Judges 16:4

Judges 16:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
• New International Version (NIV)Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah.
• English Standard Version (ESV)After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Afterward it happened that he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

Context of Judges 16:4

2The people of Gaza were told, “Samson’s here!” So they surrounded the place and waited all night at the city gate to ambush him. They were quiet all night. They thought, “We’ll kill him at dawn.” 3But Samson was in bed ⌞with the prostitute⌟ only until midnight. Then he got up, took hold of the doors, door posts, and bar of the city gate and pulled them out. He carried them on his shoulders to the top of the hill facing Hebron. After ⌞leaving Gaza⌟, he fell in love with a woman in the Sorek Valley. Her name was Delilah. 5The Philistine rulers came to her and said, “Trick him, and find out what makes him so strong. Find out how we can overpower him. We want to tie him up in order to torture him. Each of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver.” 6So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me what makes you so strong. How can you be tied up so that someone could torture you?”

Judges 16:4 word by word

וַֽיְהִי֙ אַחֲרֵי־כֵ֔ן וַיֶּאֱהַ֥ב אִשָּׁ֖ה בְּנַ֣חַל שֹׂרֵ֑ק וּשְׁמָ֖הּ דְּלִילָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And it came to pass afterwardאַחַר'achar · afterH310
• that he lovedאָהֵב'âhab 'âhêb · to love: loverH157
• a womanאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · womanH802
• in the valleyנַ֫חַלnachal nachlâh nachălâh · (Sorek) ValleyH5158
• of Sorekשֹׂרֵקώôrêq · (Valley of) SorekH7796
• whose nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
• Delilahדְּלִילָהdelîylâh · DelilahH1807

Cross-references for Judges 16:4

• 1 Kings 11:1King Solomon loved many foreign women in addition to Pharaoh’s daughter. He loved Hittite women and women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon.
• Nehemiah 13:26I said, “Wasn’t it because of marriages like these that King Solomon of Israel sinned? There wasn’t a king like him among all nations. God loved him, and God made him king of all Israel. But his non-Israelite wives led him to sin.
• Proverbs 22:14The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit. The one who is cursed by the Lord will fall into it.
• Proverbs 23:27A prostitute is a deep pit. A loose woman is a narrow well.
• Proverbs 26:11As a dog goes back to its vomit, ⌞so⌟ a fool repeats his stupidity.
• Proverbs 27:22If you crush a stubborn fool in a mortar with a pestle along with grain, ⌞even then⌟ his stupidity will not leave him.
• 1 Corinthians 10:6These things have become examples for us so that we won’t desire what is evil, as they did.

Commentaries on Judges 16:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4He loved a woman in the valley of Sorek - Some think Samson took this woman for his wife; others, that he had her as a concubine. It appears she was a Philistine; and however strong his love was for her, she seems to have had none for him. He always matched improperly, and he was cursed in all his matches. Where the valley or brook of Sorek was, is not easy to be ascertained. Eusebius and Jerome say it lay southward of Eleutheropolis; but where was…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4A village to the north of Eleutheropolis, called Caphar-Sotek, was still existing in the time of Eusebius, near Zorah.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-17Verses 4-17 Samson had been more than once brought into mischief and danger by the love of women, yet he would not take warning, but is again taken in the same snare, and this third time is fatal. Licentiousness is one of the things that take away the heart. This is a deep pit into which many have fallen; but from which few have escaped, and those by a miracle of mercy, with the loss of reputation and usefulness, of almost all, except their souls. The…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-22Samson's downfall and defeat by Delilah, the temptress, is a universally appealing tragedy.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4-144. he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek--The location of this place is not known, nor can the character of Delilah be clearly ascertained. Her abode, her mercenary character, and her heartless blandishments afford too much reason to believe she was a profligate woman.Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 16:4

• Conspiracy
• Deception
• Delilah
• Friends
• Samson
• Sorek
• Women

In the dictionaries

• Delilah
• Feel
• Mock
• Quiet
• Samson
• Sorek
• Sport
• Told
• Valley
• Dagon

Commentaries on Judges 16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings