JUDGES 16:16 — KING JAMES VERSION 0 0
“And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;”
And because she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, he became impatient, and his soul was worn out to death (וַיְהִי כִי־דִחְקַת־לוֹ בִדְבָרֶיהָ כׇּל־הַיָּמִים וַתִּתְקֹף אוֹתוֹ וַתַּעַץ נַפְשׁוֹ לַמָּוֶת) — this verse marks the shift from resistance to capitulation. The verb דִחְקַת (dichkath, to press, urge, harass) suggests relentless daily harassment, a form of psychological warfare more effective than physical violence. The phrase ``his soul was worn out to death'' (תַּעַץ נַפְשׁוֹ לַמָּוֶת) uses תַּעַץ, ``to press,'' again, showing Delilah's pressure literally grinding away at Samson's will and psyche. This psychological victory—the wearing away of resistance through daily manipulation—is Delilah's most significant triumph. Samson, who can snap ropes and carry gates, proves helpless before the persistent pressure of intimate betrayal. The verse captures the essential tragedy: not that Samson is defeated militarily, but that he is psychologically unmade by the one he loves.
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