Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

T. Samson was the son of Manoah, a Danite of Zorah. His mother was a long time barren, and had no children, which was accounted a great disgrace in Israel. But an angel appeared, and told her, that God was pleased to make her the mother of a deliverer of Israel From the Philistines; and directed her neither to drink wine, nor other strong liquors, nor to eat any unclean thing during her pregnancy: and that the child should never let his hair he shaved, for that he should be a Nazarite from his birth all his life. At the time appointed the divine promise was accomplished, and the woman was delivered of a son, whom she named Samson.- His exceeding strength presently shewed that he was miraculously endued with the spirit of God; which, as he grew up, put him upon executing some extraordinary things, in the camp at Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol, as specimens of the great work God intended to accomplish by his strength and valour.

The first particular account we have of his prowess, when he was grown up, was in his way to Timmath, a city of the Philistines, whither he went to demand a young woman of that place to be his wife. Meeting with a young lion in his way thither, that was running to devour him, he laid hold of him, and with his bare hands tore him to pieces. After a time, Samson obtained the damsel in marriage, and at the festival of the wedding, which was celebrated at Timnath, he propounded a riddle to thirty young men, whom his wife's relations had brought to honour him at the marriage-feast; which was, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out

The

of the strong came forth sweetness'; and promised, that if they could explain it in the seven days the feast lasted, he would give them thirty suits of cloaths, and the like number of shirts; and if they could not explain it in that time, they were to forfeit the like to him. agreement was made; but they not being able to find out the meaning of the riddle, prevailed on his wife, to get the secret from her husband, and reveal it to them. Samson tired and overcome by her importunity, declares the riddle to her, which she presently told the Philistines. Samson hereupon finding himself deceived by his wife, told them that they had ploughed with his heifer and being moved with the spirit of God, he went to a city of the Philistines, called Ashkelon, killed thirty men of them, and brought their raiment to those that had explained his riddle.

Samson disgusted with his wife on this occasion, left her, and went to his father's house; and she, in his absence, was given in marriage to one of those thirty young men above. mentioned. But when Samson's resentment was somewhat abated, he returned with purpose of being reconciled to his wife, not knowing what she had done. Her father denies him admittance to her chamber; relates what had happened;. and offers him his youngest daugh- ter, who was fairer, for a wife in her stead. Samson dissatisfied thereat, vowed vengeance, and told him the Philistines hereafter will have no reason to complain of injustice, if he returned them the evils they had now done to him. In this resolution he went out, and caught three hundred foxes, and tying them

tail to tail with a lighted torch between each pair, he turned them into the standing corn of the Philistines, and set it all on fire, with their vineyards and olive-trees.

When the Philistines understood that Samson had done this mischief, in revenge for the affront put upon him, by giving away his wife to another man, they came and fired the house, and burnt Samson's wife and her father therein. Samson looking on this act as a fresh provocation, in revenge set upon, and slew a great number of the Philistines. And being conscious that he must have highly provoked the Philistines by this last slaughter, he fled to the land of Judah, and took up his residence on the top of the rock Etam. Hither the Philistines with a strong force pursued him, and threatened to lay waste all the country of Judah, if they would not deliver up Samson to them. The men of Judah, to avert such a desolation of their country, prevailed with Samson to suffer them to bind him, which they did with two new cords, and conducted him in this condition to the Philistines camp. Here it should be observed, that had God intended to have sent Samson to make open war against the enemies of his people, this was a fit opportunity to declare it; for there were three thousand men of Judah assembled on this occasion, who certainly would have obeyed, him, had he shewn any divine commission for that purpose; and this number was more than sufficient, under God's protection, to repulse and beat any army which depended on human strength alone: there fore, Samson was only appointed by God to harrass, weaken, and to

keep the Philistines in awe, that, out of dread of him, they might be less cruel in their oppressions: and this may be properly gathered from the words of the angel, who only said, that he shall begin to deliver Israel.

While the Philistines were shouting for joy, on this enemy being delivered into their hands; the spirit of the Lord came upon Samson, and he breaking his cords, as if they were pieces of burnt flax, laid hold on the jaw-bone of an ass, which happened to be near him, and therewith slew a thousand of the Philistines. After this victory Samson ventured to go openly to Gaza, a city of the Philistines, and went in unto an harlot who resided there; which was soon made known to the magistrates, who posted a guard both about the inn, where he lodged, and at the city gates, resolving in the morning to surprise and kill him. Samson being informed of their design, rose at midnight, and taking the two gates of the city, gate-posts, bar and chain, on his shoulders, carried them to the top of an hill, which lies between Gaza and Hebron.

Some time after having fallen in love with a woman, named Deli lah, who dwelt in the valley of Sorek, about a mile and an half from Escol, the Philistines engaged her, by the promise of a large sum of money, to get out of him the important secret wherein his great strength lay. He dissembled with her several times; yet, though he was convinced that she intended to betray him to his enemies, it was God's will, thus to bring about the wise ends of his Providence, that he should tell her the truth at the lasti

Delilah hereupon informing the Philistines, that his great strength lay in his hair, which she took a proper opportunity to cut off, they came upon him, and seizing him without opposition or danger, put out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza, to be there exposed to derision, where he had before exposed them to shame by carrying away the gates of their city; and having loaded him with fetters, they made him grind in the prison house, But even this very thing turned to their ruin. For Samson's hair grow again so quick, and his strength with it, that when the lords of the Philistines assembled soon after to rejoice and offer to their god Dagon a sicrifice of thanksgiving for de livering Samson into their hands, that when he was brought into the temple of their God, to make them sport, being placed between two pillars that supported the house, he laid hold of them, and praying unto God to enable him to avenge the loss of his eyes, he shook the pillars with such force as brought the whole house down upon the lords, and other people that were therein; and thereby about 3000 were crushed in the ruins. Thus died Samson, after having judged Israel 20 years, slaying more at his death, than he had done in all his life.

S. I must beg leave to ask, how Samson's mother was assured that the message of her conception was from God?

T. She acquainted her husband with what she had seen and heard. Manoah thereupon intreated the Lord to send his angel a second time that he might be informed personally of the method, in which he was ordered to bring up the son

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

T. A Nazarite under the law, was one who made a vow of observing certain rites, and a more than ordinary degree of purity. The rules they observed, were to abstain from wine, and all strong liquors; to let their hair grow without cutting or shaving; not to enter into a house polluted by a dead body in it; nor to be present at a funeral. And this Nazariteship was either perpetual or temporary. It was perpetual in Samson, and John the Baptist; and in these cases, the persons were consecrated from the womb to this vow by their parents, and could never be absolved from it. It was temporal, when any person vowed to observe those rules only for a certain time, at the expiration of which, they were obliged to appear before the priest, and to perform certain ceremonies.

S. What were these ceremonies? T. When the time of their sepa ration and vow was ended, the priest brought the person to the door of the temple, who there offered to the Lord a he-lamb for a burnt of fering, a she lamb for an expiatory sacrifice, and a ram for a peace of fering, with leaves, and cakes, and wine necessary for the libations. Then the priest, or some other, shaved the head of the Nazarite at

[ocr errors]

the door of the tabernacle, and burnt his hair in the fire on the altar: after which, the priest put a shoulder of the ram roasted, and a loaf and a cake into the hands of the Nazarite; which he returning to him again, the priest lifted them up in the presence of the Nazarite, offered them unto the Lord, and absolved him from his vow.

S. What was the meaning Samson's riddle ?

monument of God's favour to Sam son at Lehi many years after.

S. Where was the city Ashkelon, where Samson killed the 30 men, and took their raiment ?

T. It was situate between Azoth and Gaza, upon the coast of the Mediterranean sea, about 520 furlongs distant from Jerusalem. Here it was that Derceto, the mother of of Semiramus, was worshipped by the Gentiles in the shape of a mermaid: and here stood the temple of Apollo, whereat Herod, the father of Antipater, and graad-father to Herod the Great, ofl.ciated as priest.

T. You may remember that he had killed a lion in his way to Timnath. On his return from thence, he found that a swarm of bees had lodged themselves, and formed a honey-comb in the hon's throat. Samson took and eat of the honey, and carried some of it home to his parents, without telling them of his exploit; and they also eat of it. Now in his riddle, the eater and the strong were the lion; the meat and the sweetness were the honey.

S. What was the name of the place where Samson slew the Philistines with the jaw-bone of an ass?

T. He gave it the name of Ramath-lehi, which is interpreted, the lifting up, or rather, as some say, the casting away of the jaw-bone; because when he had ended his song of triumph, he cast it away.

S. What token did God give him of his approbation of this act? T. Being very faint with thirst after this laughter and song, he prayed to God for a little water to refresh him and God in answer to his prayer clave a hollow place in the rock near Lehi, which immediately flowed with water; which fountain he called Enhakkore, or the well of him that prayed to God for water; and it continued as a

S. What do you say of Gaza;

T. Joshua made this city a part of Judah: it being situate between Raphia and Ashkelon, towards the southern extremity of the land of promise. It was afterwards seized by the Philistines, who made it one of their five principalities. Its advantageous situation was the cause of its often changing its masters. Joshua took it from the Philistines;

the Philistines recovered it from the Israelites; and again, we read of it alternately in the hands of the Gentiles and Hezekiah; of the Chaldæans, when they reduced Syria and Phœnicia; and of the Persians, who were in possessien thereof when Alexander the Great besieged, took, and demolished it. It once more rose again, but not so great, by the name of Majuma, which was at one time subject to the kings of Egypt; then it was taken and sacked by Antiochus the Great: the Asmoneans or Maccabee took it several times from the Syrians; and it was totally destroyed by Alexander Jannæus, king of the Hebrews: Gabinius once more repaired it: Augustus gave it to Herod the Great

again, Constantine the Great gave it the name of Constantia, with many independent privileges in honour of his son; but the emperor Julian deprived it of them all, and destroyed it.

S. What were the names of the five chief cities of the Philistines?

T. Accarod, Ascalon, Gaza, Azoth, and Gath. But this will be better understood, if it be observed, that Gaza stood on the very south-west corner of the land of Canaan. Ashkelon, or Ascalon, lay on the north of Gaza. To the north of Ascalon was situate Azoth, or Azotus, which is the Greek name for Ashdod. Still more to the north, was built the city Gath, famous for giants, and the birth place of Goliath, whom David slew. It was dismantled by Ozias, king of Judah, and laid waste by Hazael, king of Syria; but recovered itself, and retained its old name in the days of Eusebius and St. Jerom, who place it about four miles from Eleutheropolis, in the way to Lydda. But the most northern of these cities was Accarod or Accaron, more properly Ekron, a place of great wealth, and power, and famous for the idolatrous worship of Beelzebub.

S. What god was it whom the inhabitants of Gaza worshipped by the name of Dagon?

T. This god, upon the best authority, is supposed to be Neptune. The etymology of Dagon is to be sought in the Phoenician word Dag, which signifies a fish and accordingly, the Idol is usually represent ed, in the shape of a woman with the lower parts of a fish. goddess Derceto worshipped by the same nation at Ashkelon, was like

The

wise of the same shape, and being allowed to have been a female deity, it may be with great propriety said, that Derceto was the Amphitrite to Dagon, the Philistine Nep

tune.

S. How can Samson be said to be judge in Israel?

T. I do not so properly look upon Samson, as the supreme magistrate in Israel (for Eli, the high priest, did very probably then govern both the church and state) but only that he was the chief man of war, whose valour was renowned, and who did many great and signal exploits in order to rescue his country from the oppression of their enemies, and to restore them to their former liberty.

S. I shall be glad to know what a judge was in Israel?

T. It was a magistrate, not un like the Athenian archon, and the Roman dictator, whose power was a medium between a king and an inferior magistrate. They acted as God's vicegerents; and their ho nour only lasted for life, without descending to their posterity; they were generally appointed to that office by God himself, whose special commission was known by the extraordinary prowess and gifts he communicated to them, and by the exploits he enabled them to perform. Sometimes the people, without waiting for a divine designation, did chuse a chief, upon the demise of a judge; which chief magistrates, tho' they are commonly numbered as judges, I would rather look upon as temporary governors, who must have given place, had it pleased God, on some extraordinary occasion, to appoint a judge over his people, to deliver them out of their distress

« ForrigeFortsæt »