Samson, biblical encyclopedia - archimandrite nikifor bazhanov. History and Ethnology. Facts. Events. Fiction
Name:Samson
The country: Canaan
Creator: Old Testament
Activity: judge, hero
Family status: not married
Samson: character story
Biblical hero, Jew, Old Testament judge from the land of Canaan. He fought with the unfriendly people of the Philistines and became famous for his exploits. The name Samson is translated from Hebrew as "solar".
In the Biblical Age of Judges, "judges" were people of authority whom the Israelites turned to for judgment. These same people were significant carriers of ethnic identity, who called on Israelis to resist assimilation and loss of ethnic identity. Any person could act in this capacity - both a prophet and a woman, and even the leader of a robber gang. The mythological Samson is one of them.
Samson in the Bible
The people of Samson, enslaved by the Philistines, suffered for forty years because of this. While Samson was growing up, he constantly witnessed how his compatriots were humiliated. The matured hero decides to take revenge on the Philistine enslavers.
Samson was a Nazirite - consecrated to God. This meant that the hero adhered to certain vows - he could not eat grapes and drink drinks made on its basis, touch the dead and cut his hair. The tremendous physical strength bestowed on the hero was "contained" in Samson's long hair and manifested itself in childhood.
Having matured, the hero decided to marry a Philistine woman. Parents dissuaded Samson from this marriage, but the hero insisted on his own. Once, having gone to the city where the future wife lived, Samson met a lion. The beast wanted to pounce on the hero, but Samson had time earlier and tore the lion with his bare hands.
During the wedding feast, an episode occurred that became the beginning of an unpleasant story. The hero decided to have fun and asked the guests a riddle. The person who answered correctly would receive thirty pairs of clothes and shirts. The guests forced the hero's young wife to find out the correct answer from him, and then convey it to them. At night, the woman asked her husband for an answer in bed, and then "handed it over" to her fellow tribesmen. Formally, Samson lost and had to give the "prize" to the dishonest wedding guests. The hero started a fight in the city, killed thirty Philistines and gave them their clothes as a prize.
After that, the wife's father suddenly changed his mind and, without warning, gave his daughter for another man. And Samson himself decided that nothing would interfere with the plans for revenge anymore, and began to take revenge on the Philistines as soon as his fantasy suggested. Legends describe how Samson set fire to the tails of three hundred foxes and set the animals on the fields during the harvest. The bread of the Philistines was consumed with the foxes. The wrestler himself disappeared into the mountains.
Frightened by Samson, the Philistines burned the failed father-in-law of the hero along with his daughter, deciding that the aggression was provoked specifically by them. But the hero said that he was taking revenge on the Philistines as a people, and not on these specific people, and it would be more fun in the future. Soon, the inhabitants of the city were afraid to go outside the walls, because Samson opened a hunt for them. And there was no escape from the hero.
The terror arranged by Samson led to the fact that the Philistines attacked the neighboring possessions of the Jews. A delegation of three thousand tribesmen came to Samson in the mountain refuge and made claims about the worsening relations with the Philistines even more. Samson allowed the Jews to bind him and give him over to the Philistines so that they would calm down.
So they did, but at the moment when the hero was about to be handed over to the Philistines, he broke the bonds and fled. On the way, the hero picked up a donkey's jaw and began to kill any Philistines who came across, and thus dealt with a thousand people.
The locals tried to catch Samson, who had stopped overnight in the city of the Philistines, by locking the city gates for safety. But the hero brought out the gate along with the pillars and defiantly carried it to the top of the mountain. In the end, it was possible to cope with the hero thanks to the Philistine woman. The woman learned that the hero's strength is in the hair, and when he fell asleep she called the man who cut off Samson's hair.
The hero, who had lost his strength, was blinded, chained and thrown into a dungeon. The Philistines eventually relaxed so much that for the sake of entertainment they dragged Samson to the temple of their own deity Dagon. And the hero's hair, meanwhile, had time to grow back. In the temple, Samson cried out to God and with the last effort brought down the vaults on the heads of those who were inside, dying with them.
- Two fountains are named after Samson. One is now in Kiev at the National Art Museum, the other is active in Peterhof. Both play on the plot of Samson tearing the lion's mouth.
- In the book of the famous anthropologist James Frazer "Folklore in the Old Testament", the similarity of Samson from the Bible with the ancient Slavic Koschey the Immortal is noted, taking into account the change in the roles of the antagonist and the hero.
- For 17th century Protestants, the image of Samson became a symbol of their own struggle against the rule of the Pope.
Screen adaptations
In 1963, the film Hercules versus Samson was released in Italy, where loosely interpreted biblical and Greek myths intersected. The role of Samson was played by the actor Ilos Khoshade.
Samson is represented here as a rebel and leader of the anti-state movement, who is hiding from the authorities in a small Jewish village. The Greeks get to this village and, after they, together with the team, are carried to the shores of Judea. The ship of the Greeks was wrecked and they want to return home.
Samson is sought after by the royal soldiers, and Hercules, hurrying with his comrades to the capital to get a ship there, is accidentally mistaken for Samson. This happens because Hercules, in front of a local merchant, kills a lion with his bare hands - the same feat was performed by Samson, and everyone knows this.
The merchant reports “where he should be,” and in the capital the companions of Hercules are taken prisoner, and the Greek hero is told to go and find the real Samson, since he claims that he is not Samson himself. Together with Hercules, Queen Delilah goes in search.
When Hercules finds Samson, there is a clash between them, but in the end, fighters of equal strength strike up a friendship and decide together to overthrow the king in Judea. Delilah, having reached the capital before the heroes, "surrenders" those to the king, and on the approaches to the capital of Hercules and Samson an army awaits.
In 2009, the melodrama "Samson and Delilah" was released in Australia. The film does not directly reproduce the biblical story, but rather an allegory. About the social problems that arise in the Aboriginal communities in Australia.
The main characters - teenagers Samson and Delilah - live in poverty. After fellow villagers beat Delilah with sticks, they run to the city. There, the fate of the heroes does not get better, no one pays attention to homeless teenagers, and they do not know how to make money. After difficult trials, the heroes return back to their native village. The role of Samson in this film is played by Rowan McNamara.
In 2018, the American action movie Samson will be released - a spectacular adaptation of the biblical myth, where the hero will be played by actor Taylor James.
Quotes
“And the Spirit of the Lord came on him, and he tore [the lion] like a goat; and he had nothing in his hand. "
"He found a fresh donkey's jaw and, stretching out his hand, took it, and killed a thousand people with it."
“And Samson said, Die, my soul, with the Philistines! And he rested with all his might, and the house came crashing down on the owners and on all the people that were in it. And there were more dead, whom [Samson] killed at his death, more than how many he killed in his life. "
Samson (Hebrew שִׁמְשׁוֹן, Shimson) is the famous biblical Judge-hero, famous for his exploits in the fight against the Philistines.
Guido Reni.Der siegreiche Simson. 161 1- 1612
Frederic Leighton Sansone (Samson) .1858
Biblical story
Samson's exploits are described in the biblical Book of Judges. He came from the tribe of Dan, who suffered most from the enslavement of the Philistines. Samson grew up amid the slavish humiliation of his people and decided to take revenge on the enslavers, which he achieved, having performed many beatings of the Philistines.
Dedicated to God as a Nazarene, he wore long hair, which was the source of his extraordinary power. The angel predicted:
"And he will begin the salvation of Israel from the hand of the Philistines."
The Philistines then ruled over the Israelites for nearly forty years.
Since childhood, the boy possessed extraordinary strength. When he matured, he decided to marry a Philistine woman. No matter how much his parents reminded him that Moshe's law forbids marrying idolaters, Samson replied that every rule has an exception, and married his chosen one.
Langetti Giovanni Battista Samson
One day he went to the city where his wife lived. On the way, he met a young lion who wanted to throw himself at him, but Samson instantly grabbed the lion and tore it with his hands like a kid.
Francesco Hayez Samson und der Löwe. 1842
Gustave Doré. Samson Slays a Lion. 1866
During the wedding feast, which lasted several days, Samson asked the wedding guests a riddle.
Barbieri, Giovanni Francesco (Guercino) - Samson Captured by the Philistines - 1619
The stake was 30 shirts and 30 pairs of outerwear, which had to be paid by those who lost. The guests could not guess and by threats forced Samson's wife to force him to give him the correct answer.
Rembrandt van Rijn. Samson asking a riddle at a wedding table. 1638
At night, in bed, she demanded from her husband to give an answer to the riddle and in the morning she told her fellow tribesmen. Samson had no choice but to pay the loss. To do this, he went to Ashkelon, started a fight with 30 Philistines, killed them, took off his clothes and paid for the loss.
Rembrandt. Samson threatens his father-in-law. 1635 g.
It was the seventh day of the wedding feast. The father-in-law, without warning Samson, gave his wife to a young guy who was a friend of Samson. And Samson answered them:
"Now I will be right before the Philistines if I harm them."
Tissot Samson Slays a Thousand Men. 1896-1902
He began to take revenge on the entire Philistine people. One day he caught the foxes, tied burning torches to their tails, and sent the foxes into the Philistine fields during the harvest. All the bread in the fields was burnt. Samson himself hid in the mountains. Later, the Philistines, learning about the reason for the revenge, went to Samson's father-in-law and burned him along with his daughter. They felt that this would soften Samson's anger. But he declared that his vengeance was directed against all the Philistines. And revenge is just beginning. Samson began the so-called hunt for the inhabitants of Ashkelon. He appeared in front of everyone who went from Ashkelon or to Ashkelon, then robbed and killed him. There are many cases of such attacks on passers-by. Samson did not let anyone into Ashkelon, because of this, famine soon began in Ashkelon. This whole proud city was afraid of Samson alone, was so afraid, no one dared to leave the city, everyone was so scared, as if the city was besieged by a mighty army. Later, the Philistines, in order to end this terror, attacked the possessions of the neighboring tribe of Judah and demanded that Samson be handed over to them.
Three thousand people came to him in the mountains. They began to reproach Samson, saying that because of him they were surrounded by the Philistines, with whom they did not have the strength to fight.
“Well,” said Samson, “tie my hands tightly and give me to our enemies. In this way, they will give you peace. Just promise that you won't kill me. "
Gustave Doré, Samson Kills a Thousand Philistines with a Donkey Jaw. 1866
They tied Samson's hands with strong ropes and led him out of the ravine where he was hiding. But when the Philistines came up to take him, he strained his strength, tore the ropes and fled. Not having a weapon with him, he lifted the jaw of a dead donkey on the way and killed the Philistines he met to death with it. Soon Samson spent the night in the Philistine city of Gaza. Residents found out about this, locked the city gates and decided to catch the hero early in the morning. But Samson, getting up at midnight and seeing that the gates were locked, tore them down together with the pillars and carried them to the top of the mountain opposite Hebron.
Samson Carries the Gate of Gaza to the Mountain. 1866
Samson succumbed to passion for the insidious Philistine Delilah (in the Russian tradition of Delilah), who promised the Philistine rulers for a reward to find out what Samson's strength was.
After three unsuccessful attempts, she still managed to find out the secret: the source of Samson's strength was his uncut hair. Having put Samson to sleep, Dlila ordered to cut off "the seven locks of his head." Having lost his strength, Samson was captured by the Philistines, blinded, chained and thrown into prison.
Peter Paul Rubens Samson and Delilah 1609
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. Samson and Delilah, 1628
Gustave Doré Samson and Delilah. 1866
John Francis Rigaud Samson breaking his bands or Samson and Delilah. 1784
Van Dijk Samson and Delilah
Francesco Morone Samson und Dalila
“And Delilah put him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man, and commanded him to shave off the seven locks of his head. And he began to weaken, and his strength departed from him "
Padovanino.Delilah cutting the hair of Samson. 1588-1649
Having lost his strength, Samson was captured by the Philistines, blinded, chained and thrown into prison.
Rembrandt Harmensz.Die Blendung Simsons.1636
Samson in the Treadmill, by Carl Bloch, Danish painter, d. 1890.
The ordeal led Samson to genuine repentance and contrition. Soon, the Philistines held a holiday in which they thanked their god Dagon for giving Samson into their hands, and then brought Samson to the temple to amuse them.
Gustave Dore. Death of Samson.
Meanwhile, Samson's hair had time to grow back, and the strength began to return to him. “And Samson called to the Lord and said: Lord God! remember me and strengthen me only now, oh God! "
“And Samson said, Die, my soul, with the Philistines! And he rested with all his might, and the house fell on the owners and on all the people who were in it. And there were more dead, whom Samson killed at his death, than how many he killed in his life "
The biblical account of Samson ends with the account of Samson's funeral in the family tomb between Tsor''manoye and Eshtaol.
Samson as a biblical-historical person is a characteristic type of the folk hero of the times of the Judges; the history of his exploits is replete with a lot of interesting everyday details, which find curious confirmation in the research of the latest archaeologists and geographers.
Pictures are clickable
"Sunny" - Samson in his youth. Samson's parents did not have children for a long time. Finally, Yahweh sent an angel announcing that they would have a son who would glorify Israel. And the angel took from them the promise that the child would become a Nazirite. [This word can be translated as "dedicated to God." The Nazarenes swore for a certain period or for a lifetime not to cut their hair, not drink wine, and not touch the dead.]
When the long-awaited boy was born, he was named Samson ["solar"]... From an early age he was distinguished by extraordinary strength and courage. One day Samson, alone and unarmed, was walking among the vineyards. Suddenly a young lion ran out onto the road, growling terribly. Samson, too, flew into a rage, rushed at the mighty beast and tore it in half with his bare hands.
Samson with a lion. Medieval
book miniature
Samson and the Philistines. At that time, the Jews were under the rule of the Philistines. Yahweh decided to choose Samson as his weapon for the liberation of Israel. Samson, who at first was friends with the Philistines, soon quarreled with them and began to cruelly deal with his former friends. The Philistines decided to kill him, but Samson hid in the mountains and was not given into their hands. Then they demanded that the Israelites themselves catch him, otherwise they will all be badly. And against their will, three thousand Israelites went to the mountain refuge of Samson. The hero himself went out to meet them and, taking from them a promise not to kill him, he allowed himself to be tied up.
The captive Samson was taken out of the gorge and brought to the enemies. They greeted him with shouts of joy, but it turned out that they rejoiced early: the hero tensed his muscles, and the strong ropes with which he was tied burst like rotten threads. Samson grabbed the jaw of a donkey lying next to him and fell on the Philistines, killing a thousand people with it. The rest fled in panic. With triumph, Samson returned to his home, singing at the top of his lungs: "With the jaw of a donkey, a crowd, two crowds, with the jaw of a donkey, I killed a thousand people."
For this feat, the overjoyed Israelites chose Samson as their judge, and he ruled his people for twenty years. His name alone terrified enemies; Samson went to their cities as to his home, and did what he liked.
Once he spent the night in the city. Residents decided that a good opportunity turned up to put an end to the hated enemy. They set up an ambush near the city gates and waited there all night, saying: "Until the morning light, let us wait and kill him."
And Samson woke up at midnight, quietly walked to the city gates, broke them out of the wall along with the jambs, put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the neighboring mountain. In the morning, the Philistines could only marvel at the strength and cunning of the hero.
Samson and Delilah. Yet Samson was destroyed, and a woman destroyed him. Unfortunately, he fell in love with a beautiful Philistine woman named Delilah and often went to visit her. The rulers of the Philistines learned about this and promised Delilah a rich reward if she found out what was the secret of Samson's extraordinary strength. She agreed and, pretending to be in love with the hero, began to pry from him: "Tell me, what is your great strength and how to bind you in order to pacify you?"
Samson sensed something was wrong and said: "If they tie me up with seven damp bowstrings that are not dried, then I will become powerless and will be like other people." The Philistines brought Delilah seven raw bowstrings, she tied the sleeping Samson and began to wake him up: “Samson! The Philistines are coming against you. " Samson woke up and without any effort tore his bonds.
Delilah was offended: “Behold, you deceived me and told me a lie; tell me now how to bind you? " Samson decided to have some fun and replied: "If they tie me up with new ropes that were not in action, then I will become powerless and will be like other people."
Delilah prepared new ropes. When Samson came to her again, Delilah waited until he fell asleep and tied him tightly (while the Philistines were hiding nearby). Then she pretended to be frightened and shouted, “Samson! The Philistines are coming at you! " Samson jumped up and tore the ropes from his hands like threads.
Delilah pouted: “You are all deceiving me and telling me lies; tell me how to tie you up? " Samson said with a serious air that if his long hair was woven into a fabric and nailed to a loom, all his strength would be lost.
As soon as he fell asleep, Delilah hurried to weave his hair into the fabric, nailed it tightly to the loom and woke Samson up: "The Philistines are coming at you, Samson." He woke up and pulled out the heavy log of the loom, to which his hair was nailed.
"Go now, he has opened his whole heart to me." Then Delilah decided not to lag behind until he told her the truth: “How do you say:“ I love you, ”but your heart is not with me? Behold, you deceived me three times and did not tell me where your great strength lies. "
Having found out the secret of Samson, Delilah informed the Philistine rulers: "Go now, he has opened his whole heart to me." The Philistines came and brought silver to pay the traitor. As soon as they managed to hide, Samson appeared in Delilah's house. After the simple-minded hero fell asleep, not suspecting anything, Delilah called a servant and ordered him to cut Samson's hair. When everything was ready, she woke up her guest with the same words: "The Philistines are coming against you, Samson!" Samson sleepily did not understand what had happened to him, and rushed to the Philistines, but with horror he felt that he no longer had his former strength. The Philistines easily overpowered him, chained him in copper chains, gouged out his eyes and threw him into a dungeon, where he had to grind grain in a mill.
The last feat of Samson. After a while, the Philistines decided to solemnly celebrate the victory over the hated Israeli hero. Several thousand people, noble people, rulers gathered in the temple of their god Dagon and began to feast. In the midst of the fun, someone suggested bringing Samson from the dungeon to amuse them.
And now, among the noisy, triumphant enemies, a blind hero appeared. No one noticed that his hair had grown back - the source of his great strength. Samson told the boy who was leading him to place him near the two pillars supporting the roof of the temple.
Meanwhile, about three thousand Philistines, who did not have enough room in the temple, climbed onto the roof to look at the captive and enjoy his humiliation.
Feeling the pillars, Samson prayed to God to help him take revenge on his enemies, put his hands on both pillars and, exclaiming: “Die, my soul, with the Philistines!”, Brought them down on himself. The roof of the temple collapsed with a crash, burying both Samson and the Philistines beneath it. By his own death, he killed more enemies than in his entire life.
The history of the life and death of Samson (Shimshon) has many ambiguities. The message that Samson judged Israel for twenty years, due to its lapidarity and incoherence with the narrative, looks like a late insertion in order to find the hero, whose memory has been preserved among the people, a place among the Israeli leaders - judges.
In the appearance of Samson and in his exploits, there are many features inherent in the heroes of the peoples of the Aegean, primarily Hercules: innocence, unbridledness, and love. Just like Hercules, Samson is the lion's conqueror. Because of the woman, they both fall into slavery. The power of Samson, ascribed to Yahweh, is a late, imported feature. There is nothing in Samson either from the judge, or from the hero of typical Israeli myths, much less from the Nazarene, who must be abstinent, not drink wine, not touch corpses, not waste energy on women, especially foreigners.
For forty years Israel groaned under the rule of the Philistines, and seeing their power, did not even think of deliverance. And Yahweh wished to raise the spirit of his people, and sent a messenger from the land of the tribe of Dan to Zorah 1, instructing him to meet with the wife of a man named Manoach, who was barren. Meeting with her, the messenger said:
Here you are sterile and do not give birth, but you will soon give birth to a son. Beware of wine and strong drinks, do not drink anything drunk and do not eat anything unclean - for your son will be the Nazarene of God. Let him not eat anything that the vine produces, drink neither wine nor strong drink, do not touch anything unclean, and let the scissors not touch his head. And it will be given to him to save Israel from the power of the Philistines.
Having said this, the messenger departed. And indeed, soon a son was born to Manoach, who was named Samson.
When Samson was already a young man and got to the city of Timna, he saw there a beautiful Philistine woman and followed her to her father's house. And then he returned to his parents and announced his desire to them. The father and mother of Samson did not realize that this was not a whim of his son, but the Spirit of Yahweh in him was looking for an opportunity to take revenge on the Philistines.
Why do you need a Philistine, my son? Are there few brides among our people? - asked the parents.
But since Samson stood his ground, his parents went with him to Timna. As the road cut through the vineyard that surrounded the city, a terrible roar was heard. The Spirit of Yahweh entered Samson, and he went to meet the lion, and tore apart the terrible predator with his bare hands, as if it were a newborn kid.
In Timna, Samson spoke to a girl he liked. After a while, he again turned up with her to arrange a wedding. At the same time, he made a detour to look at the lion's carcass, the work of his own hands, and, to his surprise, saw that a swarm of bees was hovering over its mouth.
He took out honey and, continuing on his way, ate it and left it to his parents, without telling them that the honey was from the corpse of the lion he had killed. Then his father went to the woman whom Samson had married. And, according to the customs of that time, a wedding feast took place. Samson caused fear among the Philistines, so they sent thirty young men to be guests at his wedding. Samson addressed them:
I want to ask you a riddle. If you solve it during the wedding, which will last seven days, you will receive thirty linen clothes and the same number of cloaks. If you can't figure it out, give it all to me.
We agree! - answered the Philistines in chorus. Then he said:
From the devouring grub came out, from the strong - sweetness. Days passed, but the wedding guests could not solve the riddles.
On the fourth day, they turned to Samson's wife:
Persuade your husband to solve his riddle, otherwise we will burn you along with your stepfather's house. After all, not to rob, they invited us to the wedding.
Then the woman rushed with a cry on Samson's neck and said to him:
You don't love me at all and you make me suffer. Why did you ask a riddle to my fellow tribesmen, but I don’t know it?
Why should I solve a riddle for you when I have not solved it for my father and mother! - objected Samson.
She cried seven days in a row, the entire time of the wedding feast. On the seventh day, Samson took pity on her and told her a riddle. She conveyed the decision to the sons of her people, and the Philistines replied even before sunset that the slain lion had become food and sweetness.
You would not have guessed my riddle, - Samson said with annoyance, - if you had not plowed on my heifer.
After this, the Spirit of Yahweh descended on Samson, and he went to Ascalon, and there killed thirty Philistine men. He took off everything that was on them and gave it to those who solved his riddle. Then he returned in anger to his father's house.
After a while, during the days of the harvest, Samson took the kid and went to his wife. His father blocked his way.
I want to go to my wife's bedroom! he told him.
And it seemed to me, - answered the father-in-law, - that you hated her. So I gave your wife to one of the marriage guests. But isn't my youngest daughter prettier than her? You can go to her.
Samson shouted in rage:
I'll be right now! I’m right if I make a mark in the memory of the Philistines!
And he ran out of the city, caught three hundred foxes, tied them in pairs with their tails, thrust them in the middle over a burning torch and drove them into the arable lands of the Philistines. The heaps that had just been piled up, the unharvested cornfield, and the oil-bearing gardens were also burnt. The Philistines ran between the haystacks, asking, "Who did this?"
And those who were at the wedding answered:
Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnitz who took his wife away from him. Then the Philistines rushed into the city and burned down the house
the one who caused their crops to be burned. Samson said:
Although you have done so, I will not rest until I have my revenge on you.
With these words, he threw himself at the Philistines and broke their shins, and then withdrew, choosing for himself the gorge of Etam in the lands of Judah, a tribe that paid tribute to the Philistines. The Philistines, armed, followed him and reached Lehi. The elders were frightened and came to the soldiers to find out what they had done wrong.
You let Samson come to you, who has done us harm. Give him out and we'll leave.
And three thousand soldiers from the tribe of Judah went to the gorge under Mount Etam, and they turned to Samson:
Why are you here? Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us, and you have wronged them?
What they did to me, so I to them! - answered Samson.
So we came to bind you and give you to them.
Knit! - said Samson, holding out his hands. “But swear you won't kill me.
And the soldiers of Judah tied him with two new ropes, and took him to the Philistines at Lech. Seeing Samson, the Philistines ran to meet him. And then the Spirit of Yahweh descended on Samson again, and the ropes on his hands broke, as if they were from rotted flax. And Samson began to fumble with his eyes, looking for something to hit them. And seeing nothing but a fresh donkey's jaw, he grabbed her and beat a thousand people with it. And he sang, rejoicing in his victory. Since then, it has been sung:
Donkey jaw
A crowd, two crowds 2,
Donkey jaw
Beat a thousand people!
Samson dropped his jaw as soon as he sang it. Since then, that place has been called Ramat-Lehi (Mountain-Jaw).
Then a great thirst fell on Samson, and he cried out to the Lord:
Behold, you have saved me, your servant, and now I will perish from thirst and fall into the hands of the Philistines.
Yahweh heard these words, opened the earth, and water gushed out. Samson drank the spring water and came to life. This source has been preserved in Lehi to this day and is called "The Source of Him Who Called Him".
After that day Samson judged Israel for twenty years. Once he went to Gaza. Seeing a harlot sitting at his house, he went in to her. It was then that the Philistines saw Samson, and remembered how many he had destroyed. They decided to set up an ambush in order to kill the enemy at dawn when he leaves the city. Guessing what awaited him, Samson did not wait for dawn, went out when it was still dark. Leaving Gaza, he broke down its gates along with the jamb, loaded them onto his back and carried them to the top of the mountain east of Hebron. Those who were in ambush saw that there were no gates in the city, and howled like the wolves of the desert, for for a city to lose a gate is like a shield for a warrior.
Samson walked lightly into the Sorek Valley. There he met the beautiful Philistine Delilah, whom he fell in love at first sight. The rulers of the Philistines learned about this and rejoiced, confident that now they would put an end to the mighty enemy. When they came to Delila, they promised a lot of silver if she knew how to defeat Samson in order to bind and pacify him.
Caressing Samson, Delilah asked him how to tie him up in order to overcome him, and whether it is possible.
Maybe! - answered Samson between kisses. - We must tie me with seven fresh ropes, not yet dry.
The Philistines who were hiding in the next room heard these words. As soon as the heroic snoring rang out, they handed over rawhide belts to the insidious woman. Delilah wrapped them around Samson seven times, but when he woke up, he tore the bonds with such ease, as if it were tow, burnt by fire.
And many more times, reproaching Samson for insincerity and deceit, Delilah tried to find out the secret of his strength, until he, satiated with her caresses, opened his heart to her.
The razor did not touch my head, because I am the Nazarene of God from my mother's womb. Until the scissors touch my head, the power given to me by the Lord will not leave me.
And Delilah realized that this time Samson had not deceived her. And with joy she called the Philistines. And they appeared with the silver that they had promised. She had already put him to sleep with caresses on her knees and called for a barber, who cut seven plaits from his head. Then she shouted:
The Philistines are against you, Samson!
Samson dashed, but could not cope with the enemies that had piled on him, for along with his hair, strength retreated from him.
The Philistines snatched out knives and, gouging out Samson's eyes, brought him to Gaza, which he disgraced, they bound him with two copper chains and took him to the guard house, so that he, together with other prisoners, twisted a stone millstone. So he lived for several months, and his hair began to grow back.
The festival of the great god of the Philistines, Dagon, was approaching 4. It was decided to celebrate it with a solemn sacrifice. The people gathered, seemingly invisibly, and everyone was jubilant, glorifying Dagon. Then they remembered that Dagon had given them into the hands of the one who had devastated their fields and killed many of them. They ordered Samson to be brought in. He was all white with flour, only the fetters gleamed on his arms and legs. The Philistines began to spit at Samson and throw whatever they got at him. They showered him with curses and dishonored God, who did not want to save him. Since not everyone in the crowd could see how they mocked Samson, many climbed onto the flat roof of the temple and looked from there. Samson bore the shame and pain in silence. When the enemies were fed up with his humiliations, he called the guide boy to him and said to him in an undertone:
Lead me to two pillars with a roof so I can lean against them.
The boy complied with his request. And Samson prayed to Yahweh:
Oh Lord, remember me and make it so that I can take revenge on the Philistines for both my eyes.
After that, Samson rested with both hands on two supporting pillars.
The temple swayed. Those who watched Samson from the roof - and there were three thousand husbands and wives - fell to the ground.
And then Samson exclaimed:
Die, my soul, with the Philistines!
He pushed the columns again, and the temple collapsed, burying everyone inside and on the roof under its ruins. And there were more killed at his death than he killed in his entire life. After that, Samson's fellow tribesmen and the whole family came, took out Samson's corpse and buried him in the crypt of his father Manoach.
1 Tsora, Eshtaoi, Timna, Etom, Ramat-Lehi, Hebron, the valley of the So ^ rivers - the settlements and areas that appear in the story of Samson belonged to the territory adjacent to the possessions of the Philistines and belonging to their sphere of influence.
2 Play on words: the donkey and the crowd in the Hebrew language were denoted by similar sounding words.
3 Delilah (Heb.) - "Sramnitsa".
4 Since 2500 BC e. Dagon was revered throughout Mesopotamia. His temple at Mari was decorated with bronze figures. His veneration is attested in Bet-Shean during the time of Saul and David (XI-X centuries BC) and in Ashdod during the Maccabees (III century BC). In Semitic languages, Dagon means "fish". On the coins of Arvad and Ashkelon, he was depicted with a fish tail.
Yogi Bhajan was a wealthy Indian expatriate who introduced the US to Kundalini Yoga. On the issue of haircuts, he spoke like this:
“Our haircut may follow fashion, but cutting our hair deprives ourselves of an essential source of vitality. When we allow the hair on the scalp to reach its full length and maturity, then phosphorus, calcium, vitamin D and all derivatives enter the lymphatic fluid and then into the cerebrospinal fluid through two channels in the upper part of the brain. This ionic change creates more efficient memory and results in more physical energy, improved stamina and patience ... Your hair is not in its place by mistake. They have a specific purpose, which the saints will discover, and other people will make fun of. "
Most of us have heard of the mythical strongman Samson, who lost his strength along with the loss of his hair. Even today, some cultures maintain the tradition of never cutting their hair. In some cultures, this is due to religious beliefs. Sikhs can be one example. Some Christian groups, such as the Pentacostals, refrain from cutting their hair in deference to the literal interpretation of the Bible. Orthodox Jewish men never cut their hair on the side of their head, and Rastafarians never cut their dreadlocks. Many Native American men, especially before modern times, never cut their hair. Today we just want to ask ... Why?
Many bands have their own distinctive style. Often, competing tribes have different haircuts and styles of clothing. But today we are not talking about style preferences and differences. We would like to study the cultural roots of people who piously believe in the power of their hair. Quite a few people believe that hair length has a direct, physical, measurable relationship to their health, strength, talent, and wisdom.
Yogi Bhajan put forward the statement that hair is involved in metabolism and is a living part of the human body. This is easy to refute even by superficial observation. Hair composed of keratin does not have the channels for transporting any of the nutrients described by the guru. It is easy to examine a cross-section of a hair under a microscope, revealing solid cells with no signs of life. They are neatly arranged in a beautiful fiber by the hair root, but they are dead. Human hair does not have the ability to take part in metabolism or other process. Yogi Bhajan did not say that hair delivers some mystical unknown flow of energy, he said that it transports physical substances such as vitamins and minerals. This is mistake. Any suitable research method can be applied, but Yogi Bhajan did not understand what he was talking about at all.
His followers say that after 3 years of growth, hair follicles develop antennae at the ends of the hair, which collect cosmic energy, thus, the haircut dooms to a 3-year drought of magnetism. It's all childishly silly. Some of the cultures should have more compelling rationales, what are they?
One of the most popular legends of our time has been copied by many websites, the author has not been able to find out the original source. This story tells the story of Native American trackers who were recruited for the Vietnam War, but with their hair cut like all soldiers, they lost their ability to track, and became useless in hostilities. Subsequent testing showed a significant decrease in the effectiveness of the clipped trackers, who had previously performed very well. Continuing, the story speaks of the abolition of haircuts for Native American trackers and even the abandonment of the military who took part in the experiment. The story is rather dubious, to say the least. No citation of such "experiments" has been found. The likelihood of credibility diminishes when you consider how few people in the United States had the opportunity to develop the art of pathfinder in the 1960s and 1970s, and also when you consider how significant the differences between the Vietnamese jungle and the American Southwest are.
Thus, the story of the relationship between ranger skill and hair length does not hold up to scrutiny. But we know that hair is associated with one familiar sensation, which is touch. Touch your hair and you can feel what the author is talking about. Hair is an excellent conductor of the sense of touch. This is why many animals rely on them for their sense of the environment; this is one of the benefits of having a mustache. The skin has over 20 classes of sensitive nerve cells, some of which detect warmth, touch, pain, and so on. Each of our hair follicles is associated with sensory nerves. Given the vastness, complexity and sensitivity of this system, it seems clear that hair is a very important part of our sensory system. However, only the root of the follicle is sensitive. If you pull the hair, the signal will be the same for both meter and centimeter hair lengths. In fact, the longer the hair, the less the movement will affect the root. Imagine a man with long hair sitting in front of you in a theater. You can twist his hair discreetly. And if the haircut is short? Any touch from the outside will give an immediate signal to the owner. Long hair does not increase the ability to touch.
Our contemporaries endow the habits of antiquity with mystical abilities. In the Sikh religion, long hair is left as a sign of respect for the Creator. God created all living things, hair grows, they should not be cut off. This practice, called Kesh, is one of the "five Ks" for the Sikhs. It's pretty simple, and doesn't mean anything more than what it says. Nevertheless, some modern Sikhs, especially those who came to the religion from the outside, in search of an alternative to Christianity, interpret Kesh with a certain sense of the New Era, saying that the hair is the source of mystical energy. The author could not find an authoritative explanation for this, probably beliefs about the power of hair, like Samson, are outside of Kesh.
Likewise in Orthodox Judaism. The practice of leaving beards and curls has nothing to do with drawing strength, based mainly on the Mishnah Torah. The search for the source of such practice leads to the conclusion that there is no reason. The reason, rather, is the desire to have an expressive difference from other ethnic groups. Another possible reason is communication with the deceased through an offering of hair. Not cutting hair could mean giving up the practice. But in the history of Judaism there have been and are many formalities regarding hair. People of a certain position must have their own type of hairstyle, others must shave on Saturday, some every 30 days, and some must have special care for their head or beard hair, sometimes only a razor must be used, sometimes only scissors. Hair care in Judea is much more difficult than "Orthodox Jews do not cut or shave," but there is no hint of drawing strength or energy from hair.
Rastafarianism comes closest to the belief that hair gives strength, but it is neither an organized religion nor a formed faith. The former king of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie, was recognized by the Rastafarians as the second Christ and was known as the Conquering Lion of Judah. The lion has a mane, and Rastafrians wear dreadlocks as a symbol of the lion's mane and respect for Selassie. Some Rastafarians depict Samson with dreadlocks, believing in the power of hair length.
In search of an answer, the author visited the Long Hair forums. It seems that quite a few people care about the length of their hair. Long hair does not give strength, but strong and healthy hair speaks of the health of its owner. Some people think that long hair speaks of the ability to break stereotypes. Some consider them to be protection. Some people believe that long hair gives a masculine look and shows strength. Some consider them to be a means of self-expression.
With all due respect to Yogi Bhajan, there is no physiological mechanism by which long hair makes a person stronger. As an antenna for cosmic energy, hair is not needed, just as it is not needed in the form of a conductor of vitamins, minerals, solar energy, or something else. A Samson-style hairstyle is not necessary for physical strength and health. Health is necessary in order to have such hair. There is no need to look for a physiological explanation. People with long hair feel great, as do those with short, curly, red, blue, or no hair at all. To each his own, and each of us makes his own choice, which is more to his liking.
Samson artwork courtesy of Giovanni.org
Translated by Vladimir Maksimenko 2014