Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Calvin Lindstrom <pclindstrom AT yahoo.com>]

James Jordan has a very interesting commentary on Judges that goes  
against the typical Protestant and pietistic view.

It is available at:

http://www.entrewave.com/freebooks/docs/21ee_47e.htm

Calvin Lindstrom
Church of Christian Liberty
Arlington Heights, IL
www.christianliberty.com




On Aug 13, 2007, at 3:21 PM, Dave Washburn wrote:

> On Mon, August 13, 2007 12:47 pm, Yigal Levin wrote:
> > Dear Bruce,
> [snip]
> > Your comment about "Christendom paints Samson as a bad man" is
> > interesting.
> > How representative is that statement of different Christian  
> > denominations.
> [snip]
>
> It's pretty thoroughly representative from what I've seen.  Most
> Christian-based commentaries paint him as a failure in his mission,  
> and
> see women as the cause of his downfall.  I disagree wholeheartedly,  
> and in
> 1992 I presented a paper to the ETS annual meeting arguing that  
> Samson's
> problem wasn't lust, but loneliness.  As for his mission, the  
> oracle his
> father is said to have received said he would "begin to" deliver  
> Israel
> from the Philistine oppression; I see this as setting things up for  
> the
> rise of the davidic dynasty which ultimately (according to the  
> text) threw
> off the Philistine yoke and established an independent kingdom.   
> Viewed in
> this wider context, his mission wasn't a failure at all.
>
> However, I'm far from representative of the average Christian  
> commentator.
>  It's much more common to see him described in terms such as "the
> profligate judge" as one commentary put it.
>
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Bruce Prince" <bruceprince AT bigpond.com>
> > To: "b-Hebrew List" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> > Sent: Monday, August 13, 2007 10:18 PM
> > Subject: [b-hebrew] Samson at Gaza - Judges 16:1
> >
> >
> > > Folks
> > >
> > > Not being very good at understanding the intricate details of  
> > > Biblical
> > > Hebrew, I'm wondering if you can help me understand what is going  
> > > on in
> > > this
> > > verse?
> > >
> > > Generally, Christendom paints Samson as a bad man, but I'm not
> > > convinced.
> > > Even whilst staying in Gaza, the power of the Lord was upon him  
> > > as he
> > > heaved
> > > those massive gates out of their foundation and up the hill. God's
> > > purpose
> > > for Samson was to rile the Philistines - a task he seemed  
> > > particularly
> > > adapted to.
> > >
> > > Samson's reputation had gone before him to this city, and I'm  
> > > wondering
> > > if
> > > he was simply using the home of the harlot as a place of abode in  
> > > much
> > > the
> > > same way that the spies used Rahab's home in Jericho.
> > >
> > > Does the Hebrew of this verse undeniably state that Samson had
> > > intercourse
> > > with the harlot? Verse 3 states that he lay until midnight; it  
> > > doesn't
> > > say
> > > that he lay with her.
> > >
> > > I'd appreciate any views.
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > > Bruce Prince
> > > Australia
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
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> > >
> > >
> > >
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>
> --
> Dave Washburn
> Why do it right when you can do it again?
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