Delilah (died 1117 BC) was a Philistine woman, the concubine of the Saran of Gaza, and the lover and betrayer of the Israelite warrior Samson, whom she seduced before cutting his hair (the source of his God-given superhuman strength) and handing him over to the Philistines.
Biography[]
Delilah in 1137 BC
Delilah was the daughter of Tubal and the younger sister of Samedar, and she was raised in a well-to-do family in the Philistine town of Timnah. While her sister was martially talented, Delilah was much more shy, and both Prince Ahtur and the Israelite warrior Samson vied for Timnah's affection. Delilah first met Samson in 1137 BC when Samson snuck into Tubal's palace to propose marriage to Samedar, and Delilah fell in love with him and persuaded him to ride in her chariot during the Saran of Gaza's lion hunt, witnessing his slaying of a lion with his bare hands. When the Saran caught up to Samson and showed disbelief that he had killed a lion without a javelin, Delilah testified to his story, and she watched as Samson proved his strength by wrestling the Saran's wrestler Garmiskar. The Saran gifted Samson a ring in recognition of his victory over the lion, but Samson instead asked for a reward of his own: a Philistine wife. Delilah grew excited, thinking that Samson had fallen in love with her, but Samson instead chose Samedar, causing Delilah to grow jealous. Delilah privately suggested to the Saran that he send 30 Philistine soldiers to ensure that Samson did not cause trouble at his wedding, and, when Samson proposed a riddle to the Philistine groomsmen and offered to bring them 30 new tunics if they answered it correctly, Delilah proposed that Ahtur find the answer from Samedar, hoping to embarrass Samson. Ahtur threatened Samedar with the burning of her estate if she did not help him, and she retrieved the answer from Samson and gave it to the Philistines, forcing Samson to collect the linens. Samson left his wedding party to retrieve the linens by force from the Philistines of Ashkelon, and, during Samson's absence, Ahtur took Samedar as his own wife. An angry Samson proceeded to throw Ahtur at the crowd of Philistine nobles on his return, starting a fight that resulted in the deaths of Samedar and Tubal at the hands of the Philistines. Samson started a fire to mask his escape, but the fire resulted in the destruction of Delilah's home, leaving Delilah without a house or a family. Delilah swore to her servant Hisham that she would have vengeance against Samson.
Delilah telling the Philistine nobles of her plot to capture Samson
Over the next several years, Samson waged war against the Philistines, ambushing their caravans and redistributing their wealth to the oppressed Israelites. After Samson killed a thousand of Ahtur's soldiers with the jawbone of a donkey, Delilah proposed to the Saran - who had taken her in as his concubine - that a woman could find his weakness and defeat him, even though no man could. When the Saran asked what she wanted in return, she asked Lord Sharif how much Samson had taken from his last caravan, and, when Sharif said that he had plundered 1,100 silver pieces, Delilah asked that price of each of the members of the Saran's council. They reluctantly agreed, and Delilah set out with her own caravan, allowing for Samson to sneak into her tent at night so that she could meet with him. Delilah seduced her former acquaintance and agreed to come with him to Israel, where they embarked on a long affair. Delilah persistently attempted to find Samson's weakness, but he would reveal one weakness and prove it wrong, such as when he said that his weakness was being tied up by fresh bowstrings, only to break free of his bonds once Delilah bound him. Ultimately, Samson divulged that his strength was derived from his long hair, which he kept long and braided under his Nazirite vows. As Samson slept on Delilah's lap, Delilah had her servant Hisham help her cut Samson's hair, and Prince Ahtur and his Philistine soldiers ambushed a sleeping Samson and took the weakened Danite captive.
Delilah had earlier persuaded the Saran to put Samson to work grinding grain in the mill, where the public could mock him for his servitude as he used his strength as a slave in Gaza. However, she was horrified to learn that the Philistines had blinded him and only rarely fed him or gave him water. The Saran distrusted his concubine for her perceived continued love for Samson, as well as her refusal to see Samson in the prison. The Saran had Delilah accompany him to the mill, where she was horrified to see what had been done to Samson.
Delilah watching Samson's torture
In 1117 BC, the Saran hosted 3,000 Philistine nobles and wealthy merchants at the Temple of Dagon for a sacrificial festival commemorating Samson's capture, and Delilah sat beside the Saran. She watched with horror as Samson was tortured with whips and by dwarves, but, when the Danite woman Miriam barged into the palace to beg for Samson's release and the Saran gave Delilah control of Samson's fate, Delilah bitterly rejected Miriam, saying that she refused to let Miriam take Samson home to become her husband and father her child. Delilah then had the Saran allow her to hold a whip and beat Samson, but a guilt-wracked Delilah whispered to the blinded Samson that she would guide him to the pillars of the temple so that he could have his revenge against the cruel Philistines by bringing down the roof onto their heads. Delilah guided Samson to the columns, where Samson bade Delilah flee, but Delilah kept silent as Samson - having grown out his hair and regained his strength - began to push down the pillars. The Temple of Dagon collapsed onto all of the festival's attendees, including Samson, Delilah, the Saran, Ahtur, and the entire Philistine government, killing everyone in attendance, and redeeming Delilah's betrayal of Samson.
