Samson's descent toward Timnah with his parents for the marriage arrangements is interrupted by his encounter with a young lion, which he kills with his bare hands, demonstrating the extraordinary strength that characterizes his Nazirite-empowered existence. The detail that he killed the lion "as he would have torn a young goat" emphasizes the ease with which Samson dispatched the fierce beast, suggesting strength far beyond ordinary human capacity. The lion encounter foreshadows Samson's ability to accomplish feats of strength that would be impossible for ordinary warriors and establishes the physical prowess that will characterize his later conflicts with the Philistines. Yet the narrative makes no mention of Samson's father, suggesting that perhaps the father remained behind while Samson and his mother approached Timnah, or that Samson separated from his parents during this incident.

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