And when she was come to her husband, she said to him: A man of God came to me, having the countenance of an angel, very awful. And when I asked him whence he came, and by what name he was called, he would not tell me:
וַתָּבֹ֣א הָאִשָּׁ֗ה וַתֹּ֣אמֶר לְאִישָׁהּ֮ לֵאמֹר֒ אִ֤ישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים֙ בָּ֣א אֵלַ֔י וּמַרְאֵ֕הוּ כְּמַרְאֵ֛ה מַלְאַ֥ךְ הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים נוֹרָ֣א מְאֹ֑ד וְלֹ֤א שְׁאִלְתִּ֙יהוּ֙ אֵֽי־מִזֶּ֣ה ה֔וּא וְאֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ לֹֽא־הִגִּ֥יד לִֽי׃
2 Church Fathers comment on this verse
With a pure heart, she received the honor of an angelic vision, complied with the directive, and accomplished the prophecy. She did not hide the divine revelation from her husband but shared with him that a splendid messenger of God had visited her, delivering tidings about their forthcoming child. Trusting in the heavenly promises, she united her husband with those hopes.
Manoah's wife, recounting her encounter with the remarkable messenger and his message to her husband, identifies him as a servant of God. This title was commonly attributed to the prophets. For example, Moses is referred to as the servant of God (Deuteronomy 33:1). Manoah's wife recognized this visitor as a prophet, largely due to the extraordinary nature of his message. The appearance of the figure greatly impacted her, leading her to believe he was an angel from God, a being not of this world, with a countenance radiating a unique brightness that instilled fear within her. The angel foretold that the child to be born would be a Nazarene until his death.
However, this prophecy seems unfulfilled, as the requirements of the Nazarite vow demanded that the Nazarene separate himself from impurity, uphold moral integrity, and fervently pursue a holy life. We know that Samson did not adhere to these standards, as he engaged in immoral acts and ultimately disregarded his Nazarite distinction. To reconcile this apparent contradiction with the angel’s prophecy, we can interpret the prediction in two ways: either as a directive, or as a suggestion that although Samson acted contrary to the principles of his vow, he ultimately repented of his shortcomings after enduring the trials of his captivity among the Philistines and died as a faithful Nazarene.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS