Judges 13:2

Verse

Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children.

American Standard Version (1901)

And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.

Bible in Basic English

Now there was a certain man of Zorah of the family of the Danites, and his name was Manoah; and his wife had never given birth to a child.

Free Bible Version

At that time there was a man named Manoah. He was from the tribe of Dan and lived in the town of Zorah. His wife couldn't conceive and had no children.

Geneva Bible 1599

Then there was a man in Zorah of the familie of the Danites, named Manoah, whose wife was baren, and bare not.

King James (Authorized) Version

¶ And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.

Translation for Translators

There was a man named Manoah from the descendants of Dan who lived in Zorah town. His wife was unable to become pregnant, so they had no children.

Unlocked Literal Bible

There was a man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. His wife was not able to become pregnant and so she had not given birth.

Noah Webster Bible

And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bore not.

World English Bible

There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and childless.

Young's Literal Translation

And there is a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danite, and his name [is] Manoah, his wife [is] barren, and hath not borne;

Context

The Birth of Samson

¹Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD, so He delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.²Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children. ³The angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “It is true that you are barren and have no children; but you will conceive and give birth to a son.

Sermons

What Happened?

K.P. Yohannan

Summary

This verse introduces the story of Samson's birth by highlighting the barrenness of his mother, similar to other significant figures in the Bible such as Sarah and Hannah. The mention of the angel of the Lord appearing to the woman signifies the divine intervention and special purpose surrounding Samson's life from the very beginning. Despite the initial challenge of infertility, God's plan unfolds through the miraculous conception of Samson, foreshadowing his future role as a judge and deliverer of Israel. This verse sets the stage for the remarkable events that will follow in Samson's life, demonstrating God's sovereignty and power in using imperfect individuals to accomplish His will.

Commentary

Keil-Delitzsch
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill

Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary

Whilst the Israelites were given into the hands of the Philistines on account of their sins, and were also severely oppressed in Gilead on the part of the Ammonites, the angel of the Lord appeared to the wife of Manoah, a Danite from Zorea, i.e., Sur'a, on the western slope of the mountains of Judah (see at Jos 15:33). Mishpachath Dani (the family of the Danites) is used interchangeably with shebet Dani (the tribe of the Danites: see Jdg 18:2, Jdg 18:11, and Jdg 18:1, Jdg 18:30), which may be explained on this ground, that according to Num 26:42-43, all the Danites formed but one family, viz., the family of the Shuhamites. The angel of the Lord announced to this woman, who was barren, "Thou wilt conceive and bear a son. And now beware, drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean: for, behold, thou wilt conceive and bear a son, and no razor shall come upon his head; for a vowed man of God (Nazir) will the boy be from his mother's womb," i.e., his whole life long, "to the day of his death," as the angel expressly affirmed, according to Jdg 13:7. The three prohibitions which the angel of the Lord imposed upon the woman were the three things which distinguished the condition of a Nazarite (see at Num 6:1-8, and the explanation given there of the Nazarite vow). The only other thing mentioned in the Mosaic law is the warning against defilement from contact with the dead, which does not seem to have been enforced in the case of Samson. When the angel added still further, "And he (the Nazarite) will begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines," he no doubt intended to show that his power to effect this deliverance would be closely connected with his condition as a Nazarite. The promised son was to be a Nazarite all his life long, because he was to begin to deliver Israel out of the power of his foes. And in order that he might be so, his mother was to share in the renunciations of the Nazarite vow during the time of her pregnancy. Whilst the appearance of the angel of the Lord contained the practical pledge that the Lord still acknowledged His people, though He had given them into the hands of their enemies; the message of the angel contained this lesson and warning for Israel, that it could only obtain deliverance from its foes by seeking after a life of consecration to the Lord, such as the Nazarites pursued, so as to realize the idea of the priestly character to which Israel had been called as the people of Jehovah, by abstinence from the deliciae carnis, and everything that was unclean, as being emanations of sin, and also by a complete self-surrender to the Lord (see Pentateuch, p. 674).

Judges 13:2

The Birth of Samson

Scripture
Sermons
Commentary

Berean Standard Bible

Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children.

American Standard Version (1901)

And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.

Bible in Basic English

Now there was a certain man of Zorah of the family of the Danites, and his name was Manoah; and his wife had never given birth to a child.

Free Bible Version

At that time there was a man named Manoah. He was from the tribe of Dan and lived in the town of Zorah. His wife couldn't conceive and had no children.

Geneva Bible 1599

Then there was a man in Zorah of the familie of the Danites, named Manoah, whose wife was baren, and bare not.

King James (Authorized) Version

¶ And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.

Translation for Translators

There was a man named Manoah from the descendants of Dan who lived in Zorah town. His wife was unable to become pregnant, so they had no children.

Unlocked Literal Bible

There was a man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. His wife was not able to become pregnant and so she had not given birth.

Noah Webster Bible

And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bore not.

World English Bible

There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and childless.

Young's Literal Translation

And there is a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danite, and his name [is] Manoah, his wife [is] barren, and hath not borne;

Keil-Delitzsch
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill

Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary

Judges 13:2

Verse

Context

The Birth of Samson

Sermons

Summary

Commentary

Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary

Judges 13:2

The Birth of Samson

What Happened?

Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary