“Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.”
Samson goes to Gaza and sees a prostitute there, and enters to be with her (וַיֵּלֶךְ שִׁמְשׁוֹן עַזָּה וַיַּרְא־שָׁם אִשָּׁה זוֹנָה וַיָּבֹא אֵלֶיהָ) — the passage marks a new phase of Samson's degradation, shifting from tribal warfare to personal moral collapse. The verb בּוֹא (ba', to enter/go in) carries both literal and sexual connotations, establishing a pattern of Samson seeking sexual relationships with Philistine women. Gaza (עַזָּה), a major Philistine city, represents enemy territory, suggesting Samson moves freely among his adversaries. The phrase "a prostitute" (אִשָּׁה זוֹנָה) contains no judgment in the Hebrew, yet the act itself—a judge consorting with prostitutes in an enemy city—signals spiritual and moral disintegration. Samson's vulnerability to sexual desire has now eclipsed even his capacity for military action.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
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