Samson, Shimshon (Hebrew: שִׁמְשׁוֹן, Shimshon Šimšôn, meaning "man of the sun"); Shamshoun (Arabic: شمشون Shamshūn/Šamšūn) or Sampson (Greek: Σαμψών) is the third-to-last of the Judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible) (Book of Judges chapters 13 to 16).
Samson was granted supernatural strength by God in order to combat his enemies and perform heroic feats such as wrestling a lion, slaying an entire army with only the jawbone of an ass, and destroying a pagan temple. Samson is believed to have been buried in Tel Tzora in Israel overlooking the Sorek valley. There reside two large gravestones of Samson and his father Manoah. Nearby stands Manoah’s altar (Judges 13:19–24). It is located between the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol.
Read more about Samson: Biblical Narrative, Rabbinic Literature, Interpretations, Archaeology, Folk Culture
Famous quotes containing the word samson:
“Jack, eating rotten cheese, did say,
‘Like Samson I my thousands slay.’”
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)