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Chapter 16 tells of the fatal story of Samson. It would appear that with the exception of not cutting his hair, he had done little that was expected of a Nazirite. He went down to Gaza, chief and southernmost of the five principal cities of the Philistines, and there he "sleeps" with a harlot. When the Philistines hear that he is in the city, they plot to kill him in the morning but Samson departs at midnight and took with him the gates to the city and carried them to the top of the hill called Hebron.
Then he goes to the Valley of Sorek, a valley that lay between the Philistine Plain and the Highlands of Judah. There he met a woman called Delilah and he moved in with her. When the Philistines hear about this they offer her 5,500 pieces of silver, 1,100 from each of the five Lords of the Philistines, if she will agree to help them kill Samson. She agreed, but first she would have to find out the source of his strength. Three times she asked Samson what was the source of his strength. Three times Samson lies to her. Three times she turns this information over to the Philistines and three times he destroys his captors. Certainly most of Samson's strength laid on his head not in his head.
Finally he tells her the truth. (Verse 17) "A razor has never touched my head since my mothers womb for I have been a Nazirite. If I be shaved, my strength will leave me." Well you know the rest, she "made him sleep", and while he was asleep they shaved his head and when he awoke, his strength had left him." The Philistines seized him, gorged out his eyes and bound him, and put him to work grinding flour at a mill.
The Philistines had a great festival to their god Dagon. Thousands came to celebrate at the temple. We are not told where they assembled and they had built temples at all their major cities, but it was probably at Gaza, their chief city. Samson was brought out so they could make fun of him. Then Samson called upon the Lord. "Strengthen me, I pray, only this once that I may be avenged upon the Philistines." God granted his request and Samson grasped the two middle pillars of the temple and with a great surge of strength, tore them from their foundation and the building fell to the ground. Thousands died with Samson that day.
His family came and claimed the body and buried him in his father's plot between the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol which were in the land given to the tribe of Dan.
Thus ended the period of the Judges. Those reported in the roster of the Book of Judges are:
| Judge | Chapter & Verse |
|---|---|
| Othniel | 3:7-11 |
| Ehud | 3:20 |
| Barak and Deborah | 4 and 5 |
| Gideon | 6:1 through 8:32 |
| Abimelech | 8:33 through 9:57 |
| Tola | 10:1 |
| Jair | 10:3-5 |
| Jephthah | 11:1 through 12:7 |
| Ibzan | 12:8-10 |
| Elon | 12:12 |
| Abdon | 12:13-15 |
| Samson | 13:24 through 16:31 |
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