The meanings of Hebrew names can almost tell the whole story by themselves. They show how the allegory is assembled. For example: Samson means "the light" and Jesus is "the Light of men." His father's name is Manoah which means "peace or rest" and God provided peace between Him and us through the death of His Son. Delilah means "one who is heavily burdened" and Jesus said "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened."

As you read through the various sections on Samson, you might want to use this list of meanings to help put the story together.

  Name Meaning Representation
  Samson: Sunlight Jesus
Manoah: Peace or rest God the Father
Zorah: Sting, like that of a wasp Death
Dan: To judge or to follow a straight course One of Jesus' functions
Nazerite: Separate or holy Jesus is holy
Philistine: To roll in the dust Like Satan who was to crawl
Eshtaol: Demands or requirements The Law which demands obedience
Timnah: Allotted or predetermined place The cross was predetermined
Mahaneh: Encampment Where Jesus dwelled
Ashkelon: Weighing place for determining value Judgment
Etam: Place where birds prey Place of punishment
Gaza: Fierce (enemy) The enemy of our souls - Satan
Hebron: Place of meeting Where God is met
Delilah: Oppressed or heavy burdened The broken soul
Sorak: Shame Realization of sinfulness

Next: Samson's Birth (Jesus' Entrance into the World)

Your Identity In Christ

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21 - NIV)