Judges 13

AND the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years To be computed, not from Abdon's death, but before that time, as is evident both from v. 5. where it is declared, that Israel was under the Power of the Philistines; and from Iudg. 15. 20. where only twenty of these Years are said to have been in Sampson's days. And it is probably conceived, that that great slaughter of the Ephraimites made by Iephthah did greatly encourage the Philistines to rise against Israel, when one of their chief Bulwarks was so much weakned; and therefore that the Philistines began to domineer over them not long after Iepthah's death.. i. e. Fell into Idolatry, &c. not now after the death of Abdon the last Judge, but in the days of the former Judges.

¶ And there was a certain man of Zorah A City, of which see Iosh. 15. 33. and 19. 41., of the family i. e. Of the Tribe or People, as family sometimes signifies, Iosh. 7. 17. Ier. 8. 3. and 10. 25. Amos 3. 1. Mich. 2. 3. Zach. 14. 18. of the Danites, whose name was Manoah, and his wife was barren, and bare not An Emphatical repetition of the same thing in divers words, which is an usual Elegancy both in Scripture and other Authors..

And the angel of the LORD The Son of God oft so called in the old Testament, as may be gathered from v. 18. yet distinguished from the Lord, because he appeared here as it were in the form of a Servant, as a Messenger sent from God, and was really a distinct person from God the Father. appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a Son.

Now therefore, beware I pray thee Because the child was to be a Nazarite from the Womb, v. 5. and from the conception; and because the Mothers Pollution extends to the Child, she is enjoyned from this time to observe the following rules belonging to the Nazarites., and drink not wine, nor strong drink Under which by a Synecdoche are comprehended the other particulars mentioned Numb. 6. 2, 3, 4. as is implyed v. 14., and eat not any unclean thing Any of those meats forbidden, Levit. 11. which were forbidden to all, but especially to the Nazarites..

For lo, thou shalt conceive and bear a son, and no rasor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite A person separated from others, and consecrated to Gods service. unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel And the deliverance shall be carried on and perfected by others, as it was in part by Eli, and Samuel, and Saul; but especially by David. out of the hand of the Philistines.

¶ Then the woman came, and told her husband, saying, A man of God A Prophet, or sacred person, sent with a Message from God. came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an Angel of God, very terrible Or, venerable, or awful, full of Majesty.: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name:

But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son: and now drink no wine, nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb, to the day of his death.

¶ Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my LORD, let the man of God, which thou didst send, come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.

And God hearkned to the voice of Manoah: and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sate in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her.

And the woman made haste, and ran, and showed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man has appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day.

And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? and he said, I am.

And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass Or, thy words shall come to pass: I firmly believe that thy promises shall be fulfilled.: how shall we order the child What rules shall we observe about his Education?? and how shall we do unto him?

And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman, let her beware Whilest the Child is in her Womb, and after the Child is Born, let him observe the same Orders..

She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine, or strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her, let her observe.

¶ And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let us detain thee until we shall have made ready a kid for thee Supposing him to be a Man and a Prophet, to whom he would in this manner express his respect, as was usual to strangers. See Gen. 18. 5. Iudg. 6. 18..

And the Angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread i. e. Meat, as bread is commonly taken in Scripture.: and if thou wilt offer a burntoffering, thou must offer it unto the LORD Not unto a man, as now thou apprehendest me to be; but unto the Lord, as thou wiltst by and by perceive me to be.: for Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD.

And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass, we may do thee hononr Either by making honourable mention of thee, or by performing respect and service to thee, by a Present, which they usually gave to Prophets, 1 Sam. 9. 7, 8. 2 King. 14. 3.?

And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret Or, hidden from mortal Men: or wonderful, such as thou canst not comprehend: my nature or essence (which is oft signified by name in Scripture) is incomprehensible. This shows, that this was the Angel of the Covenant, the Son of God..

So Manoah took a kid, with a meat offering Which were generally joyned with the chief Sacrifices., and offered it upon a rock The Angels presence and command being a sufficient Warrant for the offering of Sacrifice by a person who was no Priest, and in a place otherwise forbidden. to the LORD; and the angel did wondrously, and Manoah and his wife looked on.

For it came to pass when the flame Either arising from the fire which Manoah brought for the offering: or produced by the Angel out of the Rock in a miraculous manner. went up toward heaven from off the altar i. e. From that part of the Rock which served instead of an Altar, upon which the Sacrifice was laid., that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame To manifest his nature and essence to be Spiritual, because not capable of hurt by the fire; and Caelestial. of the altar: and Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces Partly in Reverence to that glorious Presence manifested in so wonderful a manner: and partly, out of a religious Horror and fear of death upon this occasion; as is expressed v. 22. for the prevention whereof they fell down in way of supplication to God. to the ground.

(But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife): then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD.

And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.

But his wife said unto him, If the Lord were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt-offering, and a meat-offering at our hands, neither would he have showed us all these things, nor would as at this time Or, at this time: the Particle, as, noting here, not likeness, but the truth and reality of the thing, as it does Numb. 11. 1. Deut. 9. 10. and elsewhere. This Expression seems to have some Emphasis in it, to enhance Gods Mercy to them, as being afforded them in a time of such publick and grievous Calamity; and in a time when the Word of the Lord was precious; and there was no open Vision, as it was afterwards, 1 Sam. 3. 1. have told us such things as these.

¶ And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him i. e. Endowed him with all those graces and gifts of mind and body which were necessary for the Work he was designed for..

And the spirit of the LORD began to move him at times i. e. To stir him up to Heroical Designs; to show forth its Power in him in the frame of his mind, and in the strength of his body, discovered to his Neighbours in extraordinary Actions; to encline his heart to great attempts to the help and deliverance of Gods People, and to give some essays of it to his brethren, and to seek all opportunities for it, as he did in the next Chapter., in the camp of Dan A Place so called, either from the Expedition of the Danites, Iudg. 18. 11, 12. which though placed after this History, was done before it: or from some other Camp which the Danites had formed there at this time, to give some check to the Incursions of the Philistines., between Zorah and Eshtaol.