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Tuesday, August 19th, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible

Wycliffe Bible

Judges 16:1

Also Sampson yede in to Gazam, and he siy there a womman hoore, and he entride to hir.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Adultery;   Friends;   Samson;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bible Stories for Children;   Children;   Gaza;   Home;   Pleasant Sunday Afternoons;   Religion;   Samson;   Stories for Children;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Delilah;   Gaza or Azzah;   Harosheth of the Gentiles;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Gaza;   Prostitution;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Gaza;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Judges, Book of;   Samson;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Fortification and Siegecraft;   Gaza;   Judges (1);   Levi;   Philistines;   Samson;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Gaza;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Crime;   Judges, Book of:;   Samson;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went to bed with her.
Hebrew Names Version
Shimshon went to `Aza, and saw there a prostitute, and went in to her.
King James Version
Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.
Lexham English Bible
Samson went down to Gaza; there he saw a prostitute and had sex with her.
English Standard Version
Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a prostitute, and he went in to her.
New Century Version
One day Samson went to Gaza and saw a prostitute there. He went in to spend the night with her.
New English Translation
Samson went to Gaza. There he saw a prostitute and went in to have sex with her.
Amplified Bible
Then Samson went to Gaza and saw a prostitute there, and went in to her.
New American Standard Bible
Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a prostitute there, and had relations with her.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then went Samson to Azzah, & sawe there an harlot, and went in vnto her.
Legacy Standard Bible
En Simson het na Gasa gegaan en daar 'n hoer gesien en by haar ingegaan.
Contemporary English Version
One day while Samson was in Gaza, he saw a prostitute and went to her house to spend the night.
Complete Jewish Bible
Shimshon went to ‘Azah, where he saw a prostitute and went in to spend the night with her.
Darby Translation
And Samson went to Gazah, and saw there a harlot, and went in to her.
Easy-to-Read Version
One day Samson went to the city of Gaza. He saw a prostitute there and went in to stay the night with her.
George Lamsa Translation
THEN Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a harlot, and he went in unto her.
Good News Translation
One day Samson went to the Philistine city of Gaza, where he met a prostitute and went to bed with her.
Literal Translation
And Samson went to Gaza, and saw a woman there, a harlot, and went in to her.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Samson wente vnto Gasa, & there he sawe an harlot, & laye with her.
American Standard Version
And Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a harlot, and went in unto her.
Bible in Basic English
Now Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a loose woman and went in to her.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then went Samson to Azzah, and sawe there an harlot, and went in vnto her.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a harlot, and went in unto her.
King James Version (1611)
Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in vnto her.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Sampson went to Gaza, and saw there a harlot, and went in to her.
English Revised Version
And Samson went to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.
Berean Standard Bible
One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to spend the night with her.
Young's Literal Translation
And Samson goeth to Gaza, and seeth there a woman, a harlot, and goeth in unto her;
Update Bible Version
And Samson went to Gaza, and there saw a prostitute, and went in to her.
Webster's Bible Translation
Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there a harlot, and went in to her.
World English Bible
Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a prostitute, and went in to her.
New King James Version
Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her.
New Living Translation
One day Samson went to the Philistine town of Gaza and spent the night with a prostitute.
New Life Bible
Samson went to Gaza and saw a woman who sold the use of her body there. He went in to her.
New Revised Standard
Once Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to her.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then went Samson unto Gaza, - and saw there an unchaste woman, and went in unto her.
Douay-Rheims Bible
He went also into Gaza, and saw there a woman, a harlot, and went in unto her.
Revised Standard Version
Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a harlot, and he went in to her.
THE MESSAGE
Samson went to Gaza and saw a prostitute. He went to her. The news got around: "Samson's here." They gathered around in hiding, waiting all night for him at the city gate, quiet as mice, thinking, "At sunrise we'll kill him."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her.

Contextual Overview

1 Also Sampson yede in to Gazam, and he siy there a womman hoore, and he entride to hir. 2 And whanne Filisteis hadden seyn this, and it was pupplischid at hem, that Sampson entride in to the citee, thei cumpassiden hym, whanne keperis weren set in the yate of the citee; and thei abididen there al nyyt `with silence, that in the morewtid thei schulen kille Sampson goynge out. 3 Forsothe Sampson slepte til to `the myddis of the nyyt; and `fro thennus he roos, and took bothe the closyngis, ethir leeues, of the yate, with hise postis and lok; and he bar tho leeues, put on the schuldris, to the cop of the hil that biholdith Ebron.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Gaza: Gaza, a city of great antiquity, was situated between Raphia and Askelon, twenty-two miles north of the former, and sixteen south of of the latter, according to the Antonine Itinerary; three miles from the sea, according to Arrian, and thirty-four from Ashdod or Azotus, according to Diodorus Siculus. It was a place of great strength and importance; and successively belonged to the Philistines, Hebrews, Chaldeans, and Persians; which latter defended it for two months against Alexander the great, who finally took and destroyed it. It was afterwards rebuilt, and alternately possessed by the Egyptians, Syrians, and Jews. The present town, which the Arabs call Razza, is situated on an eminence, and is rendered picturesque by the number of fine minarets which rise majestically above the buildings, with beautiful date trees interspersed. It contains upwards of 2,000 inhabitants. Genesis 10:19, Joshua 15:47

an harlot: Heb. a woman an harlot

and went: Genesis 38:16-18, Ezra 9:1, Ezra 9:2

Reciprocal: Genesis 3:6 - saw Genesis 38:2 - saw Joshua 10:41 - Gaza Judges 1:18 - Gaza 1 Samuel 6:17 - Gaza 1 Kings 4:24 - Azzah Proverbs 7:8 - General 1 Corinthians 6:16 - an harlot

Cross-References

Genesis 11:30
Sotheli Saray was bareyn, and hadde no children.
Genesis 12:16
Forsothe thei vsiden wel Abram for hir; and scheep, and oxun, and assis, and seruauntis, and seruauntessis, and sche assis, and camels weren to hym.
Genesis 16:2
the Lord hath closid me, that Y schulde not bere child; entre thou to my seruauntesse, if in hap Y schal take children, nameli of hir. And whanne he assentide to hir preiynge, sche took Agar Egipcian,
Genesis 16:3
hir seruauntesse, after ten yeer aftir that thei begunne to enhabite in the lond of Chanaan, and sche yaf Agar wiif to hir hosebonde.
Genesis 16:9
And the aungel of the Lord seide to hir, Turne thou ayen to thi ladi, and be thou mekid vndur hir hondis.
Genesis 16:10
And eft he seide, Y multipliynge schal multiplie thi seed, and it schal not be noumbrid for multitude.
Genesis 21:12
and God seide to hym, Be it not seyn scharp to thee on the child, and on thin handmayde; alle thingis whiche Sare seith to thee, here thou hir vois, for in Isaac seed schal be clepid to thee;
Genesis 21:21
and dwellide in the deseert of Faran; and his modir took to him a wijf of the lond of Egipt.
Genesis 25:21
And Isaac bisouyte the Lord for his wijf, for sche was bareyn; and the Lord herde him, and yaf conseiuyng to Rebecca.
Judges 13:2
Forsothe a man was of Saraa, and of the kynrede of Dan, `Manue bi name, and he hadde a bareyn wijf.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then went Samson to Gaza,.... One of the five principalities of the Philistines, which was ten miles from Ashkelon, as Sandys q says; who also describes r it as standing upon an hill environed with valleys, and these again well nigh enclosed with hills, most of them planted with all sorts of delicate fruits; and, according to Bunting s, forty two miles from Ramathlehi, the place where we last hear of him, :- :- what he went hither for is not easy to say; it showed great boldness and courage, after he had made such a slaughter of the Philistines, to venture himself in one of their strongest cities, where he must expect to be exposed to danger; though it is highly probable this was a long time after his last encounter with them:

and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her; the Targum renders it an innkeeper, one that kept a victualling house; so Kimchi, Ben Gersom, and Ben Melech interpret it; into whose house he went for entertainment and lodging, and very probably in the dusk of the evening; and the woman that kept this house might herself be an harlot, or, however, Samson saw one in her house, with whom he was captivated, and went in unto her, or had criminal conversation with her; it seems as if he did not turn in thither with any such wicked design, but on sight of the person was ensnared to commit lewdness with her; and, as Lyra says, there were many hostesses in some places, and so here, who too easily prostituted themselves to their guests.

q Travels, l. 3. p. 118. r Travels, l. 3. p. 116. s Ut supra. (Travels, l. 3. p. 118.)

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Gaza - About 8 hours from Eleutheropolis, and one of the chief strong-holds of the Philistines.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER XVI

Samson comes to Gaza; they lay wait for him; he rises by night,

and carries away the city gates, 1-3.

Falls in love with Delilah, 4.

The lords of the Philistines promise her money if she will

obtain from Samson the secret in which his strength lay, 5.

By various artifices she at last obtains this; and

communicates it to the Philistines, who seize and bind him, put

out his eyes, and cause him to grind in the prison-house, 6-21.

At a public festival to Dagon he is brought out to make sport;

when, being weary, he requests to be placed between the two

pillars which supported the roof of the house, on which three

thousand men and women were stationed to see him make sport,

22-27.

He prays to God to strengthen him, and pulls down the pillars;

by which (the house falling) both himself, the lords of the

Philistines, and a vast multitude of the people, are slain,

28-30.

His relatives come and take away his body, and bury it, 31.

NOTES ON CHAP. XVI

Verse Judges 16:1. Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there a harlot — The Chaldee, as in the former case, renders the clause thus: Samson saw there a woman, an inn-keeper. Perhaps the word זונה zonah is to be taken here in its double sense; one who keeps a house for the entertainment of travellers, and who also prostitutes her person.

Gaza was situated near the Mediterranean Sea, and was one of the most southern cities of Palestine. It has been supposed by some to have derived its name from the treasures deposited there by Cambyses, king of the Persians; because they say Gaza, in Persian, signifies treasure; so Pomponius Mela and others. But it is more likely to be a Hebrew word, and that this city derived its name, עזה azzah, from עזז azaz, to be strong, it being a strong or well fortified place.

The Hebrew ע ain in this word is, by the Septuagint, the Arabic, and the Vulgate, rendered G; hence instead of azzah, with a strong guttural breathing, we have Gaza, a name by which this town could not be recognized by an ancient Hebrew.


 
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