Bible Strands
Judges 16:20
Then she called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” When Samson awoke from his sleep, he thought, “I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Delilah calls to Samson as he wakes, warning him that the Philistines have arrived. He responds aloud to himself, confident he can break free just as he has previously.
The words — The Hebrew אֵצֵא ('e.Tze) literally means "I will go out," expressing Samson's immediate conviction of escape. וַ/יִּקַ֣ץ (va/i.yi.Katz) denotes his physical awakening from the sleep Delilah induced.
The thread — The text notes that the LORD had departed from him, echoing the pattern in 1 Samuel 16:14 where the Spirit leaves Saul, and the warning in Numbers 14:42 and Joshua 7:12 that defeat follows when God is not among the people.
Why it lands — The verse records the factual loss of divine presence before detailing the physical consequences. It requires the reader to recognize that reliance on past spiritual experiences without present divine support leads to vulnerability.
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 she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him.
Cross-references
- Numbers 14:42 Do not go up, lest you be struck down by your enemies, because the LORD is not among you.
- 1 Samuel 16:14 Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a spirit of distress from the LORD began to torment him.
- Joshua 7:12 This is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs and run from their enemies, because they themselves have been set apart for destruction. I will no longer be with you unless you remove from among you whatever is devoted to destruction.
- 1 Samuel 18:12 So Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had departed from Saul.
- 2 Chronicles 15:2 So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.
- 1 Samuel 28:14 “What does he look like?” asked Saul. “An old man is coming up,” she replied. “And he is wearing a robe.” So Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed facedown in reverence.
- Isaiah 59:1 Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear.
- 2 Corinthians 3:5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God.
- Numbers 14:9 Only do not rebel against the LORD, and do not be afraid of the people of the land, for they will be like bread for us. Their protection has been removed, and the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them!”
- Judges 16:14 So while he slept, Delilah took the seven braids of his hair and wove them into the web. Then she tightened it with a pin and called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin with the loom and the web.