Meaning of the Name Samson
Samson comes from the Hebrew form "Shimshon" and is most likely related to the root "shemesh," meaning "sun." For that reason it is often explained as "sun-like," "of the sun," or with a diminutive nuance. The overall direction is clear, though minor debate remains about the precise form.
Origin
The name Samson is of Hebrew origin.
Who is Samson in the Bible?
Samson is the deliverer in Judges famed for extraordinary strength. His conflict with the Philistines is told alongside both his consecration and his weaknesses, and even his death becomes a final blow against his enemies. Other bearers of the name exist, but this is the figure most readers mean.
The story of Samson in the Bible
Samson's story begins before his birth: the angel of the LORD appeared to the childless wife of Manoah, announcing that her son would be a Nazirite dedicated to God from the womb and would begin to deliver Israel from the Philistines. The child was born, named Samson, and the LORD blessed him. Grown, he became famous for extraordinary strength: he tore a young lion apart, struck down a thousand men with a donkey's jawbone, and carried off the city gates of Gaza. Yet his weaknesses matched his power. Delilah pressed him for the secret of his strength until he revealed that no razor had ever touched his head. His hair was cut as he slept, his strength left him, and the Philistines blinded him and set him grinding grain in Gaza. In time his hair grew again. Brought out for entertainment at a festival of Dagon, Samson prayed for strength one last time and pushed apart the two central pillars; those he killed in his death outnumbered those killed in his life. Hebrews names him among the witnesses of faith.
Is Samson mentioned in the Quran?
The name Samson does not appear in the Quran; in the Bible he appears in the book of Judges as a deliverer dedicated to God, famed for his extraordinary strength in his struggle against the Philistines.
Verses where Samson appears
- Judges 13:24 —
The woman bore a son, and named him Samson: and the child grew, and Yahweh blessed him.
- Judges 16:30 —
Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell on the lords, and on all the people who were therein. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than those…
- Hebrews 11:32 —
What more shall I say? For the time would fail me if I told of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets;