Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. – Judges 16:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 16, 2019): Judges 16

Margaret Atwood in “The Year of the Flood” makes this comment; “How easy it is, treachery. You just slide into it.” Maybe, the traitor lurks inside all of us. All we need to become a Benedict Arnold or a Guy Fawkes is the opportunity and either a perceived hurt for which we want to gain revenge (Benedict Arnold) or some issue about which we believe strongly (Guy Fawkes and the fight of Catholicism against a Protestant King). But treachery always involves some kind of motive combined with opportunity.

The many women that Samson loved, or more likely lusted after, remain unnamed except for one: Delilah. Delilah was from the Valley of Sorek, an area known today Nahal Sorek, which is one of the largest and most important drainage basins in the Judean hillside. In the ancient world, Nahal Sorek provided a border between the Philistines and Israelite Tribe of Dan. Although we really aren’t told, the context of the story and Jewish tradition says that Delilah was a Philistine woman. Samson, who for twenty years had let his anger burn against the Philistines, now finds himself desiring a Philistine woman. Hate suddenly turned to lust all in the person of Delilah.

We are not told whether Samson and Delilah had a sexual relationship, but that is implied in the biblical text and taught explicitly by Jewish tradition. Delilah would take advantage of her sexual relationship with Samson and allow the rulers of the Philistines wreak vengeance on her lover, Samson.

Some traditions argue that Delilah was the mother of Micah, from the story of Micah’s idol in Judges 17, but that is highly unlikely because the story of Micah seems to be misplaced and should be considered historically to have taken place much earlier in the time of the Judges. Samson and Micah were not contemporaries.

Samson fell in love or lust with Delilah. And that relationship, combined with the actions of the Philistine Rulers, gave her the opportunity to become a traitor. And as a result, Delilah is remembered as a traitor and someone who was able to slip into her treachery.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 3