PR in biblical mythology. Bible Tales: Samson and Delilah

The story 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 insert in order to find a hero, whose memory has been preserved among the people, a place among the Israeli leaders - judges.

In the guise of Samson and in his exploits there are many features inherent in the heroes of the peoples of the Aegean, especially Hercules: innocence, unbridledness, love of love. Just like Hercules, Samson is a lion-slayer. Because of the woman, both of them fall into slavery. The strength of Samson, attributed to Yahweh, is a late, introduced feature. In Samson there is nothing of either a judge, or a hero of typical Israeli myths, and even more so of a Nazarene, who must be abstinent, not drink wine, not touch corpses, not waste his energy on women, especially foreign women.

For forty years Israel groaned under the power of the Philistines and, seeing their strength, did not even think about 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 Manoah, who was barren. Meeting with her, the messenger said:

Here you are barren and do not give birth, but soon you will give birth to a son. Beware of wine and strong drink, do not drink anything intoxicating 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, touch anything unclean, and let no scissors touch his head. And it will be given to him to save Israel from the power of the Philistines.

Having said this, the herald departed. And indeed, soon a son was born to Manoah, who was named Samson.

When Samson was already a young man and got to the city of Timna, he saw a beautiful Philistine woman there and followed her to her father's house. And then he returned to his parents and announced his desire to them. Samson's father and mother had no idea 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 not enough brides among our people? the parents asked.

But since Samson stood his ground, his parents went with him to Timna. When the road cut through the vineyard surrounding the city, a menacing roar was heard. The Spirit of Yahweh entered Samson, and he went towards the lion, and tore apart the terrible predator with his bare hands, as if it were a newborn goat.

In Timna, Samson was talking to a girl he liked. After some time, he again appeared with her to arrange a wedding. At the same time, he made a detour to look at the corpse of a lion, the work of his own hands, and, to his surprise, saw that a swarm of bees was hovering over his mouth.

He took out honey and, continuing on his way, ate it and left it to his parents without telling them that the honey came from the corpse of a lion he had killed. Then his father went to the woman whom Samson had betrothed. 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 give you a riddle. If during the wedding, which will last seven days, you solve it, you will receive thirty linen garments and the same number of cloaks. Don't guess, give it all to me.

We agree! answered the Philistines in unison. Then he said:

From the devourer came grub, 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 called us to the wedding.

Then the woman threw herself on Samson's neck, weeping, and said to him:

You don't love me at all and 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 didn't solve it for my father and mother! Samson objected.

She wept for seven days in a row, all the time of the wedding feast. On the seventh day, Samson took pity on her and solved the riddle for her. She conveyed the decision to the sons of her people, and the Philistines answered before sunset that the dead 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 that, the Spirit of Yahweh descended on Samson, and he went to Ascalon, and killed thirty Philistine men there. 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 some time, during the harvest days, Samson took the goat and went to his wife. His father blocked his path.

I want to go to my wife's bedroom! he said to him.

And it seemed to me, - answered the father-in-law, - that you hated her. So I gave your wife to one of the wedding guests. But isn't my youngest daughter prettier than her? You can visit her.

Samson shouted in rage:

Now I'll be right! Right, if I make a notch in the memory of the Philistines!

And he ran out of the city, caught three hundred foxes, tied them in pairs with their tails, put them in the middle of a burning torch and drove the Philistines to the arable land. The freshly folded mop, and the uncompressed cornfield, and the olive orchards burned down. The Philistines ran between the haystacks, asking, "Who did this?"

And those who were at the wedding answered:

Samson, son-in-law of the Timnites who took his wife. Then the Philistines broke into the city and burned 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 avenged you.

With these words, he rushed at the Philistines and broke their legs, 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 were guilty of.

You let in Samson, who harmed us. Give him away and we'll leave.

And three thousand warriors from the tribe of Judah went to the gorge under Mount Etam, and they turned to Samson:

Why are you here? Don't you know that the Philistines rule over us, and you have harmed them?

What they have done to me, I have done to them! Samson replied.

So we have come to tie you up and hand you over 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 in 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 were torn, as if they were from rotten flax. And Samson began to fumble with his eyes, looking for something to hit them. and beat a thousand men with it. And he sang, rejoicing in his victory.

donkey jaw

Crowd, two crowds 2,

donkey jaw

Killed 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 upon Samson, and he called to the Lord:

Behold, you saved me, your servant, and now I will die of thirst and fall into the hands of the Philistines.

Yahweh heard these words, opened the earth, and water gushed out. Samson drank spring water and came to life. This source has been preserved in Lehi to this day and is called the “Source of the Caller”.

After that day Samson judged Israel for twenty years. One day he went to Gaza. Seeing a prostitute sitting by her 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 awaits him, Samson did not wait for dawn, he went out when it was still dark. Leaving Gaza, he broke down its gate along with the jamb, put them on his back and carried them to the top of the mountain, which is 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 the city to lose the gate is the same as for a warrior - a shield.

Samson walked light into the valley of Sorek. There he met the beautiful Philistine Delilah, whom he fell in love with at first sight. The rulers of the Philistines found out about this and rejoiced, confident that now they would put an end to the mighty enemy. Appearing to Delilah, 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 bind him in order to overcome him, and whether it was possible.

Maybe! Samson replied between kisses. - It is necessary to tie me with seven ropes, fresh, not yet dry.

The Philistines who were hiding in the next room heard these words. As soon as the heroic snoring was heard, they handed over the 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 burned by fire.

And many more times, reproaching Samson of insincerity and deceit, Delilah tried to find out the secret of his strength, until he, having had enough of 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 strength 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 came with the silver they had promised. She had already lulled him with caresses on her knees and called for the barber, who cut seven braids from his head. After that she shouted:

The Philistines are against you, Samson!

Samson rushed, but could not cope with the enemies that had fallen on him, because strength receded from him along with his hair.

The Philistines snatched out knives and, gouging out Samson's eyes, brought him to Gaza, which he disgraced, they chained him with two copper chains and took him to the guard's house, so that he, along with other prisoners, would turn a stone millstone. So he lived for several months, and his hair began to grow.

The holiday of the great god of the Philistines Dagon 4 was approaching. It was decided to commemorate it with a solemn sacrifice. The people gathered visibly-invisibly, and everyone rejoiced, glorifying Dagon. Then they remembered that Dagon had given them into the hands of the one who devastated their fields and killed many of them. They ordered to bring Samson. 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 could get 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 Samson was being mocked, many climbed onto the flat roof of the temple and watched from there. Samson endured 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 the two pillars on which the roof is, so that 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 avenge the Philistines for both my eyes.

After that, Samson rested with both hands on two supporting pillars.

The temple shook. Those who watched Samson from the roof - and there were three thousand men and women - fell to the ground.

And then Samson exclaimed:

Die, my soul, with the Philistines!

He once again pushed the columns, and the temple collapsed, burying under its ruins everyone who was inside and on the roof. And there were more killed at his death than he had killed in his entire life. After that, Samson's tribesmen and the whole family came, removed Samson's corpse and buried his father Manoah in the crypt.

1 Zorah, Eshtaoya, Timna, Etom, Ramat-Lehi, Hebron, the valley of the So rivers - the settlements and areas appearing in the story of Samson belonged to the territory adjacent to the possessions of the Philistines and related to their sphere of influence.

2 Play on words: the donkey and the crowd in the Hebrew language were denoted by words close in sound.

3 Delilah (Heb.) - "Shame".

4 Starting from 2500 BC. e. Dagon was revered throughout Mesopotamia. His temple in Mari was decorated with bronze figures. His veneration has been certified in Bet-Shean during the time of Saul and David (XI-X centuries BC) and in Ashdod during the time of the Maccabees (III century BC). Dagon means "fish" in Semitic languages. On the coins of Arvad and Ashkelon, he was depicted with a fish tail.

The exploits of Samson are described in the biblical Book of Judges (ch. 13-16). He came from the tribe of Dan, who suffered the most from the enslavement of the Philistines. Samson grew up among the slavish humiliation of his people and decided to take revenge on the enslavers, which he achieved by committing many beatings of the Philistines.

Consecrated to God as a Nazirite, he wore long hair, which served as the source of his extraordinary power. The angel prophesied:

And he will begin the salvation of Israel from the hand of the Philistines

The Philistines then ruled the Israelites for nearly forty years.

From 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 the law of Moses forbids marrying idolaters, Samson replied that every rule has an exception, and married his chosen one.

One day he went to the city where his wife lived. On the way he met a young lion who wanted to rush at him, but Samson instantly grabbed the lion and tore it apart with his hands, like a kid.

During the wedding feast, which lasted several days, Samson asked the wedding guests a riddle. The bet was 30 shirts and 30 pairs of outerwear, to be paid by those who lost. The guests could not guess, and with threats forced Samson's wife to extort the correct answer from him. At night, in bed, she demanded that her husband give an answer to the riddle, and in the morning she told it to her fellow tribesmen. Samson had no choice but to pay the loss. To do this, he went to Ashkelon, made a fight with 30 Philistines, killed them, took off his clothes and paid for the loss. It was the seventh day of the wedding feast. Father-in-law, without warning Samson, gave his wife to a young guy who was Samson's friend. And Samson answered them:

Now I will be right before the Philistines if I do them harm

He began to take revenge on all the Philistine people. One day he caught 300 foxes, tied burning torches to their tails, and let the foxes into the Philistine fields during the harvest. All the grain in the fields was burned. Samson himself hid in the mountains. Later, the Philistines, having learned about the reason for revenge, went to Samson's father-in-law and burned him along with his daughter. They thought this would assuage Samson's anger. But he declared that his revenge was directed against all the Philistines and this revenge was just beginning. Soon Samson "opened the hunt" for the inhabitants of Ashkelon. All this proud city was afraid of one Samson, so afraid that no one dared to leave the city, the inhabitants were so frightened, as if the city was besieged by a mighty army. Later, the Philistines, in order to stop this terror, attacked the possessions of the neighboring tribe of Judah.

One day, three thousand tribesmen came to Samson in his refuge in the mountains. The Jews 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, bind my hands tightly and hand me over to our enemies. In this way they will give you peace. Just promise you won't kill me.

They tied Samson's hands with strong ropes and led him out of the gorge where he was hiding. But when the Philistines came to take him, he strained his strength, broke the ropes, and ran away. Having no weapons with him, on the way he picked up the jaw of a dead donkey and killed the Philistines he met with it to death:

He found a fresh jawbone of an ass, and stretching out his hand, he took it and killed a thousand people with it.

Soon Samson spent the night in the Philistine city of Gaza. The inhabitants found out about this, locked the city gates and decided to catch the hero early in the morning. But Samson, having risen at midnight and seeing that the gate was locked, tore it off, along with the pillars, and carried them with bars to the top of the mountain opposite Hebron.

Samson succumbed to passion for the insidious Philistine Delilah, who promised the Philistine rulers for a reward to find out what Samson's strength was. After three unsuccessful attempts, she managed to learn the secret of his power.

And she [Dalida] put him to sleep on her knees, and called a man, and ordered him to cut off the seven braids of his head. And he began to weaken, and his strength departed from him

Having lost his strength, Samson was captured by the Philistines, blinded, chained and thrown into prison.

The ordeal led Samson to sincere repentance and contrition. Soon the Philistines held a feast where they thanked their deity, Dagon, for handing over Samson into their hands, and then brought Samson to the temple to amuse them. Meanwhile, Samson's hair had grown back, and strength began to return to him. And Samson called to the Lord and said: Lord God! remember me and strengthen me only now, O God!”

And Samson said: Die, my soul, with the Philistines! And he rested [with all] his strength, and the house collapsed on the owners and on all the people who were in it. And there were more dead, whom [Samson] slew at his death, than how many he slew in his life

The biblical story of Samson ends with a message about Samson's burial in the family tomb between Zorah and Eshtaol

Yogi Bhajan was a wealthy Indian immigrant who introduced Kundalini Yoga to the US. On the issue of haircuts, he spoke something like this:

“Our haircut may follow fashion, but by cutting our hair we deprive ourselves of an essential source of vitality. When we allow the scalp hair to reach its full length and maturity, phosphorus, calcium, vitamin D and all derivatives enter the lymphatic fluid and then the cerebrospinal fluid through two channels in the upper part of the brain. This ionic change creates a more efficient memory and results in more physical energy, improved stamina and patience... Your hair in its place is not by mistake. They have a definite purpose, which the saints will discover and other people will ridicule."

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 Pentecostals (Pentacostals), refrain from cutting their hair as a sign of respect for literal interpretations of the Bible. Orthodox Jewish men never cut their hair on the sides of their heads, and Rastafarians never cut their dreadlocks. Many Indian men, especially before modern times, never cut their hair. Today we just want to ask... Why?

Many bands have their own distinctive style. Often rival tribes have different haircuts and dress styles. But today we are not talking about style preferences and differences. We want to explore the cultural roots of people who firmly believe in the power of their hair. Quite a few people believe that hair length has a direct, physical, measurable connection with their health, strength, talent, and wisdom.

Yogi Bhajan put forward the claim that hair is involved in metabolism and is a living part of the human body. This is easy to refute even by superficial observation. Keratin hair does not have channels for transporting any of the nutrients described by the gurus. 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 tucked into a beautiful fiber at the root of the hair, but they are dead. Human hair does not have the ability to take part in metabolism or another process. Yogi Bhajan didn't say that the 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 method of research 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, the hair follicles develop antennas at the ends of the hair that collect cosmic energy, thus dooming a haircut to a 3 year magnetism drought. This is all childishly stupid. Some of the cultures must have more compelling justifications, 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 source. This story is about Native American trackers who were recruited for the Vietnam War, but having cut their hair like all soldiers, they lost their ability to track and became useless in the war effort. Subsequent testing showed a significant decrease in the effectiveness of shorn pathfinders, who had previously shown very high results. Continuing, the story talks about the abolition of haircuts for Indian Pathfinders and even the refusal of the military who took part in the experiment. The story is rather dubious, to say the least. No citation of such "experiments" was found. The credibility diminishes when you consider how few people in the United States had the opportunity to develop the art of tracking 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 about the relationship between tracker skills and hair length does not hold up to scrutiny. But we do know that hair is associated with one familiar sensation, and that is touch. Touch your hair and you will 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 to sense their environment, one of the benefits of having a mustache. The skin has over 20 classes of sensory nerve cells, some of which detect heat, touch, pain, and so on. Each of our hair follicles is connected to 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 has sensitivity. If you pull a hair, the signal will be the same for both meter and centimeter hair lengths. In fact, the longer the hair, the less its movement affects the root. Imagine a person with long hair sitting in front of you in a theater. You can twist his hair invisibly. What 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 with mystical powers the habits of antiquity. 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. This practice, called Kesh, is one of the "five K's" for Sikhs. It's pretty simple, and doesn't mean anything more than what it says. However, some modern Sikhs, especially those who came to the religion from outside looking for an alternative to Christianity, interpret Kesh with some New Age meaning, saying that hair is a source of mystical energy. The author has not been able to find an authoritative explanation for this, probably beliefs about the strength 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 power, based mainly on the Mishneh Torah. Searching for the source of this 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 dead through hair offerings. Refusal to cut hair could mean the rejection of such a practice. But in the history of Judaism there were and are many formalities regarding hair. People of a certain position must have their own type of hairstyle, others must shave on the Sabbath, some every 30 days, and some must have special care for the hair of the head or beard, sometimes only a razor must be used, sometimes only scissors. Hair care in Judaism is much more complicated than: "Orthodox Jews don't cut their hair or shave," but there is no hint of drawing strength or energy from the hair.

Rastafarianism is 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, is recognized by the Rastafarians as the second Christ and was known as the Conquering Lion of Judah. The lion has a mane, and Rastafrian 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 long hair.

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 their owner. Some believe that long hair speaks of the ability to break stereotypes. Some consider them protection. Some believe that long hair gives a masculine look and demonstrates strength. Some consider them 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. Hair is not needed as an antenna for cosmic energy, 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 needed for physical strength and health. Health is needed 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, what he likes best.

Samson illustration courtesy of Giovanni.org

Translation Vladimir Maksimenko 2014

), whose exploits are described in the biblical book of Judges (13–16). The story about him is more full of legends than the stories about other "judges".

The story of the birth of Samson is a characteristic motif of God miraculously giving a son to a barren woman (see Sarah, Rachel, Samuel). An angel sent by God announced to the mother that she would give birth to a son, who should be a Nazirite already in the mother's womb, and therefore it is forbidden for her to drink wine and eat anything unclean (see Ritual purity), and when the child is born, he cannot cut his hair. The angel also announced that the boy was destined to begin the deliverance of Israel from the yoke of the Philistines (Judg. 13:2–25).

The stories about Samson, which the book of Judges tells about, are associated with three Philistine women. The first lived in the Philistine city of Timna, or Timnata. Samson accomplished his first feat on the way to Timnata, killing a lion that attacked him with his bare hands. In Timnath, at his wedding, Samson gave the Philistines a riddle based on the incident with the lion, which they could not solve, and persuaded the bride to extort the answer from Samson. When Samson realized that he had been deceived, he attacked Ashkelon in anger and, having killed 30 Philistines, returned to his parents' house. When Samson came to see his wife a few days later, it turned out that her father, believing that Samson had abandoned her, had given her in marriage to Samson's "marriage friend". (15:2). In retaliation, Samson burned the fields of the Philistines by releasing 300 foxes with torches tied to their tails. Knowing the cause of Samson's anger, the Philistines burned his unfaithful wife and her father, but Samson considered this insufficient and inflicted severe injuries on many. The Philistines marched into Judea to catch and punish Samson. Frightened, the Israelites sent a delegation of 3,000 men to Samson demanding that they hand themselves over to the Philistines. Samson agreed to be tied up by the Israelites and handed over to the Philistines. However, when he was brought to the Philistine camp, he easily broke the ropes and, seizing the jaw of an ass, killed a thousand Philistines with it.

The second story is related to the Philistine harlot in Gaza. The Philistines surrounded her house in order to capture Samson in the morning, but he got up in the middle of the night, tore out the city gates and carried them to the mountain, "which is on the way to Hebron" (16:1-3).

The third Philistine woman, because of whom Samson died, was Dlila (in the Russian tradition, Delilah, later 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 (see above). Having put Samson to sleep, Dlila ordered that “the seven braids of his head” be cut off (16:19). Having lost his strength, Samson was captured by the Philistines, blinded, chained and thrown into prison. Soon the Philistines held a feast where they thanked their god Dagon for handing over Samson into their hands, and then brought Samson to the temple to amuse them. Meanwhile, Samson's hair had grown back, and strength began to return to him. Having offered up a prayer to God, Samson moved the columns from their place, the temple collapsed, and the Philistines who had gathered there and Samson perished under the ruins. “And there were more dead that Samson slew at his death, than how many he slew in his life” (16:30). The biblical account of Samson ends with the report of Samson's burial in the family tomb between Zor'ah and Eshtaol (16:31).

The Book of Judge reports that Samson "judged" Israel for 20 years (15:20; 16:31). Samson was different from the other "judges": he is the only one who, while still in his mother's womb, was destined to become the deliverer of Israel; the only "judge" endowed with superhuman strength, performing unprecedented feats in battles with the enemy; finally, Samson is the only "judge" who fell into the hands of the enemy and died in captivity. Nevertheless, despite its folklore coloring, the image of Samson fits into the galaxy of "judges" of Israel, who acted under the guidance of the "spirit of God" that descended on them and gave them the strength to "save" Israel. The biblical story of Samson reveals a combination of heroic-mythological and fairy-tale elements with historical narrative. The historical image of the “judge”, which was Samson, is enriched with folklore and mythological motifs, which, according to a number of researchers, go back to astral myths, in particular, to the mythology of the Sun (the name “Samson” is literally `sunny’, “the braids of his head” - the rays of the sun, without which the sun loses its power).

The biblical story about Samson is one of the favorite themes in art and literature since the Renaissance (the tragedy of Hans Sachs "Samson", 1556, and a number of other plays). The theme gained particular popularity in the 17th century, especially among the Protestants, who used the image of Samson as a symbol of their struggle against the power of the pope. The most significant work created in this century is J. Milton's drama "Samson the Wrestler" (1671; Russian translation 1911). Among the works of the 18th century. It should be noted: a poem by W. Blake (1783), a verse play by M. H. Luzzatto "Shimshon ve-h a-plishtim" ("Samson and the Philistines"), better known as "Ma'ase Shimshon" ("Acts of Samson" ; 1727). In the 19th century this topic was addressed by A. Carino (circa 1820), Mihai Tempa (1863), A. de Vigny (1864); in the 20th century F. Wedekind, S. Lange, L. Andreev and others, as well as Jewish writers: V. Zhabotinsky (“Samson the Nazarene”, 1927, in Russian; republished by the Library-Aliya publishing house, Jer., 1990); Lea Goldberg ("Ah Avat Shimshon" - "Samson's Love", 1951–52) and others.

In the visual arts, episodes from the life of Samson are depicted on marble bas-reliefs of the 4th century. in the Naples Cathedral. In the Middle Ages, scenes from the exploits of Samson are often found in book miniatures. Paintings on the themes of the story of Samson were painted by artists A. Mantegna, Tintoretto, L. Cranach, Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Rubens and others.

In music, Samson's plot is reflected in a number of oratorios by composers from Italy (Veracini, 1695; A. Scarlatti, 1696, and others), France (J. F. Rameau, opera to Voltaire's libretto, 1732), Germany (G. F. Handel based on drama J. Milton wrote the oratorio "Samson", premiered at the theater "Covent Garden" in 1744). The most popular opera by the French composer C. Saint-Saens "Samson and Delilah" (premiered in 1877).

When asked what was the name of the hero of the myths of ancient Greece, whose strength was in the hair? given by the author Spike the best answer is At a time when the Jews were under the rule of the Philistines, to save the chosen people, God sent Samson, who had great power. The secret of his strength was in his hair - as long as they were not touched by a razor or scissors, the hero could move mountains. Using this gift, Samson caused great trouble to his enemies, killing them by the thousands. Once, noticing that the hero was carried away by one woman (her name was Delilah), the Philistines asked her to find out from Samson the secret of his strength, promising the harlot a large reward. With great difficulty, the harlot managed to persuade Samson to open his heart to her, as a result of which the Philistines put Samson in chains and, having gouged out his eyes, put him in prison. After some time, many Philistines gathered in one house to celebrate the overthrow of their enemy and offer sacrifices to the gods. When the fun was in full swing, Samson was called in to laugh at him. However, the hero's hair had already begun to grow, and, through prayer, his former strength returned to him again. Samson broke the pillars on which the house stood; the house collapsed, and everyone who was there died under the rubble.

Answer from Phoenix[guru]
Samson

Answer from rostepel[guru]
Samson, his wife's name was Delilah

Answer from Snow Maiden[guru]
samson it! as you all guessed!)

Answer from Neurologist[newbie]
Samson

Answer from BK89[newbie]
The biblical character is a man of extraordinary strength - Samson. .
Samso?n (Hebrew ???????????, Shimsho?n) is the famous biblical Judge-hero, who became famous for his exploits in the fight against the Philistines.
The exploits of Samson are described in the biblical Book of Judges (ch. 13-16). He came from the tribe of Dan, who suffered the most from the enslavement of the Philistines. Samson grew up among the slavish humiliation of his people and decided to take revenge on the enslavers, which he achieved by committing many beatings of the Philistines.
Consecrated to God as a Nazirite, he wore long hair, which served as the source of his extraordinary power.
Samson succumbed to passion for the insidious Philistine Delilah (in the Russian tradition, Delilah), who promised the Philistine rulers for a reward to find out what Samson's strength is. After three unsuccessful attempts, she managed to learn the secret of his power. .
And she [Dalida] put him to sleep on her knees, and called a man, and ordered him to cut off the seven braids of his head. And he began to weaken, and his strength departed from him.
Having lost his strength, Samson was captured by the Philistines, blinded, chained and thrown into prison.
The ordeal led Samson to sincere repentance and contrition. Soon the Philistines held a feast where they thanked their god Dagon for handing over Samson into their hands, and then brought Samson to the temple to amuse them. Meanwhile, Samson's hair had grown back, and strength began to return to him. And Samson called to the Lord and said: Lord God! remember me and strengthen me only now, O God! »
And Samson said: Die, my soul, with the Philistines! And he rested [with all] his strength, and the house collapsed on the owners and on all the people who were in it. And there were more dead, whom [Samson] slew at his death, more than how many he slew in his life.
The biblical story of Samson ends with the message of Samson's burial in the family tomb between Zor'ah and Eshtaol.
Samson - Israeli Hercules.
There is no doubt that Samson, despite the mythical elements in the narrative that turn him into an Israeli Hercules, is a real person in whom a juvenile criminal and a hero, a superman and a half-wit, with a paranoid craving for violence, vandalism, arson, promiscuity with fallen women mixed in a strange way. Samson is an excellent example of the line pursued by the Bible, namely: G-d and society are often of great service to semi-criminal individuals, outcasts and losers, who, thanks to their exploits, become folk heroes, and then canonized by religion. .
"Samson's long (like sunbeams?) hair has prompted a number of scholars to consider him a mythical character, etymologically related to the Canaanite sun-god Shemesh, whose sanctuary Beit Shemesh, or Irshemesh, was located in the center of the territory that originally belonged to the tribe of Dan. In any case, Samson acquired fame as a violent giant, a folklore hero, famous for his indefatigable strength and obscene antics.But for all that, he was probably a historical figure, one of the leaders of the stubborn resistance, who deserved a good name "...