Judg 14:16-20
From Feast upon the Word (http://feastupontheword.org). Copyright, Feast upon the Word.
The Old Testament > Judges > Chapter 14
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Questions
Verse 19
- The Spirit of the Lord came upon him. What does the phrase "the Spirit of the Lord came upon him [Samson]" mean? Does it imply that the Lord approved of his actions in killing 30 men in Ashkelon to settle his wager?
Lexical notes
- Click the edit link above and to the right to add lexical notes
Exegesis
Verse 19: Did the Lord approve Samson's killing?
How should the Spirit of the Lord coming upon Samson be interpreted? One view is that God is using Samson to show the Philistines his power. However, this does not address the following theological question: is God supporting Samson's seemingly selfish desire to settle a wager in verses 12-13? If so, this would seem to contradict the notion in D&C 121:37 that one cannot use God's power to do evil.
One possible way to resolve the tension just described is to take an approach similar to that suggested for Ex 7:3 in understanding how God hardens Pharaoh's heart. The phraseology here may simply be reflecting the ancient Hebrew view that God is in control of all events. A criticism of this view is that it seems to trivialize the wording of the scriptural text.
Another approach for resolving the above tension is to view God as honoring the covenant made with Samson's parents in Judg 13:5. On this view, the Lord's Spirit coming upon Samson should be interpreted as God honoring the covenant to give Samson strength as long as he does not cut his hair (the covenant would then be interpreted as unconditional in the sense of giving Samson strength regardless of whether he chooses to use that strength for good or evil).
Related links
Verse 19
- Did the Lord approve Samson's killing? See the discussion page for more discussion and links.
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