So Delilah binds him with seven fresh bowstrings and cries out: "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" (וַתִּקְשֹׁר אוֹתוֹ בְשִׁבְעָה יְתָרִים לַחִים וַיֹּאמֶר הַפְּלִשְׁתִּים עָלֶיךָ שִׁמְשׁוֹן) — the test is immediately executed upon his giving the answer, revealing that Delilah is not seeking intimate knowledge but intelligence. He then bursts the bowstrings as if they were thread (וַיְנַתֶּק־הַיְתָרִים כְּאַשׁ אֶת־הַפְּתִיל כְּהִרִיחוֹ אֶת־הָאֵשׁ). The simile comparing the breaking of bowstrings to thread breaking when it smells fire suggests the ease of his escape and the futility of the test. Yet despite the obvious trap—his answer immediately tested, the false alarm of ``Philistines are upon you''—Samson remains with Delilah. His continued presence suggests either that he enjoys the dangerous game or that his desire for her overwhelms any caution.

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