Manoah and His Wife

By Mary Jane Chaignot

Categories: Men in the Old Testament, Samson

Manoah’s name means “rest.”
He belongs to the tribe of Dan and lives in the city of Zorah, located just north of the Tribe of Judah.
He is the father of Samson.
His wife is not named; she is referred to as the wife of Manoah.
According to several Midrashic texts, the Rabbis know her as “Zlelponi” or “Zlelponith,” a name associated with the royal tribe of Judah.
The meaning of her name could be associated with the angel of the Lord.
She is childless, unable to give birth. That puts her among a long list of barren women that are given the promise of sons.
Little is known about her except that she must have been receptive to God’s messages and messenger.
It never says that she prays, but surely she is praying for a child.
One day an angel appears to her and tells her that she will become pregnant and give birth to a son.
The announcement comes with the condition that she refrain from drinking any wine or other fermented drink.
She is also not to eat anything unclean.
The son’s head should never by touched by a razor because he “is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”
Obviously, the woman is very excited, but hardly overwhelmed.
Keeping her wits about her, she calmly goes to tell her husband.
She fully trusts that he will understand her communication with the angel.
She says to him, “A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God, very awesome.”
She adds that she hadn’t asked his origin or his name; he hadn’t offered it.
She has the presence of mind to repeat word for word what the angel has said.
Manoah, who is apparently a devout man, then prays that God will send the angel back to teach them “how to bring up the boy who is to be born.”
While this is commendable, perhaps it indicates that he needs more reassurance.
Nonetheless, God hears the prayer of Manoah.
One day, the angel comes again to Manoah’s wife while she is out in the field when her husband is not with her.
She runs to get her husband saying, “He’s here. The man who appeared to me the other day!”
Manoah follows her home. He asks the man, “Are you the man that talked to my wife?”
The angel replies that he is.
Manoah asks, “When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule that governs the boy’s life and work?”
Manoah doesn’t ask for honor or glory for his family. He wants to do right by God.
The angel repeats the instructions he has already given to Manoah’s wife.
In gratitude, Manoah acts with true hospitality and invites him to stay while they prepare a young goat for him.
The angel refuses to eat anything but suggests they offer that goat for a burnt offering to the Lord.
Manoah asks the angel his name, “so that we may honor you when your word comes true?”
The angel replies that his name is “beyond understanding.”
Manoah follows his instruction, takes the young goat with the grain offering, and sacrifices it on a rock to the Lord.
While the flame blazes high, the angel ascends in the flame.
Manoah and his wife fall with their faces to the ground.
Both are convinced they have seen “God,” and Manoah exclaims, “We are doomed to die!”
His wife, however, has a better understanding of God’s communication.
She comforts him saying, “If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted the burnt offering and grain offering, nor shown us all these things.”
Manoah’s wife does give birth to a boy and names him Samson.
Little is known about their family life.
When Samson is grown and ready to marry, he sees a young Philistine woman. He asks his father and mother to get her for him.
They reply: “Isn’t there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?”
Samson, however, is insistent, demanding his father “get her for me!”
Nothing they could say would dissuade Samson.
It is his parents’ responsibility to negotiate terms for the bride, even when they oppose the marriage.
Though painful and against their wishes, his parents go down to Timnah with him for the marriage.
There is no further information about them in the story.
There is no information about the death of either Manoah or his wife.
However, when Samson is laid to rest, he is placed in his father’s tomb by his “brothers and his father’s whole family.” This suggests that Manoah and his wife have additional children.

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