to be placed between the supporting pillars of the building. Asking God for a last surge of strength, he brings the building down, killing himself along with the 3000 Philistine attendees (Judges 16:30).
From Quiz: The Story Of Samson
Answer: Fear
Judges 14:15-18. Samson's companions told his betrothed to seduce Samson into giving her the answer. So this way, they would get the answer and win the bet. However, if she didn't do it, Samson's companions said that they would burn her father's house down with her in it! She had no choice. Samson was begged by his betrothed to give her the answer, day after day. Samson grew tired of her begging and told her the answer. She later told the companions and on the seventh day they told Samson the answer. They said, "What is sweeter than honey, what is stronger than a lion?" Samson was enraged! He went to Ashkelon, killed 30 men and took their sheets and clothes and gave them to his companions. He went back home to his parents! Samson's betrothed was given to another man, who Samson used as his friend.
From Quiz: The World's Strongest Man: Samson
Answer: 20
At the end of chapter 16, we are told that Samson's family went to get him and they buried him in the tomb of Manoah his father. It finishes with the words, "He had led Israel for twenty years". For most of Samson's life, his faith was weak because his priorities were wrong and his sexual appetites came first in his life. He failed to resist temptation, but at the end of his life, he became humble, found his faith, and he prayed. He was able to fulfill the prophecies given to his mother by the angel of the Lord (which Christians believe to be a theophany).
In the New Testament, Samson is mentioned as a man of faith. In Hebrews 11, we read, "By faith the walls of Jericho fell... By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies... And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised...". It is ironic that he achieved victory through death when the Philistines thought that they had won and were celebrating. The Philistines power had been broken, but not ended completely. That came later in history.
From Quiz: Samson and Delilah
Answer: Between Zorah and Eshtaol
This is his birthplace and he is buried beside his father.
Nowadays in Israel Zorah and Eshtaol are a kibbutz and a village in the same region near Jerusalem (Beth Shemesh). A nearby junction is called "Shimshon junction" (Shimshon is Samson's Hebrew name). A famous Israeli football (soccer) team was called "Shimshon Tel Aviv".
From Quiz: The Story Of Samson
Answer: to burn Philistine crops
Judges 15:4-5. He did this act as a result of his wife being given to another man even though he tried to come to his wife's father to make peace between them. Her father refused Samson and Samson was angered. Soon after, he took 300 foxes and tied each one to another with a torch in between their tails. Two by two they laid waste to Philistine crops.
From Quiz: The World's Strongest Man: Samson
Answer: she was burnt alive
Judges 15:6-8. The Philistines burnt her and her father alive. This was an act of vengeance for Samson burning their cash crops. Samson killed even more Philistines after this action.
From Quiz: The World's Strongest Man: Samson
Answer: Etam
Judges 15:8. He'd often retire to this rock after a day's worth of revenge.
From Quiz: The World's Strongest Man: Samson
Answer: 1000 with a donkey's jawbone
Judges 15:15-17. Samson was given by the Jews to the Philistines but the LORD was with him. He broke off the ropes he was tied with using his strength. He found a donkey's jawbone and killed 1000 men with it. It all took place in the valley of Lehi, which Samson called Ramathlehi.
From Quiz: The World's Strongest Man: Samson
Answer: a hollow point in the jawbone
Judges 15:18-19. Samson was thirsty after all that fighting. The LORD heard his cry of thirst and let him drink the water out of the bone.
From Quiz: The World's Strongest Man: Samson
Answer: he was meeting with a harlot
Judges 16:1. Gaza was a city of the Philistines, and Samson was only there to meet up with a harlot. The Gazites plotted to kill him in the early morning. However, Samson anticipated this.
From Quiz: The World's Strongest Man: Samson
Answer: all of these
Judges 16:2-3. He knew of the Gazites' plot to kill him in the morning. Samson stayed with the harlot until midnight and then he went to leave the city. He broke the doors to the entrance of the city off the hinges. He would later take them near Hebron and throw them over a hilltop.
From Quiz: The World's Strongest Man: Samson
Answer: Sorek
Judges 16:4. Here's where more of Samson's troubles began. He went to the valley of Sorek and it was there Delilah piqued his interest. Need I mention that Delilah was also a PHILISTINE!?
From Quiz: The World's Strongest Man: Samson
Answer: Dagon
Judges 16:23-31. There was a party where the Philistines offered sacrifices to the pagan god, Dagon. Samson was the "guest of honor" for he was only there for the Philistines to mock and make fun of. Samson was laid between the two pillars of the main temple by a young boy (because he had been blinded earlier). He prayed to the LORD to give him strength one last time. He took hold of the pillars and shouted "Let me die with Philistines" and pushed them towards their sides with all his might! Everyone including Samson perished inside that temple. He was buried between Zorah and Eshtaol next to his father, Manoah. He led Israel for 20 years time.
From Quiz: The World's Strongest Man: Samson
