Biblical Hebrew Forum

[dwashbur AT nyx.net]

On 26 Sep 2009 at 11:57, Dianne Burke wrote:

> Dear Sirs,
>
> this is my first time on this lists.  I am rather new to Hebrew and
> I am
> only beginning to find out how useful some knowledge of the langauge
> and
> grammar is to my studies.
>
> I am recently in discussion with an individual on the topic of
> Samson and he
> has introduced the most extra-ordinary and unbelievable points on
> Samson.
> And before I discussed these things further with him, I wanted to
> get a more
> professional opinion.
>
> Samson was a Nazarite and part of the vow is to avoid touching dead
> bodies.
>
> In this verse:
> Jdg 14:19 The LORD's spirit empowered him. He went down to Ashkelon
> and*murdered
> * thirty men. He took their clothes and gave them to the men who had
> solved
> the riddle. He was furious as he went back home.
>
> To me, it's clear from the text that the Hebrew word for "murdered"
> ( *
> nakah)* is correctly translated.
>
> However, my opponent makes the following point:
>
> *By removing them before the men were dead. Death from a wound is
> rarely
> instantaneous - a man may be terminally wounded but live on for some
> time.
> Consider that Jesus was nailed to the wood to die, then his garments
> were
> removed and divided among the soldiers (John 19:23); he actually
> died some
> hours later.*
>
> My oponent is arguing that the word "nakah" in this instance doesn't
> mean
> that these men were completely dead.
>
> I come to you to ask your opinion on the matter of the grammar and
> the
> definition of the word "nakah" in it's proper context.

To be honest, I find such an approach just silly.  Samson was flawed; that's 
one of the
things that makes him such a fascinating character.  But even more important, 
his life's work
was killing Philistines.  As Randall pointed out, he had just been scooping 
honey out of a
lion's carcass, so he touched a dead body there.  As for the NKH, it means 
"hit" or "strike,"
and it's often used in the context of battle.  So it's most likely that 
Samson wasn't especially
careful to make sure these guys weren't quite dead before he took their 
robes.  I wouldn't
say "murdered;" NKH isn't quite that narrow in meaning.  "Struck," or 
"killed" is appropriate.
In any case, your opponent doesn't have any real basis for his/her view.

> ALSO
>
> It has been brought up that Samson in Judges 16:1, did not actually
> have
> sexual intercourse with the harlot, yet from my understanding "he
> came on
> unto her" is an idiom used for sexual intercourse.
>
> Can I have your thoughts on this.

Many years ago I presented a paper suggesting that Samson's problem wasn't so 
much lust,
as loneliness.  But seeking female "companionship" is a common way for guys 
to try and
alleviate loneliness, and Samson isn't depicted as being any different.  The 
woman was a
prostitute, and Samson spent the night with her.  Even I can do that math.*

Dave Washburn

http://www.nyx.net/~dwashbur

*By way of clarification: I often describe myself as possessing a "math 
idiot" gene :-)