Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Despite his ultimate downfall, Samson's family and tribe still honored him with burial in the ancestral tomb, suggesting that his people remembered his role as a deliverer, even with his significant personal failings. This final act underscores that the narrative isn't just about Samson's mistakes, but also about God's enduring faithfulness to a broken people through a flawed champion.
Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Samson's final act of collapsing the Philistine temple, killing himself and thousands of their leaders, brings his tumultuous life to an end. In the aftermath, while the Philistines are in stunned disarray, his family retrieves his body. They bury him with his father, Manoah, in their ancestral homeland, marking the conclusion of his twenty-year period of leadership over Israel.
Samson's life ended in a spectacular act of destruction, but his death wasn't the end of his story. How did his own people respond?
The verse reveals a striking picture of communal honor amidst personal tragedy. Despite Samson's many flaws and his violent end, his family and community didn't abandon him.
A Responsible Burial
A Territory Secured
Honoring a Judge
Ask a follow-up
Samson judged Israel for twenty years. What does this period reveal about his impact and God's long-suffering grace?
The concluding phrase, "He had judged Israel twenty years," serves as a somber capstone to Samson's tumultuous life. It's a reminder of his divinely appointed role and the duration of his ministry, even with its dramatic ups and downs.
A Limited but Significant Rule
God's Patience and Samson's Struggle
Legacy of a Flawed Hero
Understand the original words
aḥāw · Hebrew Noun
In a familial context, this refers to male siblings, but in a broader biblical sense, it signifies kinsmen, fellow Israelites, or people sharing the same ancestral covenantal identity.
bêṯ · Hebrew Noun
A common biblical term referring to a household, clan, or the total group of descendants tracing their lineage to a common ancestor, often representing the primary social unit in ancient Israel.
wayyiqbərû · Hebrew Verb
To place a deceased body into the ground or a tomb; in Hebrew thought, this acts as a solemn obligation of kin, ensuring dignity and securing the remains within the inheritance of the fathers.
Yiśrā’ēl · Hebrew Noun
A covenant nation chosen by God, encompassing the descendants of Jacob/Israel; it refers to both the political entity and the spiritual community bound by the Mosaic Law.
šāp̱aṭ · Hebrew Verb
A divinely appointed leader, primarily a military deliverer and legal arbiter, who serves under God's authority to rescue the people from oppression and restore justice according to the covenant.
Samson's final act of judgment, though ending his life, brought immense destruction to Israel's oppressors and allowed his family to reclaim his body, bringing a measure of closure to his tumultuous twenty-year leadership.
c. 1160 BC
Samson's Birth and Nazirite Vow
An angel announces Samson's miraculous birth to his parents, establishing his lifelong Nazirite vow and divine calling to begin delivering Israel from Philistine oppression.
c. 1140-1120 BC
Samson's Exploits and Philistine Retaliation
Samson carries out numerous acts of strength against the Philistines, including killing a lion, fighting 30 Philistines, burning their fields, and killing many more with a donkey's jawbone.
c. 1120 BC
Samson and Delilah
Samson's Philistine lover, Delilah, repeatedly betrays his secrets, ultimately discovering the source of his strength is his uncut hair and delivering him to the Philistines.
c. 1120 BC
Samson Captured and Imprisoned
The blinded Samson is captured by the Philistines, his head is shaved, and he is put to work grinding grain in prison, his strength seemingly gone.
c. 1120 BC— this verse
Destruction of the Philistine Temple
Brought out to entertain the Philistines at a feast, Samson prays for strength, regains it, and pulls down the pillars of the temple, killing himself and thousands of Philistines.
c. 1120 BC
Samson's Burial
Samson's family retrieves his body from Gaza amidst Philistine shock and buries him in his father's tomb between the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol.
This passage explicitly lists Samson among the heroes of faith, highlighting God's work through him despite his personal failings, which resonates with the tragic yet significant end described in Judges.
1 Samuel 12:11This verse mentions Gideon, another judge who, like Samson, delivered Israel from oppression, providing a parallel to Samson's role as a national deliverer even as he struggled with personal sin.
Psalm 73:1-12This Psalm wrestles with the seeming prosperity of the wicked and the struggles of the righteous, mirroring the complex reality of Samson's life where divine power was evident amidst personal failure and Philistine oppression.
Romans 6:23The latter part of this verse states the 'gift of God is eternal life,' which, when read alongside Samson's story, can offer a perspective on how even those who fall short can find ultimate redemption through God's grace, as hinted at by his inclusion in Hebrews.
bensonJudges 16:31: "Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years."
Jdg 16:31 . His brethren, &c., came down, and took, and buried him — While the Philistines were so reduced by the great destruction he had wrought among them, and so oppressed with grief and consternation, that they had neither heart nor leisure to hinder them. Or, as s…
clarkeJudges 16:31: "Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years."
He judged Israel twenty years - It is difficult to ascertain the time of Samson's magistracy, and the extent of country over which he presided. His jurisdiction seems to have been very limited, and to have extended no farther than over those parts of the tribe of Dan co…
Despite his ultimate downfall, Samson's family and tribe still honored him with burial in the ancestral tomb, suggesting that his people remembered his role as a deliverer, even with his significant personal failings. This final act underscores that the narrative isn't just about Samson's mistakes, but also about God's enduring faithfulness to a broken people through a flawed champion.
Samson's final act of collapsing the Philistine temple, killing himself and thousands of their leaders, brings his tumultuous life to an end. In the aftermath, while the Philistines are in stunned disarray, his family retrieves his body. They bury him with his father, Manoah, in their ancestral homeland, marking the conclusion of his twenty-year period of leadership over Israel.
Samson's final act of collapsing the Philistine temple, killing himself and thousands of their leaders, brings his tumultuous life to an end. In the aftermath, while the Philistines are in stunned disarray, his family retrieves his body. They bury him with his father, Manoah, in their ancestral homeland, marking the conclusion of his twenty-year period of leadership over Israel.
"Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years." — Despite his ultimate downfall, Samson's family and tribe still honored him with burial in the ancestral tomb, suggesting that his people remembered his role as a deliverer, even with his significant…
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Last reviewed October 2026