Bible Strands
Judges 16:2
When the Gazites heard that Samson was there, they surrounded that place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They were quiet throughout the night, saying, “Let us wait until dawn; then we will kill him.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator reports that the Gazites surrounded Samson's location and positioned a covert watch at the city gate throughout the night. This occurs immediately after Samson's arrival in Gaza, as local authorities detect his presence and delay their attack until dawn.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַיֶּאֶרְבוּ־ (va/i.ye.'er.vu-) means "they lay in wait" or "they plotted," describing the Gazites' concealed strategy. The verb וַיָּסֹ֛בּוּ (va/i.ya.So.bu) translates to "they surrounded," indicating the physical containment of the city gate.
The thread — The pattern of enemies surrounding a target at the gates appears in Psalms 118:10, where nations surround the psalmist, and Acts 9:24, where pursuers watch the city gates day and night. 1 Samuel 23:26 similarly depicts opposing forces maneuvering along terrain to trap a fugitive.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to note the Gazites' disciplined night-long vigil and the precise timing of their planned dawn strike. It demands acknowledgment of the tactical pressure on Samson before the narrative shifts to his midnight escape.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.
Cross-references
- Psalms 118:10 All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
- 1 Samuel 23:26 Saul was proceeding along one side of the mountain, and David and his men along the other side. Even though David was hurrying to get away, Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them.
- Acts 9:24 but Saul learned of their plot. Day and night they watched the city gates in order to kill him.
- Judges 15:18 And being very thirsty, Samson cried out to the LORD, “You have accomplished this great deliverance through Your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”
- 1 Samuel 19:11 Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and kill him in the morning. But David’s wife Michal warned him, “If you do not run for your life tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!”
- Matthew 21:38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and take his inheritance.’
- Matthew 27:1 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put Him to death.
- Acts 23:15 Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him down to you on the pretext of examining his case more carefully. We are ready to kill him on the way.”
- 2 Corinthians 11:32 In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas secured the city of the Damascenes in order to arrest me.