Judges · Chapter 16

"A harlot." A woman who runs an inn. And we have already written the Targum's opinion regarding Rahab the harlot.

After this it relates that Samson went to Azah and saw there an innkeeper woman, and he came to her house to lodge there.

"And Samson went to Gaza." He was not afraid to enter a large city, fortified with a wall, doors, and a bar, and to lie in a harlot's house without fear; and not only that, but...

"To the Gazites, saying." It was said to the men of Gaza: And they were silent. They conducted themselves in silence:

"To the Gazites, saying:" – It was reported to the Gazites, saying; and so too is the Targum: "To the Gazites, it was proclaimed, saying." "And they were silent." As its Targum renders: "And they were silent all night." That is to say, they pretended to be deaf so that Samson would not be on his guard against them.

And indeed it was reported to the men of Azah that Samson came there, and they lay in wait for him all night at the gate. Meaning, that they closed the gate and lay in wait for him all night in this manner, to kill him in the morning, thinking that he was in their hands.

"To the Gazites, saying." It was said to the men of Gaza: And they went around. They circled the city to search for him, for they did not know into which house he had entered. "At the city gate." To kill him when he comes out to go out from the gate. And they kept silence. They remained silent and acted as though they knew nothing of him, lest he be guarded against them; or, all night long they pondered thoughts on how to kill him. “Saying: ‘And they said, “Let us wait until the morning light, when he comes out through the gate, and then we will kill him.”’”

And they kept silent. The sense of silence, as in (Numbers 30:5) 'if he keeps silent [vehecherish] to her,' or it is from the sense of digging the thought, as in (Proverbs 3:29) 'do not devise [tacharosh] evil against your neighbor':

"To the Gazites, saying": This means that it was told to the Gazites that Samson had come here; he himself put out the word that Samson was in the city, yet he did not reveal that he himself was Samson. And they turned about. After they did not recognize the announcer and thought that he was not Samson, they went about to seek and investigate concerning him, and to seize him when he would wish to go out; thus they surrounded the city, and also lay in wait at the gate by locking the gate with a bolt so that he could not go out. And the word "or" [light] is a past-tense verb, as if it were written "ad ya'or ha-boker" [until the morning shall break].

And he pulled them out. And he uprooted them from their place:

"Vayyisa'em" [and he pulled them out] – it means he pulled away together with them and with the bar, for the transitive form of the simple (kal) conjugation of this root is not found except in this one isolated instance. Similarly, "vayyisa et ha-yated ha-ereg" [and he pulled out the peg of the loom, 16:14] is likewise [understood as] "with the peg." Or, these two instances are transitive verbs, while the other occurrences [of this root] are intransitive verbs.

And indeed Samson lay until midnight, and then he arose and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and of the two doorposts, and he removed them with the bar, and placed them upon his shoulders, and raised them to the top of the mountain which faces Hevron. And this is from what indicates the strength of his courage.

And he seized. For he found them locked: And he moved them. He uprooted them from their place, with the bolt that slides to lock the doors:

The doorposts. They are the pillars on either side of the doorway, on this side and on that: And he pulled them out. From the language of journeying, meaning: he uprooted them from their place:

"And he took hold of the doors." This is a greater feat of strength than if he had grasped the bar and broken it: b) that he placed this burden on his shoulders; c) that he carried them a day's journey, as our Sages of blessed memory said. And the word "vayisa'am" (he made them travel), which derives from the Kal [conjugation], indicates that by his own travelling he made them travel too; and likewise "vayisa et hayated ha-oreg" (and he pulled out the weaver's pin) indicates the ease of the action, for he should have said "vayasi'am" [in the causative].

After this it relates that he loved a woman in the brook of Sorek, from the daughters of the Philistines, and her name was Delilah. And it seems that he converted her first, as our Sages of blessed memory said.

"And it came to pass afterward." A transgression drags in another transgression. "And her name was Delilah." The first one was converted and had her name changed to a name of Jewish character, but this one was not converted, and her name remained Delilah. And so it is stated in the Jerusalem Talmud (Sotah, chapter 1, halakha 8) that in Timnah it was by way of marriage, but not in Gaza. And our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded: [her name alludes to how] she sapped his strength, his deeds, and his heart.

"And we will give to you." The word "natan" [we will give] is vocalized with a patach, contrary to the usual custom. And these things that she did to him, in order to know his strength, were not done in one day; rather, she would ask him one day, and after two days she would further probe him and harass him with her words, as it is written: "And it came to pass, when she had harassed him with her words all those days."

And the lords of the Philistines went up to her, and induced her to entice Samson, that he should tell her wherein his strength is great, and by what means they could bind him to afflict him. And he mocked her three times. And after this she pressed him hard in the matter, until she wore him down, even though she had already been withholding herself from him at the time when his desire was strongest, as our Sages of blessed memory said. And therefore his soul grew weary of life. And when his soul grew weary of life, then he told her all his heart. And this was a cause that he fell into the hands of the Philistines, and they gouged out his eyes, and bound him with bronze fetters, and he was grinding in the prison house, as is the custom of prisoners, who would grind there kinds of grain, to be enslaved thereby.

“Coax him, and see.” This means: coax him into speaking, so that he will say it to you, and do not believe him until you have tested him and seen that the truth is with him. "In what?"—For what reason is his power so great, and in what way can his power be weakened, so that we may bind him and afflict him with suffering? A man. Every man and every man from among us:

Beguiled. The sense of enticement and many words: And we shall bind him. From the word for binding: To afflict him. From the word for affliction:

The questions (5–18): They asked him two things: "By what is your strength great?" and "By what can they bind you?" And similarly, the question in the first instance was both, yet he answered only regarding "By what can they bind you," and not regarding "By what is your strength great." And in the second and third times, she asked him only "By what is your strength great?" By what did she recognize in the last instance that he revealed to her all his heart? And why in the first instances did he say, "I was like one of the people," whereas in the last instance he said, "I was like all the people"? And see in what his strength is great, and in what one can overcome him. They sought two things: a) That you should examine what is the cause for which his strength is great, for they assumed that it is not natural, but rather through some special charm; and then they will be able to devise a strategy against him to remove the cause. b) Even if his strength is natural, you should inquire in what manner he could be bound, for there is one whose strength is in his hands and not in his feet, so he would be bound by his feet, or in some other part of the body where he is not strong there. And when they said "u-re'i" [and see], they meant that you should examine his words, whether they are true. And when they said "va-asarnuhu le'anoto" [and we will bind him, to afflict him], this was an assurance that they would not kill him; and indeed they kept their promise not to kill him, and they did not kill him, but only gouged out his eyes.

“And with what will you be bound?” With what thing will you be bound, so that someone will be able to subdue you, so that you cannot break the binding? And her words are as if to say: Show me exceeding affection and reveal to me the secrets of your heart.

And she said. Likewise, she questioned him regarding the two matters mentioned.

Yeterim: Thin cords.

"Yeterim lechim" [fresh cords] – which are from moist branches. And I was sick. As its Targum [renders it]: And I became weak.

“Which had not been dried.” The repetition of the matter serves to add clarification: “Like any person.” Like all other persons.

Fresh cords. Cords from green branches, as in (Job 30:11) 'the cords of the door': Dried. Dried up, as in (Genesis 8:13) 'the waters dried up': And I shall be weak. Targum Yonatan translates: 'and I shall become weak':

"And he said to her." He did not answer her except with "in what shall he be bound?" and not with "in what is his strength great?", as if he did not know the reason for this, because it is natural — only that he had verified that with this he would be bound.

And she bound him with them, in order to test whether the matter was true.

And his strength was not known. He did not need to exert himself in severing them.

"At the scent of fire." This means that it would snap while it was near the fire, so that the fire would not overpower it but only slightly, by scent. And according to [Targum] Yonatan, the vav of "beharicho" pertains to the fire, for he renders it "דארח ביה נורא" [that fire touched it].

“And the one who lies in wait shall sit.” This means: If you see that the matter is true, they shall take him. “And she said to him.” After she had bound him, she said to him, “You, Samson, the Philistines have come upon you.” This was so that he would strengthen himself to loosen the bonds; and if he did loosen them, she would claim that she had done so only to test him; and if he could not loosen them, the ambush was already prepared. "When he smells the fire." This means that when he is near the fire and merely smells the fire, and this is a figure of speech. "And his power was not known." His ultimate limit of strength was not known in this matter, for it was considered a trivial thing in comparison to his power, and he tore them [the cords] with ease.

And he tore. The sense of removal and tearing asunder, so too (Jeremiah 5:5) 'they have broken their bonds': Thread. A doubled and braided thread, as in (Numbers 15:38) 'a thread of blue': The tow. It is the waste of flax that is shaken out and discarded during carding, as in (Isaiah 1:31) 'the strong one shall become as tow,' meaning: thread shaken free from the waste, which is easy to burn: When it smells [fire]. From the word for smell, spoken in a manner of extension and exaggeration:

"Now declare. The truth of the matter:"

Mockery. The sense of mockery and derision, as in (Exodus 8:25) 'let not Pharaoh continue to mock [hatel]':

And Delilah said, etc., “You have mocked me.” This means that she believed him when he said that we know in what his strength lies; but after he admitted that he knows in what he will be bound, then why did you speak falsely? Now, please tell me the truth: in what will you be bound?

“With thick ropes.” Coarse ropes:

“Thick.” Cords made of three strands, which makes them strong.

"And he said to her." He replied that he had not spoken falsehoods at all; rather, he had forgotten a condition in his words. A) That the cords must be thick [twisted, 'avot'], meaning they must be plaited from three strands. b) That one must not perform labor on them.

"And he tore them off, etc., like a thread." This means that it was not [torn] with as great an ease as the earlier ones, but only like a thread — which a person tearing it off tears with a little strength.

"מחלפות" – locks of hair; in the vernacular, "Ploynish." "With the web." A rod with which the weaver weaves in the warp; the name of that rod is "anshuvla" — the web-beam — "ortra" in the vernacular.

"Braids." Locks: "With the web." Jonathan rendered it, "עם אכסנא במשתיתא" [with the peg in the warp], meaning that she would weave the locks of his head together with the sheet, so that they would be woven into whatever was woven in the web. Afterward, she would drive in the peg so that the wooden beam, around which the woven material is rolled, would not roll about, and it would stand firmly, unable to be moved. And she did so.

"Thus far, etc." This means: If you wished to mock me in jest, very well, thus far you have mocked me and accomplished your purpose; but now, tell me the truth and do not continue to mock me. Seven locks. Seven locks of hair, for he was a nazirite and grew the hair of his head. “With the web.” With the warp arranged for weaving; and he meant to say: when you do this, then my strength will be sapped, and with anything you bind me, I will no longer be able to break free of them from now on.

You shall weave. From the word for weaving: The side-locks. They are tufts and locks of hair on the head, and because they are changed when shaved off they are called 'side-locks [mechalfot]': The web. It is the warp when it is arranged and set up on the peg of the loom, and in the Mishnah Negaim (11:9) 'the soul of the web [nefesh hamasechet],' and he who arranges the warp is called 'meisekh,' as in (Mishnah Shabbat 7:2) 'he who sets the warp [hameisekh] and he who makes two heddle-loops':

Thus far, you have deceived me. This means that initially you justified your words, but now it has become known that you have deceived me on two occasions.

"Et ha-yated ha-ereg" – The construct noun is elided; that is, [understand] "ha-yated" as "yated ha-ereg" [the peg of the loom]. Or perhaps the construct state is joined to a noun that already bears the definite article "ha-" (as in "ha-lishkot ha-kodesh" and similar cases). And "ha-ereg" is the name of the tool that the weaver folds the garment into before him during his weaving. Jonathan rendered it as "akhsan de-gardayin," and it is spelled with six vowel-points.

“And she fastened it with a peg.” After she had woven the locks [of hair], which she thought would thereby sap his strength, she sought to test the matter. She fastened the locks, while they were woven together with the web, by driving them with great force around the peg of the loom, to see whether he could pull them out. "And he awoke from his sleep." For what she had bound him with at first, with cords and ropes, she did while he was awake; but to weave the locks of his head, he would not have permitted if he were awake, since a nazirite is forbidden even to comb his head, lest he pluck out a hair (Nazir 42a). Therefore, she wove it while he was asleep. "And he pulled out." When he came to shake loose the hair of his head, he uprooted the peg together with the web that was wound around it, which was interwoven with the hair of his head.

And she drove. The sense of driving in with great force, as in (above 4:21) 'and she drove in the tent peg': The beam [lit. peg]. It is the weaving beam, and it is a round piece of wood before the weaver on which, as it revolves, he winds the threads of the warp arranged after weaving, and in the Mishnah Kelim (21:1) it is called 'the lower weight': And he awoke from his sleep. The sense of awakening from sleep: And he uprooted. Uprooted from its place:

"And she fastened [it with the peg]." Here it is not written, "and the ambusher was sitting in the chamber," for after she had lied twice, they did not pay attention to her words.

"And your heart is not with Me." This means that your love is only superficial, from the lips outward, and not with a wholehearted devotion.

"And you did not tell me in what your strength is great." Since he had already lied to her three times, she went back to ask the first question, in what his strength is great, because she could no longer ask in what he would be bound, since he had already deceived her three times, and if she were to ask further about this, he would understand that the lords of the Philistines were with her in the plot. Therefore she asked only in what his strength is great, as if she wished to know his nature and character, not to know in what he would be bound.

"And she pressed him." She pressured him, and there is no comparable instance [of this word].

"Vate'altsehu." The lamed lacks a dagesh (is rafe), though its rule is that it should be dageshed, and its meaning is "and she pressed him." "And his soul was wearied to death." Our Sages of blessed memory said: In euphemistic language, it means that she would pull the pillow out from under him at the time of the completion of the sexual act.

"She pressed him." She distressed him with words, day by day: "ותאלצהו" (And she vexed him). Our Sages of blessed memory stated (Sotah 9b) that she would withdraw herself from beneath him during the time of intercourse. And his soul was shortened unto death. His mind was not broadened for him, so that he was near unto death:

She importuned him. From the word for distress and trouble: And she pressed him. Targum Yonatan translates: 'and she pressed him,' and it has no parallel in Scripture:

All his heart. All the depths of his heart: "If I be shaved. When I am shaved, my great strength will depart:"

A razor. A razor:

"And he told." He [Samson] was persuaded, like a foolish dove, and told her the two questions: 1) In what is his strength great — which is through the Nazirite vow; 2) In what he would be bound — which is if he were shaved. And behold, in the earlier instances he said, "and I became like one of the people," whereas now he says, "and I became like all the people." For he was careful not to speak falsely, and thus said "like one of the people," meaning like a person distinguished in strength (as is explained by me that the word *echad* ["one"], when construct to the definite article *ha-*, indicates the specific/unique entity, such as *echad ha-harim* — the [most] distinguished of the mountains — and the like). And now he says "like all the people," [referring to] the weak ones.

"And Delilah saw that he had told her": The words of truth are recognizable.

"For he told her all that was in his heart." From where did she know? Our Sages of blessed memory said: That wicked woman knew about that righteous man that he would not take the Name of Heaven in vain. And since he said, "I am a Nazirite of God," she knew that he had told her all that was in his heart. And there is an interpretation that she recognized from his words that he had spoken the truth to her, because he told her the reason for which he had his strength, and he said, "And my strength has left me," whereas he had not said so on the three previous occasions, but rather, "And I shall become weak," meaning, my strength would weaken from the strength of the cords; but this time he said, "And my strength has left me." "Come up this time, for he told her all that was in his heart." The Ketiv (written form) is "to her" (lah), but the Qere (read form) is "to me" (li). And the Ketiv reflects the words of the messenger, who said [this] to the lords of the Philistines; and the Qere reflects her words, which she had instructed the messenger [to say].

"And she saw, etc." – For the words of truth are evident (Sotah 9b), namely, because she saw him observing the laws of Naziritehood. “Come up this time.” This is to say: “Come and give me my reward.” The money. That they promised her as her reward:

"And Delilah saw that he had told her all that was in his heart." This she perceived from the fact that he now disclosed to her both questions: "In what is your great strength?" and "How may you be bound?" For if he had wished to lie, he would have disclosed only "In what is your great strength?" In that case, even if she were to shave him and his strength remained great even after the shaving, he would not have been a liar, for it could be imagined that his strength was due to the Nazirite vow, and the strength would not be nullified by the shaving, since he had not shaved himself intentionally and had not profaned his Nazirite vow willingly. Yet he said, "If I am shaved" (in the passive voice), which implies even by others. Therefore, "she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, 'Come up this time,' etc.," for in the previous instance they had not come up, as stated above.

"And she called to the man." [Referring] to the agent of the lords [i.e., the emissary sent by the Philistine officers].

"And she lulled him to sleep." Similarly, on all occasions when she bound him, she would first lull him to sleep, so that he would not kick at the one binding him. This is what is stated regarding the third time: "And he awoke from his sleep, and pulled away the pin of the loom, and the web." "And she called to the man." To the man who shaves. And the meaning of "and she shaved" is that she commanded him to shave, and it is a verb extending to a third party; or, she took the scissors from the man's hand and shaved him herself. "And she began to afflict him." Even though she shaved him while he was asleep, he perceived in himself that he was humbled and weakened by having been shaved.

"To a man." To one whose custom is to shave. And she shaved. By means of her command, which she commanded [him] to shave. "And she began to afflict him." The shaving of the hair is called the beginning of the affliction, for by this his strength was removed, and he was prepared to be afflicted at the hands of the Philistines.

And she caused him to sleep. From the word for sleep: And she began. From the word for beginning:

“I will go out as usual and rouse myself.” Just as he had done each and every time that he would awaken from his sleep and strengthen himself, so too did he intend to do on this occasion, to strengthen himself; and the explanation of “and I will rouse myself” is: from sleep. "And he knew not." Yet did he not reveal to her all that was in his heart? And his understanding was that when he would shave his head, his strength would depart from him, as it is said, "My strength has departed from me." If so, how can it be stated, "And he knew not"? Rather, he forgot in his sleep what he had said to her, and he thought that this time was like the previous times, and he did not recall that his strength had departed from him, for he had not yet fully awakened from his sleep. Or, another explanation: "And he knew not" means that he knew that his strength had departed from him, but he did not know that the Lord had departed from him, for he thought that even though his strength had departed from him, God would help him this time so that he would not fall into the hands of the Philistines.

"And he said." He intended to say, "I will go out even now, as in the previous instances, and I will strengthen myself to awaken from sleep and display my might," and therefore he did not flee from before them. "For the Lord has departed." When the hair of his head was shaved, the Lord departed from him, and his strength departed.

And I shall shake myself free. The sense of awakening with great stirring and with strength:

And they brought him down to Gaza. The place where his corruption began: "And he was grinding." With millstones, a heavy labor, and our Sages (Sotah 10a) explained what they explained.

“With bronze.” As its Targum [renders it]: “with chains of copper.” "And it came to pass that he was grinding." It appears that the custom of those lands at that time was to have millstones in the prison-house, so that the prisoners would sustain themselves by means of grinding. The prisoners were in chains and had no other work by which to sustain themselves there except grinding with millstones. And so it says in the Torah, "Even the firstborn of the maidservant who is behind the millstones" (Exodus 11:5), and it says, "Even the firstborn of the captive who is in the dungeon" (Exodus 12:29). It seems that all is one [meaning]: the captives were grinding in the prison-house. However, the path of midrashic interpretation is distant in this matter, where they interpreted it like "let my wife grind for another" [Job 31:10], meaning that each one would bring his wife to him so that she would become pregnant from him. But what benefit was there to them in this, since his strength had already left him? And so Jonathan translated it according to its simple meaning: "And he was grinding in the house of the mill."

“And he was grinding.” With hand-mills, and it was a heavy and degrading labor.

And they gouged. They pierced, as in (Isaiah 51:1) 'the hollow of the pit from which you were quarried [nekartem]': With bronze. With bronze chains:

"And the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved." Just as they had shaved off the seven locks of his head, so it began to grow again. The reason for mentioning this is in accordance with what it says, "And Samson said to the lad," for Samson thought that his strength would return to him with his hair, and he told the lad to let him feel the pillars, because he reasoned that since his hair had grown, this was the cause of his strength being restored to him, with the help of God.

"As he shaved." According to the number of the seven locks that he shaved.

And it began. From the word for beginning: To sprout. It is the beginning of growth:

"And the hair of his head began to grow." It is stated using the intensive [Piel] verb form, because it grew quickly, not in the usual way. For otherwise, it would be difficult to understand how the Philistines did not take care to have him shaved from time to time, knowing that his strength was dependent on his hair. And concerning this it says, "when he was shaved," meaning immediately after the shaving it began to grow.

"To Dagon their god, and to rejoicing [ul'simchah]." [This form is] an infinitive, of the same pattern as "to fear [the LORD]."

And indeed the commanders of the Philistines thought to give thanks to their gods for Samson, their enemy and destroyer of their land, having fallen into their hands. And this was a cause that they called Samson, that he should play before them, so that they should all see him, and it should be clarified to them what good had come from the LORD in his falling into their hands.

"To sacrifice, etc." – When they calculated that their idol had delivered Samson into their hands. And for joy. Also on account of joy they gathered to rejoice with a great multitude. "And they said, etc." At the time of their sacrificing to the idol, and in their rejoicing they said, "[Our god] has given, etc.":

"And the commanders of the Philistines, etc., and the people saw him, etc.": This means that the commanders made a sacrifice on account of him being their enemy, and the people praised [their god] for three things: a) That he is their enemy, b) “He [Samson] lays waste their land,” meaning that he burned their fields; c) That He caused many to fall slain among them, whereas He did not do these evils to the princes. (And "u'lesimchah" [and for gladness] is an infinitive, on the pattern of "to fear the LORD":)

Our slain. It is in the plural form, even though it is written without a yod.

"And they saw him." They saw him from afar, when he was in the house of detention.

And they praised. And they lauded: A destroyer. From the word for destruction and ruin:

“Between the pillars.” That is, the pillars upon which the House stands.

"Ki tov." It is written as "ki tov" and read as "k'tov," and the meaning is one. "Ha-asirim." It is written with a yod and read as "ha-asurim" with a vav, and the meaning is one and the same: the former is an adjectival form and the latter a passive form.

"According to the good pleasure of their heart": In eating and drinking. "And he will make us laugh." This means: he will cause us to rejoice through the recounting of his mighty deeds and the like. "And he entertained [them]." He rejoiced before them, in the manner of one who entertains.

"And he said to her" – [Samson] replied that he had not spoken falsehoods at all, but merely had forgotten a condition in his words.

And "hamishni" — [meaning] to touch; "palper" in the vernacular, as it is stated (Genesis 27:12): "Perhaps he will feel me."

"Vehaymisheini" [ketiv]. Its root as written is ימש; "vehameisheini" [qere], its root is מוש, and the meaning is the same, like "yeitav" and "tov." And its meaning is the sense of removal with regard to the thing, as in "the pillar of cloud did not depart" (lo yamish, Exodus 13:22), [and] "he would not depart from within the tent" (Exodus 33:11) — which are of the sense of departure — except that those are intransitive verbs, while this one is a transitive verb; and those denote distance, because they are joined with the letter mem, whereas this one denotes closeness, because it is joined with "et," like "el," in other places. "And the pillars." [Here "et" functions] like "el" ["to/toward"], and similar to it is "And to the house of the LORD I am going" (ve'et beit Hashem ani holekh), and there are other examples besides this one. And there are those who say it has the sense of touching, and so Jonathan translated it: "And let me feel" (ve'amisheini); "mosh" and "mashash" are of the same meaning. According to this interpretation, it is to be understood in its plain sense.

And behold, Samson maneuvered with the youth who was holding him, so that he would bring him to feel the pillars upon which the house stood, in order to feel them, so that he might lean against them.

“Who holds him by the hand.” Because his eyes were struck blind, there was one who would hold him by the hand and lead him along the path he was to go. “Leave me alone. Remove your hand from me, so that I may feel with my hands the pillars, etc., so that I may lean upon them.”

The one holding. The one grasping: And let me feel. From the word for touch and feeling something, as in (Psalms 115:7) 'they have hands, but they feel not [yemishun]': Firm. Resting on its support:

"Remember me, please." Remember the twenty years during which I judged Israel, and I did not say to any one of them, "Pass this staff from one place to another." "Vengeance for one of my two eyes. And the reward for the second eye, leave it for me for the World to Come, and here [in this world] repay me the reward for one of them."

"Vengeance for one." [This is a] construct form: "vengeance for one of my two eyes," meaning: from one of my two eyes I will take vengeance on them. And in the midrash it is said: "Master of the Universe, give me the reward for one eye in this world, and let the reward for the other eye be stored up and prepared for me for the world to come." And the [absence of] softening of the tav of "mishtei" is the correct reading, for every letter of the class bet-gimel-dalet-kaf-pe-tav following a vocal shva (shva na) is soft [without dagesh], except for the word "shtei"/"shtayim," which is read with a dagesh. And the people of the East pronounce them with a furtive letter: "eshtei," "eshtayim," because for them the shva is treated as quiescent (nach).

And Samson called to the Lord blessed be He, that He should strengthen him this time to avenge himself on his enemies who gouged out his eyes. And the Lord listened to his voice, and Samson chose to die with the Philistines, so that he should avenge himself on them.

"Ha-Elohim." This means: "Strengthen me, I pray, O God." One vengeance. Once more I will take vengeance on the Philistines for having gouged out my two eyes. And our Sages of blessed memory said (Numbers Rabbah 9) that he declared: For the one eye that was gouged out, I will take vengeance; but the second shall be preserved for the World to Come.

"And he took hold." And he seized — "embrasa" in the vernacular — as it is written (Ruth 3:8): "And the man was startled, and turned" — he clung to the woman's arms.

"Vayilpot" – like "vayet" (he turned aside/inclined); [compare] "and the man was startled and turned himself" (וַיֵּחָרַד הָאִישׁ וַיִּלָּפֵת, Ruth 3:8), and "the paths of their way wind about" (יִלָּפְתוּ אָרְחוֹת דַּרְכָּם, Job 6:18) – which is a matter of overturning and inclining.

And indeed Samson leaned the two middle pillars upon which the house rests, and he was already leaning upon one with his right hand and one with his left hand, and he leaned them with strength in a way that the house fell upon the commanders and upon all the people, until he already killed in his death more than he killed in his life.

"He grasped [vayilpot]." He grasped the pillars and leaned his hand upon them. One. He grasped one pillar with his right hand, etc.

And he seized. The sense of grasping, as in (Ruth 3:8) 'the man trembled and seized': The middle. The middle one, as in (Numbers 35:5) 'and the city in the midst':

"And he leaned [vayissamekh]." It is explained by me in my work HaTorah VeHaMitzvah (on the book of Torat Kohanim) that there is a difference between "sha'an" (to lean) and "samakh" (to lean firmly). For "samakh" implies [leaning] with all one's strength, as our Sages of blessed memory stated: "We require semikhah with all one's strength." Whereas "sha'an" implies only part of one's body; therefore, regarding the lad it says, "and I will lean [ve'esha'en] upon them," whereas here, "and he leaned [vayissamekh]" [was] with all his strength.

"Let my soul die," etc. – I shall be killed with them; that is to say, so great is my desire for their death that I would kill myself along with them. And he leaned. He leaned the pillars with his hands: Many. Numerous in number:

“And he judged.” But it was stated above, “And he judged Israel.” Rather, the verse above states “and he judged” after the salvation that was accomplished for him; in the reader’s eyes, it is as if he died then, because no further salvation was accomplished for him afterward. But his downfall began, and he had no [salvation] except at his death. And now, when he died, it says, “And he judged Israel,” just as it says regarding every judge and judge. And there is a midrashic interpretation: Why is it stated twice? For it says, “He judged Israel twenty years.” Rabbi Acha taught: This teaches that the Philistines were afraid of him for twenty years after his death, just as they were afraid of him for twenty years during his lifetime.

And indeed it is mentioned after this a second time that he judged Israel twenty years, to indicate that the time that he dwelt in the land of the Philistines is included in these twenty years. And the benefits that come from this narrative are these: The first is to publish what Israel fell into of evil as soon as they sinned to serve the gods of the nations, which the Lord threw into the hands of Israel. Until in that year the Philistines and the sons of Ammon oppressed and crushed Israel, and this strong servitude continued for eighteen years, until they returned to the Lord with all their heart, for in this the belief in providence and reward and punishment will be established, which is the greatest of the fundamental principles of the Torah. And for this very cause too it is mentioned, when they returned to the Lord with all their heart, they were aided by the Lord blessed be He to humble their enemies. The second is to inform that it is not fitting to pursue the weak, for there is no benefit in it for them. Do you not see what happened to the elders of Gilad, who pursued Yiftach because of his brothers who were their relatives, and drove him from joining in his inheritance? At the end of the matter they needed him to be their ruler. The third is to inform that a person who does something for the hope of reward should conduct his affairs with wisdom, in a way that the reward should come to him after he does the deed. And for this reason Yiftach wished that the elders of Gilad should make the Lord a witness between them on their conditions, so that it should be clarified to him that they would not accuse him after he won this war, on account of which the elders of Gilad said to him that he should be their captain, and it is the war of the sons of Ammon. And Mizpah was a place where Israel always gathered, for wondrous things were revealed there, as if to say, 'the LORD watched there.' The fourth is to inform that it is not fitting to fight with men unless there is a fitting cause that brings to this. And for this it relates that Yiftach sent what he sent to the sons of Ammon, and the king of the sons of Ammon was answering him first, that on account of the oppression that Israel did to him in that land which they held, he desires to fight with them. And at the end of the matter it was clarified that there was no fitting cause that moves him to this. And Yiftach said that the Lord should judge between them, for the king of the sons of Ammon was doing oppression. And it was derived from this that Yiftach already defeated him, and struck the sons of Ammon a very great blow. The fifth is to inform that a person should conduct his matters with wisdom and deliberation, so that regret should not overtake him for this. Do you not see that Yiftach hastened to vow a vow to the Lord without deliberation, and regret overtook him. For it was fitting that he deliberate first, if his daughter would go out from the doors of his house to meet him, that he should sanctify to the Lord something other than her, and not deprive her of the fruit of the womb. The sixth is to inform that it is fitting for one who requests good from the Lord that he should vow to Him something, in order to publish in the hearts of people that all the good things are from Him. And for this it is mentioned that Yiftach vowed to the Lord, if He would give the sons of Ammon into his hand. The seventh is to inform that one who vows to the Lord is obligated to fulfill it, although it is very difficult for him. Do you not see that Yiftach, because he opened his mouth to the Lord, was compelled to fulfill his vow, although the matter was for him in the utmost difficulty. And one ought to ask: how did Yiftach not inquire about his vow? For Pinchas was already alive, and he knew the meaning of the Torah in perfection. And it is possible to say that Yiftach did not know that vows have an annulment, nor did any of the men of his border know this then, for they were all deeply immersed in the customs of those nations and had abandoned the Torah for many days. And the wise man does not have permission to annul vows except when the one who vows requests annulment for his vow, being regretful of his vow. And it is possible to say that in the fulfillment of this vow, the publication of the miracle that the Lord did for him was not fitting, that Yiftach should regret this vow according to what he thought. The eighth is to inform that it is not fitting for a person to be jealous of his companion at seeing that a good deed has come from him, when he did not call him in doing that good deed, so that this good deed would also be called by his name. Do you not see that the sons of Ephraim were jealous of Yiftach when he did not call them to go with him, and evil befell them because of this, what befell them. The ninth is to inform that it is not fitting for a person to be ungrateful for the good that he received from another, and to return evil for good. Do you not see that the sons of Ephraim, who ought to have recognized the good that came to them through Yiftach, and to return kindness for this, when they thought to return evil for the good that he did for them, the wondrous evil derived for them that is related in this narrative, until forty-two thousand of the sons of Ephraim fell. The tenth is to inform that it is not fitting for the able to mock the weak. Do you not see that the sons of Ephraim were calling Gilad 'Ephraim's refugees' by way of contempt? And the stone that they despised was for a corner stone, and it overturned their strong building. The eleventh is to inform that it is fitting for the woman to follow her husband, and her father's house's greatness should not prevent her from this. For this it is mentioned from Ibzan, although he was great, that he already sent his thirty daughters outside. The twelfth is to inform the strength of the Divine providence in the matter of Samson, on account of Israel. And this is that because it was revealed to the Lord blessed be He that his end is to be punished in the matter of women, He devised to prevent him from this according to the ability. And for this reason he was a nazirite to God from the womb, and the shaving was prevented from him to add to him strength, in such a way that his deliverance would be completed from the side of courage, if he could not subdue his inclination from the daughters of the Philistines. And his mother was warned to conduct some of the laws of naziriteship while she was still pregnant with him, for this very cause. And it appears that this providence was also from the side of the prayer of the prophet Yaakov, who said, 'to Your salvation I have waited, O Lord.' And this is that when he saw the evil destined to come to Samson at the end of the matter on account of the women, he said that he hopes from the Lord blessed be He to save him from this by way of providence. The thirteenth is to inform that it is fitting to investigate in the things that lead to the end as much as possible, so that the desired end should come from them. And for this it relates that Manoach did not rely on the words of his wife, but he requested from the Lord blessed be He that the man of God who sent should return to him, so that his knowledge of what would be the manner of the child and his deed and who this man is, if he is worthy to rely upon him, should be completed. The fourteenth is to inform and to publicize the matter of the miracles that the Lord does through His prophet, that by their belief the fundamental principles of the Torah will be established. And for this it is mentioned this miracle that was done before Manoach and his wife, of the ascending of the angel in the flame of the altar, and the miracle of Samson's bonds melting from his hands, and breaking the mortar that was at Lechi and waters came out from it, to save Samson from the great thirst that he had. The fifteenth is to inform that the attainment of the angel is already very difficult. And for this Manoach thought that he would die when he attained the angel of the Lord, and so Gideon mentioned this. And this was so, for when the intellect that is ours attains the spiritual existence, it seems that it is obligated to cling to it, and the body remains dead, unless Divine aid accompanies it. The sixteenth is to publicize the fulfillment of the Lord's promises. And for this he began to relate the courage that Samson did, from the tearing of the lion, and his taking the woman that he took in Timnah, which was a cause to fell many slain from the Philistines. And for this very cause he said that it is from the Lord, in order to fell many slain from the Philistines, as He promised that he will begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines. Not that it was from the Lord that he should defile himself with the daughters of the uncircumcised Philistines. And for this it also relates the rest of the evil that Samson did to the Philistines in his life and in his death, and the matter of his courage, until had it not been that he revealed his secret to Delilah, he would not have fallen into the hands of the Philistines, although he was in their land alone, from the abundance of his courage. As if the Lord devised that if his heart would be enticed to women, that he should have wondrous courage, he would be protected by it from the Philistines. The seventeenth is to inform that it is not fitting to reveal one's secret, even to the one who sleeps in his lap. Do you not see that as soon as Samson revealed his secret to his wife, she revealed it to the men of the city. And so was the matter in what he revealed his secret to Delilah, which was a cause to make him fall into the hands of the Philistines, from which the evil derived that is already mentioned in this narrative. The eighteenth is to explain that it is not fitting to cleave to the daughters of the Philistines, even after their conversion, for it is easy for them to return to their corruption. Do you not see what happened to Samson on account of his cleaving to these women, although it is clear that had he not cleaved to them, and he had fought with the Philistines together with Israel, he would have humbled them and brought them low, from the strength of his courage and his success over them through the Divine aid that was necessarily added to him, if he had guarded himself from these women and had led Israel like the perfect judges. The nineteenth is to inform that it is fitting for a leader to guard his people, and it should not suffice him to guard himself. And do you not see that Samson, with what was published to him of his courage, that many could not harm him if he had a weapon in his hand, for even without a weapon he was defeating many, as it came in this narrative. Behold, he did not wish to harm the sons of Yehudah when they came to bind him, to give him into the hand of the Philistines. And he endured that they should bind him, at seeing that if he did not endure this, the sons of Yehudah would quarrel with him strongly, to save their lives from the hands of the Philistines. And a quarrel would be renewed between him and the sons of Yehudah, and perhaps many of them would fall. And for this very cause he asked of them, when he agreed to endure that they should bind him, that they should not strike him, for perhaps if he saw their intention to come to strike him, he would not be able to endure not to rise against them and to fell many of them. And indeed Samson endured that the sons of Yehudah should bind him, out of his love for them, so that he would make for them an excuse with the Philistines, in what he was destroying among them, for they were showing themselves as helpers to the Philistines to bind him into their hands. And for this it was known to them that Samson was not doing the evil to them from his heart. The twentieth is to inform the strength of the providence of the Lord, until He arranged that one man, bound and without a weapon, defeated and killed many, for there is no restraint upon the Lord to save with many or with few. The twenty-first is to inform that there is reward and judgment for every deed, measure for measure. And for this it is mentioned that Samson was punished in his eyes, for his following after his eyes led him astray in this. The twenty-second is to inform what the Lord did for the zeal of His honor, in that the Philistines attributed to their gods the falling of Samson into their hands, the cause of which was his being enticed by the enticement of women. And this is that He already returned to Samson his strength, that he prevailed to avenge himself on them, and his soul did not live, for he was worthy of this on account of his being enticed by these lowly matters. And for this he requested that his soul should die with the Philistines, for it was not fitting for Him then to do for him a greater miracle than this. And they too were worthy of this, for they were attributing this success to their gods.