Samson and Delilah Trivia Quiz

Answer: Philistia

The Philistines settled in an area of the Levant which is close to, and includes, the present day Gaza strip. This land, which had been part of southern Canaan, was taken some time in the 19th century BC at about the time of Abraham. In Genesis 21, we are told about Abraham and the Philistines. Archaeological remains show that they were a war-like people who originated in Crete and islands in the Aegean Sea.

They fortified five cities called the Pentapolis: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdad, Ekron and Gath, and they absorbed much of the culture and gods of the Canaanites. In the 2nd century BC, Joshua led the Israelites into the promised land and began to conquer it. Later, in the time of the Judges, the Israelites disobeyed God and did not drive out the pagan people, compromising with them instead.

In Judges 2, we read "The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said '... Yet you have disobeyed me ... Now therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you'".

There is a continuing cycle of doing evil, repentance and deliverance throughout the time of the Judges (1380 BC to 1049 BC). Samson is one of these Judges. A Judge in this context is a military leader, not a judicial official. Samson's story begins in Judges 13, and it is very interesting to read it all the way through.

Answer: It does not say

Samson's weakness is for women. In Judges 14, Samson says to his father and mother, "I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah (Timnath); now get her for me as my wife". Samson's parents disapprove of his choice of wife, but the Bible says "His parents did not know that this was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time, they were ruling over Israel".

The woman who becomes his wife isn't named in the Bible, but she is given the name Semadar in the 1949 movie.

There are many other differences between the Bible account and the movie, but Samson's riddle is in both. The Bible account is more gruesome. Semadar is killed accidentally with a spear in the film, but in the Bible we read "So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death". Don't confuse this woman with Delilah; she comes into Samson's life later. Samson never marries Delilah.

Answer: The Valley of Sorek

Once again Samson falls for a woman, probably from what his parents called "the uncircumcised", and as we follow the story to its end, we can see that it is in the purposes of the Lord. We can see how Samson had an eye for the women because Judges 16 starts with, "One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute.

He went in to spend the night with her ... Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah". In ancient times, the Valley of Sorek marked part of the border between Philistia and Israel.

It would have included the border city Beth-Shemesh, which has since been excavated. Delilah might have been a Philistine, but we don't know. Again, we are not told.

Answer: She was offered money by the Philistine rulers

Unlike in the movie, in which Delilah is shown with a complex personality, capable of love, hate, revenge, jealousy and regret, the Bible only shows us that she is avaricious and treacherous. Delilah is motivated only by the shekels of silver offered to her by the rulers of the Philistines. We read "The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, 'See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so that we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver'".

Answer: Put him to sleep and shaved off his hair

There is a long account in Judges 16 of how Delilah manages to wear Samson down by constant nagging. On three occasions he gave her false answers. She would tie him with seven fresh thongs that have not been dried, then she would tie him with fresh new ropes, then she would weave the seven braids of his head into a fabric on the loom and tighten it with a pin. On all three occasions she would call "Samson, the Philistines are upon you", but he broke free. We read, "With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was tired to death, so he told her everything".

She called back the Philistines who brought her the silver, then we read, "Having put him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair... and his strength left him". In the movie, Delilah puts something in Samson's drink whilst the woman who really loves him (only in the film) called Miriam, and a young Saul, start travelling to where Samson's parents had been killed by the Philistines, expecting him to follow later.

In the Bible, Samson's parents are not mentioned again after Samson had married the woman from Timnah, and Saul is never mentioned in Judges, but it is quite likely that he would have been a boy at this time in history.

Answer: Bound him with bronze shackles and set him to grinding grain in prison

The historical account, as told in the Bible, is again far more gruesome than in the 1949 movie. I don't think the cinema goers of the 1950s would have wanted to watch the true story of Samson's blinding, or the burning of his wife and her father. Cecil B DeMille's movie was a box office success, but real life is harder, and the Bible doesn't spare us the reality of the cruelty of the human race throughout history.

In Judges 16, we read, "But he did not know that the Lord had left him. Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison".

In the movie, Delilah only helps the Philistine ruler (the Saran of Gaza) on condition that he promises not to draw any of Samson's blood.

When Delilah has departed, the Saran sticks to the letter, but not the spirit, of his promise. He has a red hot poker placed close to, but not touching, Samson's eyes. That is bad enough, but not as gruesome as gouging. Note also that Samson's hair had started growing again whilst he was in prison. We can see this as a glimmer of hope against the tragedy that had befallen him.

Answer: Dagon

Dagon was the chief deity of the Philistines. He was often represented with the head of a man and the tail of a fish. If he was a sea god, this would make sense as the Philistines were called the people of the sea. Dagon was worshipped in Canaan where the Philistines settled, and also in Mesopotamia by the Babylonians. He was regarded as the father of Baal, another pagan god who is mentioned in the Bible who was later given the name Baalzebub by the Jews. Ashtoreth was another god worshipped by the Philistines, Canaanites, Phoenicians and Babylonians.
During a 1972 excavation, the remains of a Philistine temple were found at Tell Qasile, near Tel Aviv. It has a room whose roof was originally supported by two wooden pillars on round stone bases. The Gaza temple was probably similar to this one.
In Deuteronomy 7, Moses tells the Israelites, "When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you... you shall not intermarry with them... for they would turn away your sons from following me (God), to serve other gods". Samson should have known this applied to him too.

Answer: She is not mentioned

In the Bible, Delilah is never mentioned again. Once Samson had been captured by the Philistines, she no longer has any importance with regard to Samson or how God uses him. The Bible often gives details about people of minor political importance who would never be considered in other ancient writings, but they are very important in the providences of God. In the movie, Delilah is warned by Samson not to go to the celebrations at the temple of Dagon, but she ignores his warning and sits in the temple close to the Saran.

When Miriam and Saul plead for mercy, Delilah is jealous of Miriam's love of Samson and so she does nothing to stop the entertainment. In the film, Samson is used for entertainment which fits in with the Bible account where we read "So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them".

The Bible doesn't say what the entertainment was. In the film, Delilah shows some sympathy for Samson by taking the whip from the man who is using it against him, and she gestures that she might be intending to use it to entertain the crowd.

Answer: A servant (or a boy)

In Judges 16, we read, "When they (the Philistines) stood him among the pillars, Samson said to the servant who held his hand, 'Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them'... Then Samson prayed to the Lord, 'O Sovereign Lord, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes'.

Then Samson reached towards the two central pillars on which the temple stood... Samson said 'Let me die with the Philistines!' Then he pushed with all his might and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived".

In the movie, it is Delilah who takes Samson up to the pillars and places his hands where they support the temple.

She dies with him in the movie, but as I said before, Delilah is never mentioned in this chapter of Judges. In the Bible, the word "servant" is often translated as "boy", or "young boy".

Answer: 20

At the end of chapter 16, we are told that Samson's family went to get him and they buried him in the tomb of Manoah his father. It finishes with the words, "He had led Israel for twenty years". For most of Samson's life, his faith was weak because his priorities were wrong and his sexual appetites came first in his life.

He failed to resist temptation, but at the end of his life, he became humble, found his faith, and he prayed. He was able to fulfill the prophecies given to his mother by the angel of the Lord (which Christians believe to be a theophany). In the New Testament, Samson is mentioned as a man of faith.

In Hebrews 11, we read, "By faith the walls of Jericho fell... By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies... And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised...".

It is ironic that he achieved victory through death when the Philistines thought that they had won and were celebrating.

The Philistines power had been broken, but not ended completely. That came later in history.