Samson and Delilah

So the Jews had to fight the Philistines now. At first, owing mainly to the fact that the Philistines had the new iron weapons while the Jews were still using bronze, the Philistines won, and the Jews lived under the rule of the Philistines for forty years and more (according to the Bible).

The story of Samson and Delilah takes place during this time: Samson was a Jewish man who fell in love with a Philistine woman, Delilah, who betrayed him.

Samson(ca. 1180 AD,
Rippl-Rónai Múzeum,
Kaposvár, Hungary)

According to the Bible, Samson was a Jewish man who was given a gift from God of being very very strong, stronger than anybody else ever. When Samson was young, he was attacked by a lion but he killed it with his bare hands (that's what's in the picture.) (You might compare this to the Greek story of Herakles and the Nemean Lion).

When Samson got older, he fought as an insurgent against the Philistines, trying to get them out of his country (like the American Revolution, or the Iraqi insurgency right now fighting against the United States). Then he fell in love with Delilah, a Philistine woman. Delilah's brothers got her to try to find out the secret of his strength. Samson didn't want to tell her, but Delilah said if he really loved her he would (this is kind of like the story of Salome). So Samson told Delilah that his strength was all in his hair - that was why he never cut his hair.

When Samson fell asleep, Delilah made her slave cut off all his hair. Then he was weak, and the Philistines were able to put him in jail for being an insurgent.

By the time they brought him to the courtroom for his trial, though, he had been in jail for so long that his hair had all grown back. Now Samson was strong again, and he used his strength to knock down the pillars of the courtroom and kill all the Philistine judges and on-lookers - and himself.

More on the Jews

Main Judaism page
Main religion page

Educating children is a tough job – let Kidipede make education easier with free online homework help. Homeschooling? Kidipede will also fit right into your homeschool material. And Kidipede’s great for unschoolers, who can surf independently. With Kidipede’s homework or homeschool material, education can be fun instead of a chore!

Teachers - check out our social studies lesson plans for middle school ancient history! Kidipede covers Egyptian Art, the Middle Ages, Ancient Rome, Native Americans and much more. Instant museum in your classroom.

Parents and grandparents – find the perfect gift for your middle school kid in Kidipede’s store! Kidipede has history books and other educational gifts for kids, from Halloween costumes to CD’s and DVD’s to art supplies. Now that’s good parenting! Pay securely through Amazon.

Teens – Kidipede has the best homework help around. Find out about ancient Greek music, medieval clothing fashions, and Native American technology trends. What was trendy clothing in ancient China? Who were the most popular girls in ancient Rome? How did teens decorate their rooms in ancient India?