Samson and the Philistines: The Conflict at Lehi and the Miracle of En-hakkore

The narrative begins during the time of the wheat harvest, when Samson went to visit his wife.
As a gesture of peace or tradition, Samson brought along a young goat (a kid).
Samson’s intent: He explicitly stated, ‐I want to go into my wife’s room.‑
The Father’s Obstruction: The wife’s father refused Samson entry.
The Father’s Justification: The father claimed he was entirely certain that Samson had rejected her after the events of their wedding.
The Disposition of the Wife: Because of this assumption, the father had already given Samson’s wife to Samson’s companion.
The Alternative Offer: The father offered Samson his younger daughter instead, claiming she was ‐prettier than she‑ (the former wife).

Samson’s Legal/Moral Stance: Upon being denied his wife, Samson declared that he would be ‐without blame‑ this time when he committed ‐mischief‑ against the Philistines.
The Collection of Animals: Samson went and captured $300$ foxes (or jackals, as noted in some textual traditions).
The Mechanism of Destruction:
- He took torches and turned the foxes tail to tail.
- He fastened a torch in the middle between each pair of tails.
The Execution: Samson set fire to the torches and released the animals into the Philistines’ agricultural fields.
Extent of the Damage: The fire consumed multiple types of resources:
- The shocks of grain.
- The standing grain.
- The vineyards.
- The olive groves.

Investigation: The Philistines inquired, ‐Who has done this?‑
Attribution: The arson was attributed to Samson, identified specifically as the son-in-law of the Timnite.
Root Cause Identified: The community recognized the motive: the Timnite had taken Samson’s wife and given her to his companion.
The Retribution: The Philistines went up and burned both the woman and her father to death.
Samson’s Vow of Vengeance: Samson declared, ‐If this is what you do, I swear I will not stop until I have taken revenge on you.‑
The Combat: Samson struck the Philistines ‐hip and thigh‑ with a massive defeat.
Withdrawal: Following the slaughter, Samson retreated to stay in the cleft of the rock of Etam.

Philistine Mobilization: The Philistines marched up and encamped in the territory of Judah, making a raid on a place called Lehi.
Judah’s Inquiry: The men of Judah asked why the Philistines had come against them.
Philistine Objective: They stated their purpose was to bind Samson and treat him exactly as he had treated them (‐do to him as he did to us‑).
Judah’s Internal Pressure: A force of $3,000$ men from Judah went down to the rock of Etam to confront Samson.
The Argument of Subjugation: The men of Judah reminded Samson, ‐Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us?‑ They questioned why he had brought this trouble upon them.
Samson’s Reciprocity Logic: Samson responded, ‐As they did to me, so I have done to them.‑

The Apprehension: The men of Judah informed Samson they had come to bind him and hand him over to the Philistines.
Samson’s Mandatory Condition: Samson required an oath from the men of Judah, saying, ‐Swear to me that you yourselves will not attack me.‑
The Agreement: The men of Judah promised they would only bind him and deliver him, but would not kill him ourselves.
The Restraint: They bound Samson with $2$ new ropes and brought him up from the rock of Etam toward Lehi.

The Confrontation: When Samson arrived at Lehi, the Philistines came out to meet him with shouting.
Divine Empowerment: The ‐spirit of the Lord rushed on him.‑
The Physical Transformation: The $2$ new ropes on his arms became like flax that has caught fire, and his bonds effectively ‐melted‑ off his hands.
The Improvised Weapon: Samson found a fresh (moist) jawbone of a donkey.
The Slaughter: Using only the jawbone, Samson killed $1,000$ men.
Samson’s Poetic Boast: Samson recited a victory poem:
- ‐With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps,‑
- ‐with the jawbone of a donkey I have slain a thousand men.‑
The Naming of the Site: After speaking, Samson threw the jawbone away and named the place Ramath-lehi, which means ‐hill of the jawbone.‑

The Threat of Dehydration: Following the battle, Samson became intensely thirsty and feared for his life.
Samson’s Petition (The Prayer): He called on the Lord, acknowledging that God had granted the great victory, but asked if he was now to die of thirst and fall into the hands of the ‐uncircumcised.‑
The Miracle: God split open a ‐hollow place‑ that is located at Lehi.
The Result: Water emerged from the hollow; Samson drank, his spirit returned, and he was revived.
The Memorial Name: The spring was named En-hakkore, which means ‐spring of the one who called.‑ The spring remained at Lehi ‐to this day.‑
Historical Summary: Samson judged Israel for a total of $20$ years during the period of Philistine dominance.

Question (Philistines to the People): ‐Who has done this?‑
- Response: The people identified Samson, noting his relationship to the Timnite and the fact that the Timnite had given Samson’s wife to a companion.
Question (Men of Judah to Philistines): ‐Why have you come up against us?‑
- Response: ‐We have come up to bind Samson, to do to him as he did to us.‑
Question (Men of Judah to Samson): ‐Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then have you done to us?‑
- Response: ‐As they did to me, so I have done to them.‑
Dialogue regarding the Binding:
- Men of Judah: ‐We have come down to bind you, so that we may give you into the hands of the Philistines.‑
- Samson: ‐Swear to me that you yourselves will not attack me.‑
- Men of Judah: ‐No, we will only bind you and give you into their hands; we will not kill you.‑
Samson’s Prayer to God: ‐You have granted this great victory by the hand of your servant. Am I now to die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?‑