I yielded, and unlocked her all my heart,
Who with a grain of manhood well resolved
Might easily have shook off all her snares;
But foul effeminacy held me yoked
Her bondslave.

An excerpt from Samson Agonistes by John Milton

 
Above: Rubens’ The Capture of Samson

Before the time of David in Israel, two peoples vied for control of Canaan, the promised land. One group were the Children of Jacob and the other were the Philistines.

A childless couple was visited by an angel who told them that they would bear a hero for their people. Their child grew to be a man named Samson, whose strength was incredible and unmatched. In one battle, Samson killed thousands of Philistines single-handedly.

Helping to drive the Philistines from Canaan, he grew arrogant and forgetful of his vows to God. He even took a Philistine woman as his lover–her name was Delilah. Delilah was paid by the Philistines to find the secret of Samson’s great strength.

After several failed attempts, Samson finally told her that should his hair be cut, he would lose his strength. When he fell asleep on her lap that night, she cut off his hair and the Philistines fell upon him, gouging out his eyes and chaining him.

They kept him prisoner until one day when their leaders met a great temple dedicated to their god Dagon. His hair had grown back, so he prayed to God to give him one last chance to serve him, and destroyed the columns which supported the roof of the temple.

Samson died, but he also took 3,000 Philistine lives–as well as their most important leaders.

Above: Rembrandt’s The Blinding of Samson

Lesson for today? Don’t mess with a man’s hair!