Judges 16:16

THE MESSAGE

She kept at it day after day, nagging and tormenting him. Finally, he was fed up—he couldn't take another minute of it. He spilled it. He told her, "A razor has never touched my head. I've been God's Nazirite from conception. If I were shaved, my strength would leave me; I would be as helpless as any other mortal."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Because she nagged him day after day and pleaded with him until she wore him out,

Hebrew Names Version
It happened, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, that his soul was vexed to death.

King James Version
And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;

Lexham English Bible
And because she nagged him day after day with her words, and pestered him, his soul grew impatient to the point of death.

English Standard Version
And when she pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death.

New Century Version
She kept bothering Samson about his secret day after day until he felt he was going to die!

New English Translation
She nagged him every day and pressured him until he was sick to death of it.

Amplified Bible
When she pressured him day after day with her words and pleaded with him, he was annoyed to death.

New American Standard Bible
And it came about, when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was annoyed to death.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And because shee was importunate vpon him with her wordes continually, and vexed him, his soule was pained vnto the death.

Legacy Standard Bible
These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; and their mouth speaks arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of their own benefit.

Contemporary English Version
Delilah started nagging and pestering him day after day, until he couldn't stand it any longer.

Complete Jewish Bible
Every day she kept nagging at him and pressing at him, till it bothered him to death,

Darby Translation
And it came to pass when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was vexed unto death;

Easy-to-Read Version
She kept bothering Samson day after day. He got so tired of her asking him about his secret that he felt like he was going to die.

George Lamsa Translation
And it came to pass, when she had pressed him daily with her words and urged him, his soul was vexed to death;

Good News Translation
She kept on asking him, day after day. He got so sick and tired of her bothering him about it

Literal Translation
And it happened, because she distressed him with her words all the days, and urged him; and his soul was grieved to death,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
So whan she was euery daye importune vpon him wt her wordes, & wolde not let him haue rest, his soule was faynte euen vnto the death,

American Standard Version
And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, that his soul was vexed unto death.

Bible in Basic English
So day after day she gave him no peace, for ever questioning him till his soul was troubled to death.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And as she laye vpon hym with her wordes, continually vexyng of him, his soule was encumbred eue vnto ye death.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, that his soul was vexed unto death.

King James Version (1611)
And it came to passe, when she pressed him daily with her wordes, and vrged him so that his soule was vexed vnto death,

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it came to pass as she pressed him sore with her words continually, and straitened him, that his spirit failed almost to death.

English Revised Version
And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, that his soul was vexed unto death.

Berean Standard Bible
Finally, after she had pressed him daily with her words and pleaded until he was sick to death,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne sche was diseseful to hym, and cleuyde to hym contynueli bi many daies, and yaf not space to reste, his lijf failide, and was maad wery `til to deeth.

Young's Literal Translation
And it cometh to pass, because she distressed him with her words all the days, and doth urge him, and his soul is grieved to death,

Update Bible Version
And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, that his soul was vexed to death.

Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, [so] that his soul was vexed to death;

World English Bible
It happened, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, that his soul was vexed to death.

New King James Version
And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was vexed to death,

New Living Translation
She tormented him with her nagging day after day until he was sick to death of it.

New Life Bible
She asked him day after day until his soul was troubled to death.

New Revised Standard
Finally, after she had nagged him with her words day after day, and pestered him, he was tired to death.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it came to pass, when she urged him with her words continually, and pressed him, that his soul became impatient, unto death;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And when she pressed him much, and continually hung upon him for many days, giving him no time to rest, his soul fainted away, and was wearied even unto death.

Revised Standard Version
And when she pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
It came about when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was annoyed to death.

Contextual Overview

⁴Some time later he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek (Grapes). Her name was Delilah. The Philistine tyrants approached her and said, "Seduce him. Discover what's behind his great strength and how we can tie him up and humble him. Each man's company will give you a hundred shekels of silver." ⁶ So Delilah said to Samson, "Tell me, dear, the secret of your great strength, and how you can be tied up and humbled." ⁷ Samson told her, "If they were to tie me up with seven bowstrings—the kind made from fresh animal tendons, not dried out—then I would become weak, just like anyone else." ⁸The Philistine tyrants brought her seven bowstrings, not dried out, and she tied him up with them. The men were waiting in ambush in her room. Then she said, "The Philistines are on you, Samson!" He snapped the cords as though they were mere threads. The secret of his strength was still a secret. ¹⁰ Delilah said, "Come now, Samson—you're playing with me, making up stories. Be serious; tell me how you can be tied up." ¹¹ He told her, "If you were to tie me up tight with new ropes, ropes never used for work, then I would be helpless, just like anybody else." ¹² So Delilah got some new ropes and tied him up. She said, "The Philistines are on you, Samson!" The men were hidden in the next room. He snapped the ropes from his arms like threads. ¹³Delilah said to Samson, "You're still playing games with me, teasing me with lies. Tell me how you can be tied up." He said to her, "If you wove the seven braids of my hair into the fabric on the loom and drew it tight, then I would be as helpless as any other mortal." When she had him fast asleep, Delilah took the seven braids of his hair and wove them into the fabric on the loom and drew it tight. Then she said, "The Philistines are on you, Samson!" He woke from his sleep and ripped loose from both the loom and fabric! ¹⁵ She said, "How can you say ‘I love you' when you won't even trust me? Three times now you've toyed with me, like a cat with a mouse, refusing to tell me the secret of your great strength." ¹⁶She kept at it day after day, nagging and tormenting him. Finally, he was fed up—he couldn't take another minute of it. He spilled it. He told her, "A razor has never touched my head. I've been God's Nazirite from conception. If I were shaved, my strength would leave me; I would be as helpless as any other mortal."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

she pressed: Proverbs 7:21-23, Proverbs 7:26, Proverbs 7:27, Luke 11:8, Luke 18:5

vexed: Heb. shortened, Job 21:4, *marg. Jonah 4:9, Mark 14:24

Reciprocal: Judges 14:17 - she lay Job 19:2 - vex Proverbs 1:10 - General Ezekiel 16:30 - the work

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him,.... Lay at him day after day to communicate the secret to him, gave him no rest, but was incessant in her applications to him:

so that his soul was vexed unto death: could hardly bear to live, but wished to die, being in the utmost perplexity what to do between two different passions, love and fear; on the one hand chained by his lust to this harlot, that was continually teasing him, and whom he had not an heart to leave, or otherwise that would have cleared him of his difficulties; and on the other hand, should he disclose the secret, he feared, and was in danger of losing his strength, in which his glory lay: or

"his soul was shortened unto death'' c;

it was the means of shortening his days, and hastening his death. Abarbinel thinks that Samson was sensible of this, that his days were short, and the time of his death at hand; which made him the more willing to impart the secret. This may put in mind of the story of Milo, a man famous for his great strength, said to carry an ox upon his shoulders a furlong without breathing; of whom it is reported, that none of his adversaries could deliver themselves out of his hands, but his whore could, often contending with him; hence it is observed of him, that he was strong in body, but not of a manly soul d; and there are many other things said e of him concerning his great strength, which seem to be taken from this history of Samson.

c תקצר "abbreviata est", Montanus, Drusius. So Munster. d Aelian. Var. Hist. l. 2. c. 24. e Vid. Pausan. Eliac. 2. sive. l. 6. p. 309.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 16:16. His soul was vexed unto death — What a consummate fool was this strong man! Might he not have seen, from what already took place, that Delilah intended his ruin? After trifling with her, and lying thrice, he at last commits to her his fatal secret, and thus becomes a traitor to himself and to his God. Well may we adopt the sensible observation of Calmet on this passage: La foiblesse du caeur de Samson, dans torte cette histoire, est encore plus etonnante que la force de son corps; "The weakness of Samson's heart in the whole of this history, is yet more astonishing than the strength of his body."