Favor · the best way to learn the Bible
Judges 16 Bible study: Only this once
Samson said a razor would take his strength (16:17), and "his strength went from him" (16:19). But the next verse names what had gone: "the LORD had departed from him" (16:20), in the same Hebrew verb. His hair grew again, but it was the LORD he asked, "strengthen me" (16:28). He was buried "between Zorah and Eshtaol" (16:31), where the LORD's Spirit first began to move him (13:25).
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the words behind the words, what most readers miss, and how it all leads to Jesus.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
“She said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” He awoke out of his sleep, and said, “I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free.” But he didn’t know that the LORD had departed from him.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“After Samson was shaved, Judges 16 says that the LORD had departed from him.”
Is that in Judges 16, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
"Where your great strength lies"
The chapter turns on the lords' question: "see in which his great strength lies, and by what means we may prevail against him" (16:5). Delilah asks it (16:6). After the first two failed bindings she asks how he might be bound (16:10, 16:13), and after the third she says he has "not told me where your great strength lies" (16:15). In Hebrew the word for strength (tap strength) comes seven times in the chapter. Three times the binding fails: seven green cords (16:7-9), new ropes (16:11-12), and the seven locks woven into the loom (16:13-14). The fourth time, "He told her all his heart" (16:17): "If I am shaved, then my strength will go from me" (16:17). The locks were shaved, and "his strength went from him" (16:19). The next verse names what had gone: "he didn’t know that the LORD had departed from him" (16:20). In Hebrew went in 16:19 and departed in 16:20 are the same verb (tap departed). Earlier, three of his great deeds came when "The LORD’s Spirit came mightily on him" (14:6, 14:19, 15:14).
Where it leads to Jesus
Apart from me
Judges 16:20leads toJohn 15:5
"He didn’t know that the LORD had departed from him" (16:20). He had just said, "I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free" (16:20), and the next verse says, "The Philistines laid hold on him and put out his eyes" (16:21). Jesus told his disciples, "I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). Jesus doesn't speak of Judges 16, so setting the two side by side is a reading. It rests on what each passage says: when the LORD had departed, "his strength went from him" (16:19), and apart from Jesus his disciples "can do nothing" (John 15:5). Some hear in Samson's story what Jesus says in words: with the LORD departed, Samson couldn't go out as at other times, and at the end he asked the LORD, "strengthen me" (16:28). Others read John 15:5 in its own setting, the vine and the fruit its branches bear, where Jesus goes on, "Remain in my love" (John 15:9), and read Samson's strength as given for his task, to "begin to save Israel" (13:5); they don't look from one to the other.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Judges 16
That was a taste
The rest of Judges 16 is waiting in Favor
- He didn't know
- "Our god has delivered"
- "Remember me"
- Where it began
- Dagon, again
- 13 questions as you read
- 12 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Judges 16 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
סוּרsursay SOOR
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "turn aside", and in its simple form, "turn aside, out of one's course depart". Strong's: "to turn off (literally or figuratively)". The chapter uses it three times, one after another. Samson: "If I am shaved, then my strength will go from me" (16:17). Then, "his strength went from him" (16:19). Then, "he didn’t know that the LORD had departed from him" (16:20). Go, went and departed are this one verb, and in 16:19 and 16:20 the Hebrew for from him is the same word too, me'alav. The same verb tells of Saul: "Now the LORD’s Spirit departed from Saul" (1 Samuel 16:14), and Saul's own words, "God has departed from me" (1 Samuel 28:15).
For your group
Judges 16 Bible study questions
- 1Samson woke saying, "I will go out as at other times" (16:20), and didn't know what had changed. Where might you be leaning on what worked before without noticing what has changed?
- 2Delilah "pressed him daily with her words" until he told her all his heart (16:16-17). What kind of pressure wears you down most, and who helps you hold your ground?
- 3Blind and grinding at the mill in the prison (16:21), Samson later called to the LORD, "remember me, please" (16:28). Have you ever prayed from a low place? What did you say, or what would you say?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Judges 16 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
Start a Bible studyThe best way to learn the Bible
Favor opens up every chapter as you read.
Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.
Every chapter explains itself
As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.
The Hebrew and Greek behind it
Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.
Every page leads to Jesus
Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.
Better together
Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.
- 1
Start your free week
Sign up in a minute with your email.
- 2
Read a few minutes a day
Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.
- 3
Bring your people, if you like
Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Judges 16 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Judges 16 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
Start with Judges 16
The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.
There's a seat for you at the table.
Start your free weekFirst week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home