Judges 13

 

וַיֹּסִפוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לַעֲשׂוֹת הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי יְהוָה וַיִּתְּנֵם יְהוָה בְּיַד־פְּלִשְׁתִּים אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה׃   13:1

Judg. 13:1   And the children of Israel continued to do what was evil in the eyes of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

וַיְהִי אִישׁ אֶחָד מִצָּרְעָה מִמִּשְׁפַּחַת הַדָּנִי וּשְׁמוֹ מָנוֹחַ וְאִשְׁתּוֹ עֲקָרָה וְלֹא יָלָדָה׃   13:2

Judg. 13:2   And there was a certain man from Zorah from a family of the Danites and his name was Manoach; and his wife was barren and did not bear.

וַיֵּרָא מַלְאַךְ־יְהוָה אֶל־הָאִשָּׁה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלֶיהָ הִנֵּה־נָא אַתְּ־עֲקָרָה וְלֹא יָלַדְתְּ וְהָרִית וְיָלַדְתְּ בֵּן׃   13:3

Judg. 13:3   And an angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, now you are barren and have not borne, but you will conceive and will bear a son.”

וְעַתָּה הִשָּׁמְרִי נָא וְאַל־תִּשְׁתִּי יַיִן וְשֵׁכָר וְאַל־תֹּאכְלִי כָּל־טָמֵא׃   13:4

Judg. 13:4   “So now beware, I pray you, and do not drink wine or strong drink and do not eat of anything unclean.”

כִּי הִנָּךְ הָרָה וְיֹלַדְתְּ בֵּן וּמוֹרָה לֹא־יַעֲלֶה עַל־רֹאשׁוֹ כִּי־נְזִיר אֱלֹהִים יִהְיֶה הַנַּעַר מִן־הַבָּטֶן וְהוּא   13:5

יָחֵל לְהוֹשִׁיעַ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִיַּד פְּלִשְׁתִּים׃

Judg. 13:5   “For lo, you are to conceive and will bear a son, and a razor shall not be put on his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite of God from the womb, and he shall begin to rescue Israel from the hand of the Philistines.  See Numb. 6:5.

וַתָּבֹא הָאִשָּׁה וַתֹּאמֶר לְאִישָׁהּ לֵאמֹר אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים בָּא אֵלַי וּמַרְאֵהוּ כְּמַרְאֵה מַלְאַךְ הָאֱלֹהִים   13:6

נוֹרָא מְאֹד וְלֹא שְׁאִלְתִּיהוּ אֵי־מִזֶּה הוּא וְאֶת־שְׁמוֹ לֹא־הִגִּיד לִי׃

Judg. 13:6   And the woman came and spoke to her husband saying, “A man of God came to me and his countenance was like the countenance of the angel of God; it was so very terrible that I did not ask him where he was from; and he did not announce his name to me.”

וַיֹּאמֶר לִי הִנָּךְ הָרָה וְיֹלַדְתְּ בֵּן וְעַתָּה אַל־תִּשְׁתִּי יַיִן וְשֵׁכָר וְאַל־תֹּאכְלִי כָּל־טֻמְאָה כִּי־נְזִיר אֱלֹהִים   13:7

יִהְיֶה הַנַּעַר מִן־הַבֶּטֶן עַד־יוֹם מוֹתו׃ֹ

Judg. 13:7   “But he said to me, “Behold, you are to conceive and you shall bear a son, so now do not drink wine or strong drink and do not eat of anything unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite of God from the womb until the day of his death.’”

וַיֶּעְתַּר מָנוֹחַ אֶל־יְהוָה וַיֹּאמַר בִּי אֲדוֹנָי אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר שָׁלַחְתָּ יָבוֹא־נָא עוֹד אֵלֵינוּ וְיֹורֵנוּ   13:8

מַה־נַּעֲשֶׂה לַנַּעַר הַיּוּלָּד׃

Judg. 13:8   And Manoach prayed to the Lord and he said, “Please, O Lord, let the man of God whom You sent come again to us now and teach us what we must do for the child who will be born.”

וַיִּשְׁמַע הָאֱלֹהִים בְּקוֹל מָנוֹחַ וַיָּבֹא מַלְאַךְ הָאֱלֹהִים עוֹד אֶל־הָאִשָּׁה וְהִיא יוֹשֶׁבֶת בַּשָּׂדֶה וּמָנוֹח   13:9

אִישָׁהּ אֵין עִמָּהּ׃

Judg. 13:9   And God listened in to the voice of Manoach and the angel of God came again to the woman as she was sitting in the field, but Manoach her husband was not with her.

וַתְּמַהֵר הָאִשָּׁה וַתָּרָץ וַתַּגֵּד לְאִישָׁהּ וַתֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו הִנֵּה נִרְאָה אֵלַי הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר־בָּא בַיּוֹם אֵלָי׃   13:10

Judg. 13:10   So the woman made haste and ran and told to her husband and said to him, “Behold, the man has appeared to me who came before to me.”

וַיָּקָם וַיֵּלֶךְ מָנוֹחַ אַחֲרֵי אִשְׁתּוֹ וַיָּבֹא אֶל־הָאִישׁ וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ הַאַתָּה הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר־דִּבַּרְתָּ אֶל־הָאִשָּׁה   13:11

וַיֹּאמֶר אָנִי׃

Judg. 13:11   And Manoach rose and went after his wife and came to the man and said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to the woman?”  And he said, “I am.”

וַיֹּאמֶר מָנוֹחַ עַתָּה יָבֹא דְבָרֶיךָ מַה־יִּהְיֶה מִשְׁפַּט־הַנַּעַר וּמַעֲשֵׂהוּ׃   13:12

Judg. 13:12   Then Manoach said, “At the time your words shall come to pass, what shall be the manner of the child and his work?”

The fourth and fifth words in this verse are the subject and verb of the phrase beginning “At the time ...,” and they seem to be inconsistent in number.  The subject is plural and the verb is singular.   My remarks following v. 13:17 below bear on this.

וַיֹּאמֶר מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה אֶל־מָנוֹחַ מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר־אָמַרְתִּי אֶל־הָאִשָּׁה תִּשָּׁמֵר׃   13:13

Judg. 13:13   And the angel of the Lord said to Manoach, “Of all that I said to the woman, she shall take heed.”

מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר־יֵצֵא מִגֶּפֶן הַיַּיִן לֹא תֹאכַל וְיַיִן וְשֵׁכָר אַל־תֵּשְׁתְּ וְכָל־טֻמְאָה אַל־תֹּאכַל כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־   13:14

צִוִּיתִיהָ תִּשְׁמֹר׃

Judg. 13:14   “She shall not eat of anything that comes forth from the vine of wine, and she may not drink wine or strong drink, and she may not eat of anything unclean.  All that I commanded her shall she observe.”

וַיֹּאמֶר מָנוֹחַ אֶל־מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה נַעְצְרָה־נָּא אוֹתָךְ וְנַעֲשֶׂה לְפָנֶיךָ גְּדִי עִזִּים׃   13:15

Judg. 13:15   And Manoach said to the angel of the Lord, “Let us detain you, please, that we may prepare a young goat before you.”

וַיֹּאמֶר מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה אֶל־מָנוֹחַ אִם־תַּעְצְרֵנִי לֹא־אֹכַל בְּלַחְמֶךָ וְאִם־תַּעֲשֶׂה עֹלָה לַיהוָה תַּעֲלֶנָּה כִּי   13:16

לֹא־יָדַע מָנוֹחַ כִּי־מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה הוּא׃

Judg. 13:16   And the angel of the Lord said to Manoach, “Although you may detain me, I will not eat bread with you, but if you prepare a burnt offering, you must offer it to the Lord.”  For Manoach did not know that he was the angel of the Lord.

וַיֹּאמֶר מָנוֹחַ אֶל־מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה מִי שְׁמֶךָ כִּ־יָבֹא (דִבָרְיךָ) [דְבָרְךָ] וְכִבַּדְנוּךָ׃   13:17

Judg. 13:17   Then Manoach said to the angel of the Lord, “What is your name, that when your words will come to pass, we may honor you?”

There appears to be an error in the tenth word of the verse, translated as the subject noun your words.  The word seems to have an extra yad, which makes the word plural.  Because its verb, the ninth word, translated as will come, is singular, the assumption is that the subject should be singular, and it is traditionally flagged as an error.  What I find particularly interesting about this is that the identical “error” appears in v. 13:12 above (in the fourth and fifth words), and it has not been flagged as being an error.

וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה לָמָּה זֶּה תִּשְׁאַל לִשְׁמִי וְהוּא־פֶלִאי׃   13:18

Judg. 13:18   And the angel of the Lord said to him, “For what is this that you ask for my name, though it is secret?”

וַיִּקַּח מָנוֹחַ אֶת־גְּדִי הָעִזִּים וְאֶת־הַמִּנְחָה וַיַּעַל עַל־הַצּוּר לַיהוָה וּמַפְלִא לַעֲשׂוֹת וּמָנֹוחַ וְאִשְׁתֹּו   13:19

רֹאִים׃

Judg. 13:19   So Manoach took and offered the young goat and the meal offering on the rock to the Lord, and a miracle was to be performed, with Manoach and his wife watching.

וַיְהִי בַעֲלוֹת הַלַּהַב מֵעַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ הַשָּׁמַיְמָה וַיַּעַל מַלְאַךְ־יְהוָה בְּלַהַב הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וּמָנוֹחַ וְאִשְׁתּוֹ רֹאִים   13:20

וַיִּפְּלוּ עַל־פְּנֵיהֶם אָרְצָה׃

Judg. 13:20   And it was with the rising of the flame from the altar toward heaven, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar, with Manoach and his wife watching; and they fell down on their faces to the ground.

וְלֹא־יָסַף עוֹד מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה לְהֵרָאֹה אֶל־מָנוֹחַ וְאֶל־אִשְׁתּוֹ אָז יָדַע מָנוֹחַ כִּי־מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה הוּא׃   13:21

Judg. 13:21   And the angel of the Lord did not continue to appear to Manoach or to his wife any more. Then Manoach knew that he was the angel of the Lord.

וַיֹּאמֶר מָנוֹחַ אֶל־אִשְׁתּוֹ מוֹת נָמוּת כִּי אֱלֹהִים רָאִינוּ׃   13:22

Judg. 13:22   Then Manoach said to his wife, “Surely we shall die, for we have seen God.”

וַתֹּאמֶר לוֹ אִשְׁתּוֹ לוּ חָפֵץ יְהוָה לַהֲמִיתֵנוּ לֹא־לָקַח מִיָּדֵנוּ עֹלָה וּמִנְחָה וְלֹא הֶרְאָנוּ אֶת־כָּל־אֵלֶּה   13:23

וְכָעֵת לֹא הִשְׁמִיעָנוּ כָּזֹאת׃

Judg. 13:23   And his wife said to him, “If the Lord intended to kill us, He would not have received a burnt offering and a meal offering from our hand, and He would not have let us see all this, and at this time He would not have let us hear like this.”

וַתֵּלֶד הָאִשָּׁה בֵּן וַתִּקְרָא אֶת־שְׁמוֹ שִׁמְשׁוֹן וַיִּגְדַּל הַנַּעַר וַיְבָרְכֵהוּ יְהוָה׃   13:24

Judg. 13:24   And the woman bore a son, and she called his name Samson.  And the child grew up and the Lord blessed him.

וַתָּחֶל רוּחַ יְהוָה לְפַעֲמוֹ בְּמַחֲנֵה־דָן בֵּין צָרְעָה וּבֵין אֶשְׁתָּאֹל׃   13:25

Judg. 13:25   And the spirit of the Lord began to move him in Machaneh-dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

I find it intriguing that the woman who bears the famous Samson is not named.  Only his father!

 

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