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Delilah: Treacherous Beauty
by Angela Hunt - The Bible tells the story of Samson, the strong man judge of Israel, and how he was betrayed to the Philistines by a woman named Delilah. However, the Biblical account doesn't give any information about Delilah, or her reasons for what she did. In this novel, Angela Hunt builds a background and personality for Delilah and imagines how she was able to win Samson's trust. It's fictional, of course, but fits with all the details that the Bible does give.
Delilah is the daughter of an Egyptian woman who marries a Philistine merchant. Her privileged life takes an abrupt turn when her stepfather dies and her Philistine stepbrother Achish imprisons and abuses her after selling her mother into slavery. Delilah finally escapes and vows to find a way to free her mother. She meets some Gibeonite traders who protect her and take her to a Hebrew widow where she can live safely and learn the trade of weaving. Delilah's ultimate goal is to buy her mother's freedom and take revenge on Achish, and through the years she tries on a couple of occasions to take her case to Samson in hopes that he will help her.
In alternate chapters is the story from Samson's point of view, beginning with the time he sees the Philistine woman that he marries. This is the young woman that is pressured by her people to get the answer to Samson's riddle from him. Samson's anger at being deceived results in his beginning to defeat the Philistines, as was prophesied for him as a judge. Other stories of his exploits are told from his point of view as well, and he eventually meets Delilah when he stops at her home.
It's more than halfway through the book before Samson and Delilah meet and begin their relationship, so it does feel like a long build-up to what we'd think of as the main event, but it does set the stage for Delilah's motivation to give Samson over to the Philistines. Many years after her ordeal with Achish, and after her mother has already died, she still is seeking revenge. So even though she and Samson have a good life and love each other, she makes the decision to find out the secret of his strength and sell him to the Philistine rulers in exchange for their promise to spare Samson's life and to destroy Achish.
The story is well-told and the historical and cultural details well researched, and it's a very interesting read. It may challenge our traditional thinking about what Delilah was really like, or why Samson was susceptible to her deception.
by Angela Hunt - The Bible tells the story of Samson, the strong man judge of Israel, and how he was betrayed to the Philistines by a woman named Delilah. However, the Biblical account doesn't give any information about Delilah, or her reasons for what she did. In this novel, Angela Hunt builds a background and personality for Delilah and imagines how she was able to win Samson's trust. It's fictional, of course, but fits with all the details that the Bible does give.Delilah is the daughter of an Egyptian woman who marries a Philistine merchant. Her privileged life takes an abrupt turn when her stepfather dies and her Philistine stepbrother Achish imprisons and abuses her after selling her mother into slavery. Delilah finally escapes and vows to find a way to free her mother. She meets some Gibeonite traders who protect her and take her to a Hebrew widow where she can live safely and learn the trade of weaving. Delilah's ultimate goal is to buy her mother's freedom and take revenge on Achish, and through the years she tries on a couple of occasions to take her case to Samson in hopes that he will help her.
In alternate chapters is the story from Samson's point of view, beginning with the time he sees the Philistine woman that he marries. This is the young woman that is pressured by her people to get the answer to Samson's riddle from him. Samson's anger at being deceived results in his beginning to defeat the Philistines, as was prophesied for him as a judge. Other stories of his exploits are told from his point of view as well, and he eventually meets Delilah when he stops at her home.
It's more than halfway through the book before Samson and Delilah meet and begin their relationship, so it does feel like a long build-up to what we'd think of as the main event, but it does set the stage for Delilah's motivation to give Samson over to the Philistines. Many years after her ordeal with Achish, and after her mother has already died, she still is seeking revenge. So even though she and Samson have a good life and love each other, she makes the decision to find out the secret of his strength and sell him to the Philistine rulers in exchange for their promise to spare Samson's life and to destroy Achish.
The story is well-told and the historical and cultural details well researched, and it's a very interesting read. It may challenge our traditional thinking about what Delilah was really like, or why Samson was susceptible to her deception.
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