1
The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; therefore the LORD gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.
2
At that time there was a man from Zorah, of the tribe of Dan, whose name was Manoah; his wife was barren and had borne no children.
3
The Angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, saying: “Indeed, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.
4
Therefore, be careful; do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean.
5
For you shall conceive and bear a son; no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”
6
Then the woman came to her husband and said, “A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awe-inspiring. I did not ask where he came from, and he did not tell me his name.
7
But he said to me, ‘You shall conceive and bear a son; therefore do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean, for from the womb of his mother until the day of his death the child shall be a Nazirite to God.'”
8
Then Manoah prayed to the LORD, saying, “O Lord, please let the man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we should do for the child who will be born.”
9
And God listened to Manoah’s prayer, and the Angel of God came again to the woman while she was sitting in the field, and Manoah her husband was not with her.
10
So the woman quickly ran and told her husband, saying to him, “The man who came to me recently has appeared to me again.”
11
Then Manoah arose and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to this woman?” And he said, “I am.”
12
Then Manoah said, “When what You have said comes to pass, what will be the manner of life and the conduct of the child?”
13
The Angel of the LORD said to Manoah, “The woman must be careful to do all that I said to her.
14
She must not eat anything that comes from the vine; she must not drink wine or strong drink, and she must not eat anything unclean. She must keep all that I commanded her.”
15
Manoah said to the Angel of the LORD, “Please let us detain you here, so that we may prepare a young goat for you.”
16
But the Angel of the LORD answered Manoah, “Though you detain me here, I will not eat your food. But if you would prepare it as a burnt offering, offer it to the LORD.” For Manoah did not know that he was the Angel of the LORD.
17
Then Manoah said to the Angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that when what you have said comes to pass, we may honor you?”
18
But the Angel of the LORD said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?”
19
So Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering, and offered them to the LORD on the rock. And He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife watched.
20
As the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the Angel of the LORD went up in the flame of the altar. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground.
21
From that time the Angel of the LORD did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the Angel of the LORD.
22
And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God.”
23
But his wife said to him, “If the LORD had meant to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have let us hear such things at this time.”
24
Then the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The child grew, and the LORD blessed him.
25
And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
👶🌟🔔 Summary of Judges 13 – Samson’s Birth Promised by the Angel of the LORD
Judges 13 is the beginning of the story of Samson, one of the most well-known judges in the Bible. However, this chapter does not yet speak of his deeds, but of the appearance of the angel of the LORD to his parents and the command that Samson would be a Nazirite of God from the womb.
📌 1. Israel Again Does Evil (verse 1)
- For the umpteenth time, Israel fell into sin, and the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for 40 years.
🎯 The cycle of sin and punishment keeps repeating because the people’s hearts do not truly repent.
📌 2. The Angel of the LORD Appears (verses 2–7)
- A man named Manoah, from the tribe of Dan, had a wife who was barren.
🎯 The Lord works even through a barren womb — nothing is impossible for Him.
📌 3. Manoah Asks for Further Explanation (verses 8–14)
- Manoah prayed that the angel would come again and tell how the child should be raised.
- The angel came again, and Manoah heard the instructions himself:
His mother must keep herself holy,
The child would belong to the Lord.
🎯 Spiritual parents need to seek the Lord’s guidance in raising children whom God will use.
📌 4. The Identity of the Angel and the Miracle (verses 15–23)
- Manoah wanted to feed the angel, but was refused.
- Instead, he offered a burnt offering.
- When the fire rose from the altar, the angel went up to heaven in the flame — only then did Manoah realize that it was the angel of the Lord.
- They were afraid, but his wife said:
“If the Lord had meant to kill us, He would not have accepted our offering.”
🎯 The Lord gives signs and reassurance to those who believe, not to frighten them, but to strengthen faith.
📌 5. Samson Is Born (verses 24–25)
- The child was named Samson, meaning “like the sun.”
- The Lord blessed him, and the Spirit of the Lord began to move him in Mahaneh-dan.
🎯 Samson was born with a divine purpose — yet, as will be seen later, he had to choose whether to remain faithful or to stray.
📖 Main Lessons
- The Lord often works through those who are overlooked, even the barren.
- Every child may have a special calling from God.
- The godliness of parents opens the way for a generation used by God.
- A Nazirite vow (a special commitment to God) is something serious and holy.
- The Spirit of the Lord is active even from a person’s youth.
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
The account of John the Baptist’s birth is very similar: a child born to barren parents, filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb.
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…”
“For nothing will be impossible with God.”
🎯 God has called us even before we were born — divine calling does not begin when we are grown, but from the beginning of life.
“You will conceive and bear a son.” – Judges 13:3
“For the child shall be a Nazirite of God.” – verse 5
“The Lord blessed him.” – verse 24
