Samson (and Delilah)
Bibliographic Information (best version for
telling):
The story of Samson is composed of three
chapters from this book
Chapter 36 Samson's
Birth and Mission
Chapter 37 Samson's
Feats and Deliverance
Chapter 38 Samson's
Betrayal and Death
In The Rainbow Book of Bible Stories by J.
Harold Gwynne, D.D.
World Publishing
Company, 1956.
Ethnic Origin:
Hebrew, Israelites
Running Time:
approximately 14
minutes and 32 seconds??
Power Center(s):
My third story is
focused on an adult group of listeners. For the third story we had to develop a
story program around a common theme. Love and relationships is the theme for
the November 26th group. There was no common theme for the Dec 3rd
group.
Power Center 1: The
relationship God has with his people, the Israelites. I shall accomplish this
with the introduction of the conflict between the Israelites and the
Philistines. (This power center is also reflected in Power Center 2 because
Samson represents the Israelites overthrowing the yoke of the Philistine rule.)
Power Center 2: The
relationship Samson has with God. I shall accomplish this by showing how Samson
followed God's commands. The theme of the story is that Samson's weakness for
falling in love with Philistine women leads to his downfall.
In the end Samson
renews his vows with God and God gave him the strength to perform the greatest
deliverance for the Israelites.
Revised Power centers:
Pain of war – achieve this by illustrating the never ending cycle of war
and how their is still war going on today
The revised power
centers are applicable to today’s war in Israel and in Afghanistan.
I chose these because
I wanted to focus on the struggle between the Israelites and the Philistines. I
want people to think about the destruction that war causes and how love is the
answer.
Theme: All is fair in love
and war
Theme: The theme for
the second group is origin. Origin consists of where the story originates and
what culture the story comes from. I revised my story to have a new
introduction that incorporates this new theme.
Characters:
Angel of the Lord
Samson's Parents
Manoah - Father of Samson
Mother of Samson
Samson
Samson's first wife - woman
of Timnath
Samson's First Wife's
father
Men of Timnath
Harlot of Gaza
Delilah
Israelites
Philistines
Scenes:
1.
An Angel of the Lord goes to Samson's parents
and tells them that they are going to have a son. They are told how to raise
him.
2.
Samson is born and he is very strong. He chooses
to marry a woman of Timnath. When walking to see her, a lion attacks him. He
kills the lion then a swarm of bees exit the lion and honey is on the inside of
the lion's carcass. He gives the honey to his parents and proposes a riddle to
the Philistines at the wedding feast. If they cannot solve the riddle they have
to provide the finest cloth and gold. They cannot solve the riddle for three
days
3.
The Philistines learn the answer to the riddle
from his wife. Samson provides the cloth by killing Philistines from a
different city. Samson's wife is given to his friend. Samson goes and burns all
their crops. This angers the Philistines and they tell the Israelites to hand
Samson over. The Israelites hand Samson over. Samson kills a thousand men with
a donkey's jawbone.
4.
Samson goes to a harlot and the Philistines plan
to kill him when he leaves the city in the morning. Samson leaves at midnight
with the gates of the city on his back. Samson falls in love with Delilah. The
lords of the Philistines offer her a large sum of money to discover the secret
of Samson's strength.
5.
Delilah tries to find the secret of Samson's
strength. First, he tells her to tie him up with seven green willow twigs. She
does but when the Philistines come to capture him he breaks free and overcomes
them easily. Next he tells her to bind him fast with new ropes. She does but
when the Philistines come to capture him he breaks free and overcomes them
easily. Then he tells her to weave the locks of his hair into a web with a
loom, She does but when the Philistines come to capture him he breaks free and
overcomes them easily. Finally he tells her that the secret of his strength is
that a razor has never touched his hair. She cuts his hair and the Philistines
capture him.
6.
The Philistines rejoice that their enemy is
finally caught. They place him in the slave quarters grinding the mill. During
a feast, they bring him into the temple in order to mock him. Samson prays to
God for strength and he brings the temple down on their heads. That day was the
day of the greatest deliverance for the Israelites.
Synopsis:
The Israelites had
lost touch in their relationship with God. They worshipped false Gods and they
had forgotten the deliverances of the past. The Philistines had oppressed the
Israelites for the past forty years. Samson was born. God planned to use Samson
to deliver the Israelites from oppression and slavery. Samson's parents were
instructed to raise Samson as a Nazarite. "No razor shall touch his head
and no wine shall touch his lips."
Samson grew up and the
Spirit of the Lord was strong within him. Samson was the strongest man alive.
God placed it upon his heart to seek out a woman of the Philistines to marry.
God did this so that a conflict would arise between the Philistines and the
Israelites. Samson sought to marry the woman and she was kept from him. The
Spirit of the Lord rose up in Samson and many Philistines died. Samson
performed many feats of strength.
Delilah caught
Samson's eye and he began to fall in love with her. The Lords of the
Philistines went to her and promised her a large sum of money if she could find
out the secret of Samson's strength. Delilah tried day after day to learn the
secret of Samson's strength. His soul became troubled and he finally told her
the truth.
The Philistines
finally captured Samson. They put out his eyes and placed him in the slave
quarters to grind at the mill. They assembled to rejoice and offered a
sacrifice to their god Dagon. They brought forth Samson and they planned to
mock him and the God of Israel. They placed Samson between the pillars of the
temple that supported the roof. With one last prayer to God, Samson brought
down the temple on the Philistines and himself. Samson killed more Philistines
that day than he had killed in all his other battles.
Rhymes/Special Phrases/"Flavors":
Nazarite: A person who took a special vow of self-dedication, such a
person was not to drink beer or wine, cut his hair or touch a dead body.
(Numbers 6:1-21) The vow could be taken for a certain period of time, but some
people were dedicated to God as Nazarites from birth.
In present day Israel, Palestinians and the Israelis
war over possession of the holy land. In Biblical times there were, wars between the Israelites and the
Philistines.
Angel speaking to Samson’s parents
“You are going to bear
a son. Therefore be careful, and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing
unclean. When your son is born, he shall be dedicated to God by the Nazarite
vow; and he shall in time begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the
Philistines.”
Samson proposing riddle to the men of Timnath
"Out of the eater
came forth meat,
And of the strong came
forth sweetness."
Men of Timnath answering Samson's riddle
"What is sweeter
than honey?
"And what is
stronger than a lion?"
Samson after slaying a thousand men with a jawbone.
“With the jawbone of
an ass,
heaps upon heaps,
with the jawbone of an
ass,
have I slain a
thousand men.”
Delilah speaking to Samson
“Tell me, I pray you,
the secret of your great strength and how you might be bound by those who would
subdue you.”
Finally, in a moment
of weakness, and against his better judgement, he told her everything that was
in his heart saying, “A razor has never been put to my head; for I have been a
Nazarite to God from the day of my birth. If I am shaved, then my strength
shall go from me and I shall become weak and be like an ordinary man.”
“The Philistines are
about to fall upon you, Samson.”
Delilah speaking to the lords of the Philistines
"Come up this
once, for he has showed me all his heart."
“O Lord God, remember
me, I pray you and strengthen me, I pray you, only this once, O God, so that I
may be at once avenged upon the Philistines for my two eyes.” And Samson took
hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, one with his right
hand and the other with his left hand.
Audience:
This story can be told
for many different audiences. There is a repetitive aspect of this story that
would appeal to younger audiences. This story also has aspects of adventure
that would hold the attention of a young adult. I chose to focus on adults for
this telling.
Allan B. Chinen
describes middle tales in the article “The Message of Midlife Tales.” Middle
tales are tales that appeal to people in the middle of their life. This time is
commonly termed “mid-life.” Chinen describes the common themes of middle tales
as: personal failures, martial conflict, disillusionment, and loss. Chinen
believes the purpose of the middle tale is for adults to find wisdom and
self-acceptance instead of glory or wealth.
The focus of the
middle tale is frequently the dark side of life. The story of Samson definitely
explores the darker side of life. Samson is a character that battles with his
lust for women and his love for God. His lust for women leads him into trouble
each time, it is only through the gifts that God gives Samson, is he able to
escape.
I believe the story of
Samson will give adults a chance to reflect upon their “wilder days.” It will
hopefully take them back to a time when they were young and remind them of some
of the past relationships they were in. I believe that listeners will identify
with the youthfulness of the story and the strength of the main character.
These aspects will
remind them of the teen to late twenty years.
The decision that
Samson makes to tell Delilah of how he can be bound should remind young and old
listeners of the times when they let their guard down to love.
Chinen also describes
the theme of “loss of magic” in middle tales. This trend is also evident in the
story of Samson. After Samson confides in Delilah the secret of his strength,
the Spirit of God leaves him. His “magic” is lost when his hair is cut.
The Zipes article, “On
the Use and Abuse of Storytelling,” might argue that fairy tales are told is in
order to overcome the repressed feelings of childhood. Jack Zipes believe that
adults are avoiding their feelings and these repressed feelings seep into the
stories that we pass down from generation to generation. Zipes also believes
that stories are abused when we use them as ways of manipulating children to
social adjustment.
The majority of Zipes
theories apply to fairy tales and stories that are told to children. Zipes
believes there should be a clear separation between psychologist and the
storyteller. I believe that storytelling has always been therapeutic for
people. If that therapy is taken away, then won’t part of the storytelling
process be changed? Part of the trance in storytelling is when the emotions of
the listener are reflected and even magnified in the story. I believe we enjoy
stories that take us through the human spectrum of emotion. If the fact that
someone fictitious may be (remotely) going through what we have gone through
helps us, then why complain? I agree with some of the finer points of the Zipes
article (yes, storytellers are not therapists) but if storytelling is therapy…
then so be it.
Erikson describes
young adulthood in the eight stages of man. He says that young adults are
establishing meaningful and intimate relationships with others and are looking
for a connectedness. In middle adulthood, people move toward a stage of caring
for others. They sacrifice for the next generation.
Young adults will want
to establish meaningful relationships with romantic partners and they will also
want to experience a connectedness with God. Middle adults will be involved in
giving to the next generation. In this stage, middle adults will be
establishing the basis to evaluate life's worth in old age. This period will
involve the productive work and caring for others. It will involve periods of
stagnation and creation.
Piaget's development
stages describe formal operation as the last stage of development. In this
stage people develop their ability to understand and construct abstract
thought. They move away from relying on concrete evidence.
The story of Samson
will involve all the stages of development. For younger audiences, it contains
some repetition. For young adult audiences, it contains the hero, going through
a series of adventures. The main character Samson is involved in situations
that require complex solutions. The story is not straightforward and the lines
are not clearly defined between good and evil. And for adult audiences, it
contains aspects of evaluating life's worth and elements of sacrifice at the
end.
Bibliographic Information on other
versions/variants (at least two)?
Samson
In Stories from the Bible retold by Alvin
Tresselt
New York,
Coward, McCann & Geoghegan 1971
Samson
In Brian’s Wildsmith’s Illustrated Bible
Stories as told by Philip Turner
New York,
F. Watts 1969
Bible
Mamo Jalwalo
In Folktales of India edited Brenda E. F.
Chicago, University of
Chicago Press 1987
Brief comparison of all versions/variants in
terms of language, rhythm, "tellability,"
“There was among the
Israelites a man stronger than any man alive, named Samson, whom the Lord had
blessed.”
The story of Samson
retold by Alvin Tresselt briefly summarizes the history of the Israelites,
explained the reason for Samson’s strength, the feats that Samson performed and
then moves directly to the story of “Samson and Delilah.” This story did not
appeal to me for that reason.
Delilah binds Samson
with seven green willow stems, new rope, and on the third time shaved his
head. Samson’s hair grows back and
eventually he is brought before the Philistine lords to be mocked. Samson
brings the roof of the temple down upon their heads.
This story was very
short. It was only three pages. The character of Delilah lacked depth. Why did
she do the things that she did? The character of Samson lacked depth also. When
his past feats are explained more, the struggle between the Philistines and
Samson makes more sense. (It also sets the tone for the struggle between the
Philistines and the Israelites.” Overall, this story seems “rushed.”
The story had some
great illustrations!
“After the fall of
Jericho the Israelites quickly overran the Promised Land,
for many years they
had to fight the Philistines for possession.”
The story of Samson
retold by Philip Turner, begins with a small introduction to the Israelite
struggle. This story explains the name of the chapter in the Bible from which
the story of Samson is taken.
“During these
desperate years Israel had many great leaders whom they called Judges. Samson
was one of the most famous of the Judges and he was certainly the strongest”
The story goes on to
summarize Samson’s feats. This story includes a summary of one story that the
Tesselt story lacked. One evening Samson left the fortress of Gaza with the
main gates on his back.
Then the story moves
to the story of “Samson and Delilah.” In this story, Delilah binds Samson with
seven green willow stems, binds him with new rope, weaves the locks of his hair
into a loom and on the fourth time shaved his head. Samson is brought before the Philistine lords to be mocked. He is
placed between the great pillars. Samson brings the roof of the temple down
upon their heads.
This story seemed
“rushed” also. The introduction is better because it describes the struggle
between the Israelites and the Philistines. Yet the description is incomplete,
in the story retold by Gwynne it explains the other dangers that the Israelites
face.
“Now it was the nation
of the Philistines that troubled and oppressed the Israelites for a period of
forty years.” It goes on to describe the Philistines and the God that they
worship. Even some Israelites worship Dagon, which is the god of the
Philistines. This is important to show that Samson’s parents and Samson are
steadfast in their worship of the God of Israel.
The Gywnne story also
tells the story of the Angel, and includes all the feats that Samson completes.
It is the most complete story that I found and it was closest to the telling
that I found in the Bible. I consider the Bible to be the original telling but
I chosen this telling because the language was easier.
The Gujarat story of Mamo Jalwalo involves an old couple and
a god. The story begins with old couple that is not able to sow the seeds for
their farm. They encounter a young man who volunteers to help. This man is so
fast and effective at planting the garden they finish before their neighbors
do. The old couple decides to keep the young man. They reason that he cannot be
human. So they cut off a lock of the young man's hair and he cannot leave. The
couple hides the lock of hair in the grain. The first crop fails and the couple
sends the young man back to the house for grain. He finds the lock of his hair
and goes back to his home.
The Gujarat story was
an interesting comparison to the story of Samson. I would argue that in this
story the god's power was not in his hair. The lock of hair gave the couple the
power to detain the god. In my research for variants and versions, I did
identify a story with a giant whose strength came from his hair. I was not able
to find this story because it was published in the 1950s.
I was not able to
identify a suitable variant for this story.