Samson

Samson (; ) was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" the twelve tribes of Israel before the institution of the monarchy. He is sometimes regarded as an Israelite version of the popular Near Eastern folk hero archetype also embodied by the Sumerian Gilgamesh and Enkidu, as well as the Greek Heracles. Samson was given superhuman powers by God in the form of extreme strength.

Dagon or Dagan (; ) was a god worshipped in ancient Syria, across the middle of the Euphrates, with primary temples located in Tuttul and Terqa, though many attestations of his cult come from cities such as Mari and Emar as well. In settlements situated in the upper Euphrates area, he was regarded as the "father of gods" similar to Mesopotamian Enlil or Hurrian Kumarbi, as well as a lord of the land, a god of prosperity, and a source of royal legitimacy. A large number of theophoric names, both masculine and feminine, attests that he was a popular deity. He was also worshiped further east, in

thumb|right|300px|Delilah ( 1896) by Gustave Moreau

Manoah ( Mānoaḥ) is a figure from the Book of Judges 13:1-23 and 14:2-4 of the Hebrew Bible. His name means "rest". He is the father of the judge Samson.

torah reading

human biblical figure, mother of Samson (Judges)

chapter of the Bible

hiding place of Samson

Book of Judges, chapter 15

in the Bible, a riddle that Samson posed to his Philistine wedding guests: “Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet”, about a beehive in a lion carcass

Book of Judges, chapter 14

1781 Intrepid-class third-rate ship of the line

Book of Judges, chapter 13