Foundation Text

Judges 13:2-5

Hebrew Key Terms

  • H6135 עָקָר (ʿāqār) - "barren" - whose wife was barren
  • H4397 מַלְאָךְ (malʾāḵ) - "angel/messenger" - the angel of the LORD appeared
  • H5139 נָזִיר (nāzîr) - "Nazirite/consecrated one" - a Nazirite to God
  • H990 בֶּטֶן (beṭen) - "womb" - from the womb
  • H2490 חָלַל (ḥālal) - "begin" - he will begin to deliver

Context: The angel of the LORD appears to Manoah's barren wife with an annunciation: "You will conceive and give birth to a son" (13:3). The child would be "a Nazirite to God from the womb" (נְזִיר אֱלֹהִים יִהְיֶה הַנַּעַר מִן־הַבֶּטֶן). The Nazirite vow (Numbers 6) involved consecration through abstaining from wine, avoiding razor and corpse. For Samson, this was not a temporary vow but a lifelong calling from before birth. The commission: "he will begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines" (13:5). The verb יָחֵל ("begin") indicates partial, initiatory deliverance.

OT-to-OT Development

  • The barren-wife-bearing-deliverer pattern connects to Sarah (Isaac), Rebekah (Jacob), Rachel (Joseph), Hannah (Samuel)
  • The Angel of the LORD theophany connects to similar appearances (Genesis 16:7-13; 22:11-18; Exodus 3:2-6)
  • The Nazirite vow connects to Numbers 6 and anticipates Samuel's dedication (1 Samuel 1:11)

Connections

Christological Connection: Samson's prenatal consecration anticipates Christ's unique status. Jesus was "holy" from conception (Luke 1:35), set apart for redemptive purpose. John the Baptist, also announced to barren parents with Nazirite elements (Luke 1:15), prepared for Christ. Where Samson was to "begin" deliverance, Jesus accomplished complete salvation: "It is finished" (John 19:30). The Nazirite pattern of consecration finds its fulfillment in Christ, who was "made to be sin who knew no sin" (2 Corinthians 5:21)—the one truly set apart, holy, consecrated for the ultimate deliverance of His people.

Connection Method(s): Longitudinal Theme (primary) — Samson's prenatal, lifelong Nazirite consecration and his commission to begin Israel's deliverance make him one instance within the canon-wide theme of the Spirit-empowered deliverer, whose Christological hub is Isaiah 61 / Luke 4, not Judges 13. Analogy (secondary) — as God set Samson apart from the womb for a work of deliverance, so God set apart his Son, called holy from his conception (Luke 1:35), for the deliverance of his people. Contrast (tertiary) — Samson was only to "begin the deliverance of Israel" (13:5); Christ declared, "It is finished" (John 19:30). Typology is not claimed: the NT nowhere presents Samson's annunciation or consecration as a type of Christ.

Trajectory Table: 137 - Samson (Spirit-Empowered Deliverer)

Linked Mentions 1
Trajectory Tables 1
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