THEOSISAmbrose of Milan
If your loyalty lies with these oppressors, then hand me over to them, but spare me from your own hand! My resistance is not against death itself, but I cannot bear to face it through you. Should you submit out of fear to these tyrants, then bind my hands with chains. I ask for no weapons; my hands will find them once they are free from restraint. Certainly, the Philistines will be glad if you deliver me to them alive. Upon hearing this, a thousand men ascended the rock and vowed that they would not harm him if he allowed them to bind him and surrender him, so they might escape the accusations against them.
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Samson felt unfulfilled by the suffering he had inflicted on the Philistines and the retribution he had taken against them. He slaughtered them in a furious display of vengeance, claiming many lives with his sword. He then retreated to Etham, arriving at a stream in the wilderness where a ravine served as a stronghold for the Jewish tribe. The Philistines, unwilling to assault this fortress or scale the perilous heights, denounced the Jewish tribe and rallied them to war. They perceived that the actions of one man could compromise the integrity of the people who were under their dominion. Seeking to alleviate the situation, they demanded the surrender of the one who had caused such unrest, promising that no harm would befall the tribe if they complied.
When the people of Judah learned of this ultimatum, they gathered together three thousand men to confront him, stating that they were subjects of the Philistines, bound by fear rather than their own choice. They shifted the blame for their actions onto those who had authority over them. Samson responded: "What sort of justice is this, O offspring of Abraham, that I should bear the consequence of a woman taken and another stolen, and that a man should not avenge the wrongs done to his own household? Will you stoop to be mere instruments of another’s pride and turn against your own? If I must perish for a grief that is justly mine, I would rather meet my end at the hands of the Philistines. My home has been attacked, my wife wronged. If I cannot escape their wickedness in life, then I will gladly face death without the dishonor of my kin's misdeeds. Have I not repaid the malice directed at me? Have I not instigated it? Reflect on whether my response to them is just. They lament over ruined fields; meanwhile, I mourn for my wife. Compare the loss of harvest to the loss of a beloved. They have witnessed the evidence of my anguish. Consider what favor they seek from you! They wish to slay the one whom they believe requires vengeance, whom they have insulted, and to whom they have entrusted the means of retribution. Should you force my head to bow before the arrogant, surrender me to the enemy, but do not take my life yourself. I do not shy away from death, but I dread your disgrace. If you yield to these proud men in fear, bind my hands with ropes. Even if they approach unarmed, the bonds will serve as their weapons. They will undoubtedly feel they have satisfied their promise if you deliver me alive into their custody.” In response, three hundred men who had scaled the rock took an oath that they would not harm his life as long as he was bound, and they would surrender him to free themselves of the charges against them.