Bible Strands
Judges 16:3
But Samson lay there only until midnight, when he got up, took hold of the doors of the city gate and both gateposts, and pulled them out, bar and all. Then he put them on his shoulders and took them to the top of the mountain overlooking Hebron.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator describes Samson’s actions to the reader immediately after the men of Gaza surround his lodging and wait at the city gate until dawn.
The words — חֲצִי (cha.Tzi) means middle of, and וַ/יָּ֣קָם (va/i.Ya.kom) means and he arose, marking the precise moment Samson shifts from passive waiting to sudden movement.
The thread — The removal of gates and bars parallels the divine power described in Psalms 107:16, while the theme of overcoming an inescapable hold resonates with Acts 2:24.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that human action, even when sudden and physically impossible, occurs within a larger narrative of constraint and release.
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 Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.
Cross-references
- Psalms 107:16 For He has broken down the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.
- Acts 2:24 But God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep Him in its grip.
- Isaiah 63:1 Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah with crimson-stained garments? Who is this robed in splendor, marching in the greatness of His strength? “It is I, proclaiming vindication, mighty to save.”
- Micah 2:13 One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate, and go out by it. Their King will pass through before them, the LORD as their leader.