The Nazir Vow
Shimshon belonged to this specific tribe of Israel, which lived right on the dangerous border of Philistine territory.
Dan
While traveling to Timnah, a young Shimshon encountered this roaring wild predator and ripped it apart with his bare hands.
Shimshon's famous wedding riddle—"Out of the eater came something to eat, out of the strong came something sweet"—was inspired by finding honey inside this.
the carcass of the lion
Once his hair was shaved off and his strength left him, the Philistines captured Shimshon and immediately blinded him by gouging out these.
His eyes
Even though he fought alone rather than leading an army into battle, Shimshon served in this biblical leadership role for 20 years.
A Shofet
An angel of God told Shimshon's mother that a razor must never touch his head, meaning he could never do this.
cut his hair
Armed with nothing but the fresh jawbone of this animal, Shimshon single-handedly defeated 1,000 Philistine soldiers.
a donkey
This Philistine woman from the Valley of Sorek was paid a fortune in silver by the Philistine rulers to discover the secret of Shimshon's strength.
Delilah
While trapped in a dark prison in Gaza, the former hero was forced to turn a heavy stone wheel to perform this grueling slave labor.
grinding grain
The story emphasizes that Shimshon's strength was not natural muscle power, but came directly from this divine force whenever it "rushed upon him."
The Spirit of HaShem
As a lifelong Nazir (Nazirite), Shimshon was strictly forbidden from eating or drinking anything made from this fruit.
Grapes (Wine)
To escape an ambush in the city of Gaza, Shimshon ripped these massive structural pieces off the city walls and carried them up a mountain.
The city gates
Shimshon lied to Delilah at first, claiming he could be weakened if he was tied up with seven fresh, undried versions of these bow-stringing materials.
Sinews
While Shimshon was miserable in prison, his captors foolishly overlooked the fact that this physical feature was slowly growing back.
His hair
In his very final prayer, Shimshon did not ask God to save his life, but prayed for the strength to achieve this against his cruel captors.
Revenge
This is the name of Shimshon's father, who prayed for the angel to return and teach them how to raise their special boy.
Manoach
To ruin the enemy's food supply, Shimshon caught 300 of these wild animals, tied torches to their tails, and let them loose in the Philistine grain fields.
foxes
In another attempt to trick her, Shimshon told Delilah she could sap his strength by weaving the locks of his hair into one of these textile-making machines.
A loom
Thousands of Philistines gathered in a massive temple to mock Shimshon and celebrate their victory in the name of this chief god of theirs.
Shimshon’s final heroic act actually killed more of Israel's enemies than he had killed during this entire timeframe.
his whole life
Before Shimshon was even born, the angel predicted that he would not fully defeat the Philistines, but would only do this to Israel's deliverance.
Begin it
When the men of Judah bound Shimshon with brand new ropes to hand him over to the enemy, the ropes miraculously did this as soon as the Philistines approached.
Came off his arms
The Philistine wedding guests only figured out Shimshon's lion riddle because they threatened his first wife, causing her to do this until he gave her the answer.
Nag him/Cry
Shimshon asked a young servant boy to guide his hands so he could lean against these two vital architectural supports.
The Pillars
Shimshon’s famous last words before collapsing the temple were: "Let my soul die with..." these people.
the Philistines