The Life of Samson — Strength and Weakness Flashcards

#1

What was the primary condition of Samson's Nazirite vow that, if broken, would result in the loss of his strength?

📖 Judges 13:5, 16:17

#2

Who were Samson's parents, and what did the angel of the Lord tell them about their future son?

📖 Judges 13:3-5

#3

How many Philistines did Samson kill with the jawbone of a donkey?

📖 Judges 15:15-16

#4

What did Samson do after his first encounter with the Philistine woman of Timnah?

📖 Judges 14:12-14

#5

What was Delilah's motivation for betraying Samson to the Philistine leaders?

📖 Judges 16:5

#6

After the Philistines captured Samson, what did they do to him as punishment?

📖 Judges 16:21

#7

What happened to Samson's hair while he was imprisoned by the Philistines?

📖 Judges 16:22

#8

What was the occasion when Samson pushed down the temple pillars and killed the Philistine leaders?

📖 Judges 16:25-30

#2

Manoah and his wife; he would be a judge and deliverer of Israel

Manoah's unnamed wife was visited by the angel of the Lord, who announced that Samson would be a Nazirite from birth and would begin to deliver Israel from the Philistines (Judges 13:3-5).

Judges 13:3-5

#1

He could not cut or shave his hair

Samson's hair was the physical sign and source of his Nazirite covenant with God; cutting it violated the vow and caused his strength to depart (Judges 16:17).

Judges 13:5, 16:17

#4

He challenged the Philistines to a riddle contest

At his wedding feast, Samson posed a riddle to thirty young Philistine men, promising them garments if they solved it within seven days (Judges 14:12-14).

Judges 14:12-14

#3

One thousand

Samson killed one thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey in a single act of divinely-empowered deliverance (Judges 15:15-16).

Judges 15:15-16

#6

They blinded him and imprisoned him to grind grain

The Philistines gouged out Samson's eyes and bound him with bronze shackles to grind grain in the prison, a humiliating fate for a man of his former strength (Judges 16:21).

Judges 16:21

#5

Payment of silver coins from the Philistine rulers

The Philistine leaders offered Delilah eleven hundred shekels of silver for each man if she could discover the secret of Samson's strength and betray him (Judges 16:5).

Judges 16:5

#8

A great celebration where the Philistine leaders gathered to mock and make sport of him

The Philistines gathered in the temple of Dagon for a great celebration to praise their god and mock Samson; it was during this event that Samson pushed down the pillars, killing approximately 3,000 people (Judges 16:25-30).

Judges 16:25-30

#7

It grew back, restoring his connection to his Nazirite vow and strength

While imprisoned, Samson's hair began to grow back, which meant his strength returned as his Nazirite vow was being restored (Judges 16:22).

Judges 16:22

#9

Approximately how many people did Samson kill in his final act of vengeance at the temple of Dagon?

📖 Judges 16:27

#10

How long did Samson judge Israel, and what made his judgeship unusual compared to other judges?

📖 Judges 15:20

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#10

He judged for twenty years; his judgeship was characterized by frequent moral failures and cycles of falling away from God

Samson judged Israel for twenty years (Judges 15:20), but his judgeship stands apart because despite his supernatural strength and role as a deliverer, he repeatedly failed morally, pursued personal desires over God's purposes, and was ultimately betrayed due to his own weaknesses.

Judges 15:20

#9

Approximately 3,000 people

The text states that the dead whom Samson killed at his death were more than those he had killed during his lifetime, with approximately 3,000 men and women gathered in the temple (Judges 16:27).

Judges 16:27

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