“And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.”
The lords of the Philistines come to her and say: "Entice him, and find out wherein his strength lies" (וַיַּגִּדוּ לָהּ אַל־תְּפַתִּי אוֹתוֹ וּשְׁלִי בַּמַּה גָּדְלָה כֹּחוֹ) — the Philistine leadership recognizes that direct military confrontation with Samson has repeatedly failed, and they adopt a new strategy: intimate betrayal. They offer Delilah a reward: ``each of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver'' (אִישׁ יִתֵּן לָךְ אָלֶף וּמֵאָה כֶסֶף). This enormous sum—5,500 pieces of silver total—represents the maximum recompense Delilah could receive, suggesting either the Philistine desperation or the test of her loyalty and greed. The plot shifts the locus of Samson's danger from the external battlefield to the intimate sphere of relationship and trust. Samson, who has withstood military siege, will prove defenseless before romantic manipulation.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
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