Judges 16:6
in Judges 16So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me the source of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.
KJV
And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.
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This verse in Judges 16
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
wherein thy great strength lieth
on Judges 16:6-9
Four attempts run to one shape: she asks, he answers, men wait in the chamber, and she cries that the Philistines are upon him. Seven runs through the chapter and lands on his head at the end, seven withs here and seven locks at verses 13 and 19. His answers move inward by stages, from green withs to new ropes to the hair woven into a loom and at last to the hair itself, so the fourth answer is reached by three steps he took himself.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
But she having once prostituted herself for money, began during the banquet and the blandishments of love, cunningly and craftily to inquire of him in what respect his strength excelled that of others, and at the same time, as if solicitous and fearful for his safety, to entreat him to confide to his beloved by what means he could be bound and subdued into the power of others.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
), pretending that she only desired he would satisfy her curiosity in that one thing, and that she thought it was impossible he should be bound otherwise than by her charms.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
But first, it is probable, that Samson had in some measure repented of his sin, and begged of God pardon and assistance. 2.This singular strength and courage was not in itself a grace, but a gift, and it was such a gift as did not so much depend on the disposition of his mind, but on the right ordering of his body, by the rule given to him, and others of that order.
And Delilah said to Samson,....
The words behind it
13 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתֹּ֤אמֶר | vatomer | and she said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| דְּלִילָה֙ | delilah | Delilah | H1807 → | 6 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| שִׁמְשׁ֔וֹן | shimshon | Samson | H8123 → | 38 times |
| הַגִּֽידָה־ | hagidah- | tell ! | H5046 → | 370 times |
| נָּ֣א | na' | please | H4994 → | 404 times |
| לִ֔י | li | to <the> me | ||
| בַּמֶּ֖ה | bameh | <in> how? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| כֹּחֲךָ֣ | kochakha | [is] strength your | H3581 → | 126 times |
| גָד֑וֹל | gadol | great | H1419 → | 526 times |
| וּבַמֶּ֥ה | uvameh | and <in> how? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| תֵאָסֵ֖ר | teaser | will you be bound | H631 → | 72 times |
| לְעַנּוֹתֶֽךָ׃ | leanotekha | to humble you | H6031 → | 82 times |
וַתֹּ֤אמֶרand she said
vatomerH559 →5305 times
דְּלִילָה֙Delilah
delilahH1807 →6 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
שִׁמְשׁ֔וֹןSamson
shimshonH8123 →38 times
הַגִּֽידָה־tell !
hagidah-H5046 →370 times
נָּ֣אplease
na'H4994 →404 times
לִ֔יto <the> me
li
בַּמֶּ֖ה<in> how?
bamehH4100 →752 times
כֹּחֲךָ֣[is] strength your
kochakhaH3581 →126 times
גָד֑וֹלgreat
gadolH1419 →526 times
וּבַמֶּ֥הand <in> how?
uvamehH4100 →752 times
תֵאָסֵ֖רwill you be bound
teaserH631 →72 times
לְעַנּוֹתֶֽךָ׃to humble you
leanotekhaH6031 →82 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Micah 7:5Do not rely on a friend; do not trust in a companion. Seal the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 9:4
“Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander.
- Psalms 118:8–9
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
- Matthew 10:16
Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
- Job 6:14–15
A despairing man should have the kindness of his friend, even if he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
- Judges 16:5–20
The lords of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice him and find out the source of his great strength and how we can overpower him to tie him up and subdue him.…
- Jeremiah 9:4
Through
Proverbs 22:14The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; he who is under the wrath of the LORD will fall into it.
it leads to
- Ecclesiastes 7:26
And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is…
- Ecclesiastes 7:26
Through
Psalms 12:2They lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and a double heart.
it leads to
- Romans 16:18
For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
- Romans 16:18
Through
Micah 7:2The godly man has perished from the earth; there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; they hunt one another with a net.
it leads to
- Psalms 12:1
Help, O LORD, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men.
- Psalms 12:1
About Judges
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Ambrose of Milan, Letter 19; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.