The Woman Who Betrayed a Hero: Delilah and the Fall of Shimshon

Delilah and the Secret of Shimshon’s Strength

Delilah lived in the western region of Nachal Sorek, near the town of Tzoreah in the territory of Dan, close to where Shimshon, the mighty judge of Israel, resided. As a nazir (nazirite), Shimshon possessed supernatural strength, which he used to repeatedly defeat the Philistines, who ruled over southern Israel at the time.

Eager to capture and subdue Shimshon, the Philistine rulers bribed Delilah to discover the source of his strength:

“The lords of the Philistines came to her and said, ‘Coax him and find out what makes his strength so great and how we can overpower him... each of us will give you eleven hundred silver pieces’” (Shoftim 16:5).

Delilah pressed Shimshon for the secret, but at first he misled her. He claimed that if bound with seven moist animal sinews, he would become as weak as any other man. Delilah tied him up in his sleep, but Shimshon easily snapped the cords.

He then told her that new, unused ropes would sap his strength. Once again, she bound him while he slept, and once again, he broke free.

A third time, Shimshon claimed his strength would vanish if the seven locks of his hair were woven into a loom. Delilah did so, but this too failed.

A Relentless Betrayal

Undeterred, Delilah persisted in her emotional manipulation. The verse says she “pressed him daily with her words and urged him until his soul was annoyed to death” (Shoftim 16:16). Worn down, Shimshon finally revealed the truth: his strength came from his status as a nazir, which forbade cutting his hair.

That night, as he slept, Delilah shaved the seven locks from his head and with them, his strength. The Philistines seized him, blinded him, and imprisoned him.

Chazal (our Sages) say that Delilah’s name reflects her actions: she depleted (dildelah) Shimshon in three ways:

• His strength: “And his strength left him” (Shoftim 16:19)

• His heart: “Delilah saw that he had told her all that was in his heart” (Shoftim 16:18)

• His actions: “But he did not know that Hashem had departed from him” (Shoftim 16:20)
  (Bamidbar Rabbah 9:24)

A Lasting Lesson in Loyalty and Weakness

Delilah’s betrayal of Shimshon remains one of the most infamous acts of treachery in Tanach. Her cunning, persistence, and ability to exploit the spousal relationship led to the downfall of one of Israel’s greatest defenders.