Protos

Who was Samson in the Bible?

Judge, before Israel had a king

Samson was an Israelite judge during the period when the Philistines oppressed Israel. Samson appears in 37 verses across 2 books of the Bible.

What does the Bible say about Samson?

Samson was an Israelite judge during the period when the Philistines oppressed Israel. His birth was announced by an angel to his parents, Manoah and his wife, who had been barren (Jdg.13.2-5). The angel instructed them to raise Samson as a Nazirite, dedicated to God from birth (Jdg.13.5, 7). As Samson grew, the Lord blessed him, and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him (Jdg.13.24-25). Samson's life was characterized by his immense strength, which he used to fight against the Philistines. He killed a lion with his bare hands (Jdg.14.5-6), struck down thirty men of Ashkelon (Jdg.14.19), and killed a thousand Philistines with a donkey's jawbone (Jdg.15.14-16). However, Samson's weakness was his attraction to foreign women. He fell in love with a Philistine woman named Delilah, who eventually betrayed him by discovering the secret of his strength (Jdg.16.4-20). The Philistines captured Samson, blinded him, and forced him to grind grain in prison (Jdg.16.21). During a Philistine festival, Samson was brought out to entertain them. He prayed to God for strength one last time and pushed against the pillars of the temple, causing it to collapse and kill himself along with many Philistines (Jdg.16.22-30). Despite his flaws, Samson is remembered as a man of faith who delivered Israel from Philistine oppression (Heb.11.32).

Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.

Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.

Where does Samson appear in the Bible?

Samson is referenced in 37 verses across 2 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.

Judges 36Hebrews 1

Showing the first 24 of 37.

Open all 37 references in Protos

What else appears in these passages?

These turn up in the same passages as Samson.

PhilistinesDelilahWomanRiddleTimnahMother

Common questions

How many times does the Bible mention Samson?

Samson appears in 37 verses across 2 books, most often in Judges, which accounts for 36 of them.

Which books of the Bible mention Samson?

Judges, Hebrews.

Where can I read every verse about Samson?

This page lists 24 of them. Protos carries all 37, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.

Read it in context

Read Judges with Samson explained on the verse.

Tap any name, place, or word you do not recognize and the background opens on the verse you are reading. No second tab, no search, no losing your place.

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