Judges 13:3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Isaac, the promised son who serves as a foreshadowing of our Savior, exhibited obedience to his father even unto death. He was born to aged parents and a mother who long struggled with barrenness. Similarly, Jacob and Joseph, two significant patriarchs, along with Samson, the mightiest of leaders, and Samuel, the greatest of prophets, all emerged from a mother who had endured long years without childbirth, yet was filled with purity and virtuous qualities, which their miraculous births affirm. The lives that these individuals led further underscore the remarkable nature of those who, from the moment of their birth, transcended the limits of human ability.

The devout wife of Manoah experienced a long period of childlessness. Eventually, the Archangel Michael came to her and announced that she would give birth to a son, saying, "Beware, do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean; for behold, you will conceive and bear a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines" (Judges 13:3). The child born to her was named Samson.

This passage speaks of her thoughts. Prior to the birth of Sampson, an angel visited Manoah’s wife to proclaim that the child she would bear would be a Nazarite and that he would rescue the Israelites from the oppression of the Philistines. The angel deemed Manoah's wife deserving of this divine visitation and revelation, rather than himself.

The angel manifested, undoubtedly, in the likeness of a man, much like the angel did when he visited Gideon. Manoah and his wife would later realize that he was not merely a man. Considering that the angel announced an unexpected conception given her circumstances, she could surmise that her child would be remarkable, destined for an important mission. Subsequently, the angel would explicitly communicate the nature of this mission, stating that her son would "begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines." The angel chose to appear to the wife rather than the husband because the prophecies he conveyed were intended specifically for her and held significance for her actions, rather than for her husband.