4 Some time later, Samson fell in love with Delilah. 5 The Philistines said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength so we may subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.”
6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.”
7 Samson answered her, “If anyone ties me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I’ll become as weak as any other man.”
8 Then the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him with them. 9 With men hidden in the room, she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” But he snapped the bowstrings as easily as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame. So the secret of his strength was not discovered.
10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have made a fool of me; you lied to me. Come now, tell me how you can be tied.”
11 He said, “If anyone ties me securely with new ropes that have never been used, I’ll become as weak as any other man.”
12 So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them. Then, with men hidden in the room, she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads.
13 Delilah then said to Samson, “All this time you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied.”
He replied, “If you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric on the loom and tighten it with the pin, I’ll become as weak as any other man.” So while he was sleeping, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, wove them into the fabric 14 and tightened it with the pin.
Again she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric.
15 Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.” 16 With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.
17 So he told her everything. “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.”
18 When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. 19 After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him.
20 Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”
He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.
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Q. When Delilah finally cut Samson’s long, long hair,
did she use a knife or scissors?
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(Thanks to "EliRoom8" for his clever and helpful suggestion)
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1
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2
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3 by FREDERICK RICHARD PICKERSGILL
“Samson Betrayed”
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4 by TERRY STRICKLAND
“Trust and Betrayal, Samson and Delilah”
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5
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6 by GIUSEPPE CALETTI
“Samson and Delilah”
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7
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8 by GERRIT VAN HONTHORST
“Samson and Delilah”
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9 by NICCOLA BOLDRINI
“Samson and Delilah”
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10
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11 by LUCA GIORDANO
“Samson and Delilah”
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12 by JAN LIEVENS
“Samson and Delilah” – 1626-30
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13 by JAN LIEVENS
“Samson and Delilah” – 1630-35
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14 by CHRISTIAEN VAN COUWENBERGH
“Samson and Delilah”
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15 by FREDERICK RICHARD PICKERSGILL
“Samson Betrayed”
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16 by WILLEM BARTSIUS
“Samson and Delilah”
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17 by FRANCESCO FURINI
“Samson and Delilah”
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18 by ADRIAEN VAN DER WERFF
“Samson and Delilah”
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19 by PIETRO MALOMBRA
“Samson and Delilah”
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20 by WILLIAM BLAKE
“Samson Subdued”
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21 by POMPEO BATONI
“Samson and Delilah”
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22 by JAMES HOPWOOD THE YOUNGER
“Samson and Delilah”
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23 by PALMA IL GIOVANE
“Samson and Delilah”
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24 by CHRISTOFFEL VAN SICHEM III
“Samson and Delilah”
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25 by MATTHÄUS MERIAN
“Samson and Delilah”
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26 by CLAUDE MELLAN
“Samson and Delilah”
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27 by MICHEL CORNEILLE
“Samson and Delilah”
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28 by JOHAN ZOFFANY
“Samson and Delilah”
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29 by MASTER OF JEAN DE MANDEVILLE
“Samson and Delilah”
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30 by ANDREA MANTEGNA
“Samson and Delilah”
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31 by GIOVANNI ANTONIO DA BRESCIA
“Samson and Delilah”
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32 by BillyAustria
“Delilah cuts the hair of Samson”
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33 by ARTEMISIA GENTILESCHI
“Samson and Delilah”
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35 “ Delilah after Samson's capture”
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(from above):
Q. When Delilah finally cut Samson’s long, long hair, did she use a knife or scissors?
A. NEITHER! Delilah herself did NOT cut Samson’s hair! The text states, “19 After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair….”
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FINAL REVENGE
that you read ahead, we'll be in Judges 16.
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which yielded most of the works above, here is the link:
the artist's name is unknown
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241 wood engravings for
La Grande Bible de Tours
180 watercolors depicting Bible scenes
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so here is a fascinating and enjoyable link to assist in following along:
BIBLE TIMELINE
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PREVIOUS 76 POSTS IN THIS SERIES
with descriptive titles, to assist you in finding those which interest you
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to FReeper left that other site,
who allowed God to make her His conduit
for incomparable enthusiasm, encouragement,
education, advice and technical assistance!
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Quality
The Bible is my focus, not the art: this is The Bible in Paintings, not “Great Paintings” nor even “Good Paintings.” So, works need not be masterpieces to qualify for inclusion here—they don’t need to be housed at the Louvre nor auctioned by Sotheby’s. They only need to illustrate successfully some aspect of the Biblical text or, frankly, just tickle my fancy, which I'm asking the Holy Spirit to guide. Often, artists misrepresent the Scripture, but unless the error is material or heretical I usually include the artwork, trusting that the Spirit is perfectly capable of defending Himself. So, with such forgiving filters, it means that you're seeing practically everything I'm finding.
Pacing
The pace may seem glacial to those eager to see their favorite events. My commission is to search for art on each Bible passage in sequence; if I find enough, then it becomes the next installment, even if undramatic. But where there is no art, that Bible passage goes untold here. The Bible is a thick book, as you know; but we'll get there eventually, Lord willing. Always remember:
love, joy, peace, patience kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control is a fruit of the Spirit!
so I’m just having fun here—I hope you are, too!
Thank you for your understanding.
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