Though infamous for her tryst with bad-boy Samson, we know little about Delilah. The Bible says Samson falls in love with her. We assume it’s mutual, though for her it may just be for the sex or out of rebellion.
Whatever her motivation to hook up with the potent Samson, money soon becomes a more powerful incentive. When the Philistine leaders offer her silver if she can learn the secret behind her lover’s strength, she agrees. Eager to earn her reward, she plies Samson to reveal the source of his vigor.
Three times he toys with her, giving misinformation, which she accepts as truth. Each time the Philistines try to use this information to capture him, but they are unable to.
Embarrassed over her failures, and no doubt anxious to earn her payoff, she hounds him incessantly. Her nagging eventually wears him down, and he finally breaks. Now knowing the true secret to his strength, the Philistines capture him. Samson later dies in their chains.
Whatever Delilah thinks of Samson at first, she readily sells him out for a few sacks of silver.
What will we do for a paycheck? How far will we go to get money, power, or prestige?
[Discover more about Delilah in Judges 16:4–21.]
Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in audiobook, e-book, paperback, and hardcover.
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
