View source for Delilah

{{Short description|Woman in the Book of Judges of the Hebrew Bible}}
{{Other uses|Delilah (disambiguation)|Dalilah}}
{{good article}}
[[File:Gustave Moreau - Dalila.jpg|thumb|right|300px|''Delilah'' ({{circa}} 1896) by [[Gustave Moreau]]]]

'''Delilah''' ({{IPAc-en|d|ɪ|ˈ|l|aɪ|l|ə}} {{respell|dil|EYE|lə}}; {{Langx|he|דְּלִילָה|Dəlīlā|delicate}};<ref name="auto">Gesenius's ''Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon''</ref> {{langx|ar|دليلة|Dalīlah}}; {{langx|grc|label=[[Ancient Greek|Greek]]|Δαλιδά|Dalidá}}) is a woman mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the [[Book of Judges]] in the [[Hebrew Bible]].<ref name= ppp>{{JewishEncyclopedia|article=Delilah |url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5062-delilah}}</ref>  She is loved by [[Samson]],<ref name=ppp/> a [[Nazirite]] who possesses great strength<ref name= eb2>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Samson|url= https://www.britannica.com/biography/Samson |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia Britannica]] |access-date= October 31, 2017}}</ref> and serves as the final [[Biblical judges|Judge of Israel]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title= Samson |url= http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13423a.htm |encyclopedia= [[Catholic Encyclopedia]] |access-date= February 5, 2018}}</ref> Delilah is bribed by the lords of the [[Philistines]] to discover the source of his strength. After three failed attempts at doing so, she finally goads Samson into telling her that his vigor is derived from his hair. As he sleeps, Delilah calls a servant to cut Samson's hair, thereby enabling her to turn him over to the Philistines.

Delilah has been the subject of both [[Samson in rabbinic literature|rabbinic]] and [[Christianity|Christian]] commentary; rabbinic literature identifies her with Micah's mother in the biblical narrative of [[Micah's Idol]], while some Christians have compared her to [[Judas Iscariot]], the man who betrayed [[Jesus]]. Scholars have noted similarities between Delilah and other [[women in the Bible]], such as [[Jael]] and [[Book of Judith|Judith]], and have discussed the question of whether the story of Samson's relationship with Delilah displays [[Xenophobia|a negative attitude towards foreigners]]. Notable depictions of Delilah include [[John Milton]]'s [[closet drama]] ''[[Samson Agonistes]]'' and [[Cecil B. DeMille]]'s 1949 Hollywood film ''[[Samson and Delilah (1949 film)|Samson and Delilah]]''. Her name has become associated with treacherous and voluptuous women.

{{anchor|Biblical_narrative}}

==In the Bible==
[[File:Delilah (biblical figure).jpg|thumb|right|Delilah from the {{Lang|la|[[Promptuarium Iconum Insigniorum]]}}]]
Delilah was a woman of [[Nahal Sorek|Sorek]].<ref name=ppp/> She is the only woman in [[Samson]]'s story who is named.<ref name=jw/> The Bible says that Samson loved her ({{bibleverse|Judges|16:4|HE}}) but not that she loved him.<ref name=jw>{{cite web|title=Delilah|url=https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/delilah-bible|work=[[Jewish Women's Archive]] |access-date=November 1, 2017}}</ref> The two were not said to be married<ref name=jw/> and the idea that they had a sexual relationship is, in the words of Josey Bridges Snyder, "at most implicit in the biblical text".<ref name="Newsome"/> The lords of the Philistines bribed her to discover the source of Samson's great strength, each offering to give her 1,100 silver coins.<ref name=ppp/><ref>{{Bibleverse|Judges|16|NRSVACE}}</ref> Three times she failed.<ref name=ppp/>

First, at his own suggestion, she bound him with "seven green withes," but these he easily snapped asunder.<ref name=ppp/> Then she tied him with new ropes: these also failed.<ref name=ppp/> Then, she fastened the locks of his hair to the loom but with the same result.<ref name=ppp/> Finally, after many complaints that Samson did not trust her, he told her that his strength lay in his [[Nazirite]] vow, symbolized by his uncut hair.<ref>Judges 16:17</ref><ref name=ppp/> The Hebrew text of the Bible says she cut Samson's hair while he slept; other variations of the text say "a man" or "a barber" cut Samson's hair.<ref name=jw/> She then awoke him, and delivered him into the hands of the waiting Philistine chiefs.<ref name=ppp/>

The Bible does not mention her fate,<ref name="chd">{{cite book|title=Chronicle of the Old Testament Kings: The Reign-By-Reign Record of the Rulers of Ancient Israel|last=Rogerson|first=John W.|year=1999|publisher=Thames & Hudson|location=London|isbn=0-500-05095-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/chronicleofoldte00john/page/62 62]|url=https://archive.org/details/chronicleofoldte00john/page/62}}</ref> and, as [[James Dunn (theologian)|James D.&nbsp;G. Dunn]] and John William Rogerson note in ''Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible'', it never discusses whether Delilah felt guilt for her actions.<ref name=family>{{cite book|editor1-last=Dunn|editor1-first=James D.&nbsp;G.|editor2-last=Rogerson|editor2-first=John William|title=Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible|date=2003|publisher=William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company|location=Grand Rapids, Michigan|pages=200–201|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Vo-11umIZQC&q=delilah+commentary&pg=PA201|isbn=9780802837110}}</ref>

==Religious views==
===Jewish interpretations===
[[File:1902 Liebermann Simson und Delia anagoria.JPG|thumb|300px|right|[[Max Liebermann]]'s ''Samson and Delilah'' (1902)]]
[[Josephus]] and [[Pseudo-Philo]] both view Delilah as a Philistine and a prostitute; Josey Bridges Snyder theorizes that this may be due to the fact that Book of Judges portrays Samson as being attracted to both Philistine women ({{bibleverse|Judges|14:1|DRA}}) and prostitutes ({{bibleverse|Judges|16:1|HE}}).<ref name="Newsome">{{cite book|editor1-last=Newsome|editor1-first=Carol Ann|editor2-last=Ringe|editor2-first=Sharon H.|editor3-last=Lapsley|editor3-first=Jacqueline E.|title=Women's Bible Commentary|date=2012|orig-year=1992|publisher=Westminster John Knox Press|location=Louisville, Kentucky|isbn=978-0-664-23707-3|page=139|edition=third|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9uUMZ_g2_NoC&q=Christian+commentary+on+Samson&pg=PA139}}</ref> Pseudo-Philo also writes that Delilah was Samson's wife.<ref name="Newsome"/> The [[Talmud]] says that Delilah used sex to get Samson to reveal his secret, in spite of the fact that the biblical text does not state that the two had a sexual relationship,<ref name="Newsome"/> while [[midrash]] state that Delilah harassed Samson verbally and physically during sex to get him to tell her the source of his strength.<ref name=rl/> Midrashim on Delilah reveal negative attitudes toward [[Shiksa|non-Jewish women]]<ref name=rl>{{cite web|title=Delilah:Midrash and Aggadah|last=Bechtel|first=Lyn M.|url=https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/delilah-midrash-and-aggadah|work=[[Jewish Women's Archive]] |access-date=November 1, 2017}}</ref> and are supposed to "demonstrate the havoc that a foreign woman could wreak".<ref name=rl/> The midrash says that Samson lost his strength because of his relationship with Delilah, a foreign woman, and not because his hair was cut,<ref name=rl/> and that the [[angel]] who foretold Samson's birth to [[Manoah's wife|his mother]] knew that Delilah would cause him to break his Nazirite vow.<ref name=rl/>

The Jewish sages said Delilah's name implies what she did to Samson ("She dwindles").<ref name="auto"/> Because Samson allowed his spiritual state to become diminished, he was vulnerable to losing his strength by having his hair cut.<ref name="auto1">Judges 16:4-18 commentary, "The Prophets", Artscroll - The Rubin Edition</ref> Even before Delilah   is mentioned, the length of Samson's career is described.<ref>Judges 15:20</ref> Normally the length of someone's life or career in the [[Old Testament]] is mentioned last for a character to signify the end of his relevance to the narrative. [[David Kimhi]] notes that it is mentioned at the peak of his career; which implies that mentions of Samson afterwards marks his decline and downfall.<ref>Judges 16 commentary, "The Prophets", Artscroll - The Rubin Edition</ref> This might explain why Samson eventually told Delilah of his weakness, even though she repeatedly betrayed him before. It is possible he was not fully aware that cutting his hair would cause God to allow him to lose his strength; since it was actually the decline of his spiritual state that caused him to lose God's favor.<ref name="auto1"/>

Late [[aggadah]] say that Samson and Delilah had sons together who were strong like their father; [[Eldad ha-Dani]] claims that their sons resided in the land of [[Havilah]] and each had voices as "triumphal...as a lion's roar".<ref name=rl/> Medieval midrash propose that Delilah was the mother of Micah from the biblical narrative of [[Micah's Idol]].<ref name=idol>{{cite web|title=Mother of Micah: Midrash and Aggadah|last=Kadari|first=Tamar|url=https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/mother-of-micah-midrash-and-aggadah|work=[[Jewish Women's Archive]] |access-date=November 5, 2017}}</ref> This theory rests on the fact that, in {{bibleverse|Judges|17|HE}}, Micah's mother gives her son 1,100 silver coins to construct his idol, similar to how Delilah was promised 1,100 silver coins to betray her lover by the Philistine leaders.<ref name=idol/> This tradition explains the conflation of Delilah and Micah's mother by noting that Bible introduces the narrative of Micah's Idol immediately after the narrative of Samson and Delilah.<ref name=idol/> [[Rashi]] disputes this theory, as the [[Seder Olam Rabbah]] states that Micah and Samson were not contemporaries and that Micah lived during the time of [[Othniel]].<ref name=idol/>

===Christian interpretations===
[[File:Josef Worlicek Samson und Delila.jpg|thumb|303px|right|Josef Worlicek's ''Samson and Delilah'' (1844)]]
Most Christian commentary on Delilah condemns her. [[Ambrose]], the [[Bishop of Milan]] from 374–97, represented Delilah as a Philistine [[prostitute]]<ref name="Newsome"/> and declares that "men should avoid marriage with those outside the faith, lest, instead of love of one's spouse, there be treachery."<ref name="Newsome"/> [[Marbodius of Rennes]] (d. 1123) used the examples of Delilah, [[Eve]], [[Lot's daughters]], [[Herodias]], [[Clytemnestra]], and [[Procne]] to illustrate that women are a "pleasant evil, at once a [[honeycomb]] and a poison".<ref>{{cite book| last=Hecker |first=Eugene |title=A Short History of Women's Rights|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r5b-6q9iUsEC&q=delilah+herodias&pg=PA59|date=2005|pages=58–59 |publisher=Cosimo |access-date=November 4, 2017|isbn=9781596057241 }}</ref>

Samson's betrayal by Delilah has also been compared to Jesus' betrayal by [[Judas Iscariot]];<ref name=w2>{{cite book |last=Heaster |first=Duncan |title=Micah: Old Testament New European Christadelphian Commentary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iMg2DwAAQBAJ&q=jesus+type+samson+delilah+judas&pg=PT62 |date=2017 |publisher=Lulu.com |access-date=October 30, 2017 |isbn=9780244031282 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> both Delilah and Judas were paid in pieces of silver for their respective deeds.<ref>{{cite book| last=Lynn G |first=S |title=A Study of the Good the Bad and the Desperate Women in the Bible|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wHHTljp7u4sC&q=judas+iscariot+delilah+silver&pg=PA46|date=2008|page=46 |publisher=Xulon Press |access-date=October 30, 2017|isbn=9781606473917 }}</ref> However, [[Thomas Cajetan]], the head of the [[Dominicans]] until his death in 1534, viewed Delilah in a somewhat sympathetic light, suggesting that she never intended Samson to be killed or wounded. He asserts that Delilah accepted a bribe from the Philistine leaders because they convinced her that Samson would merely be weakened.<ref name="Newsome"/>

[[Caesarius of Arles]] (d. 542) viewed Delilah's temptation of Samson as similar to the [[temptation of Christ]] by [[Devil in Christianity|Satan]].<ref name="Newsome"/> [[Isidore of Seville]] (d. 636) saw Samson as prefiguring [[Jesus]], but argued that "in yielding to Delilah, Samson did not prefigure Christ. Instead he exemplified the fall of the sinful man".<ref>{{cite book| last1=Perlove |first1=Shelley | last2=Silver |first2=Larry |title=Rembrandt's Faith: Church and Temple in the Dutch Golden Age|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QNKD95p_8HMC&q=delilah+thomas+aquinas&pg=PA108|date=2008|page=108 |publisher=Penn State Press |access-date=November 5, 2017|isbn=978-0271048383 }}</ref> 

Similarly, [[Billy Graham]] of the [[Southern Baptist Convention]] (d. 2018) saw Samson's eyes being gouged out after he was handed over to the Philistines as his punishment for succumbing to his [[lust]] for Delilah; Graham also sees this as an example of the concept that [[wikt:reap what one sows|one reaps what one sows]].<ref>{{cite web|title=We Reap What We Sow|last=Graham|first=Billy|url=https://billygraham.org/decision-magazine/september-2007/we-reap-what-we-sow/|work=Decision Magazine|date=September 2007 |access-date=November 5, 2017}}</ref>

==Scholarly views==
[[File:Peter Paul Rubens - Samson and Delilah - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|300px|left|A sketch for [[Peter Paul Rubens]]' ''[[Samson and Delilah (Rubens)|Samson and Delilah]]'' (c. 1609)]]
Delilah is usually thought to have been a Philistine,<ref name=jw/> although she is not identified as such in the Bible.<ref name=jw/> The name "Delilah" is a Hebrew name,<ref name=feminist>{{cite book|editor1-last=Brenner-Idan|editor1-first=Athalya|title=Feminist Companion to Judges|date=1999|publisher=Sheffield Academic Press|page=95|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hT2vAwAAQBAJ&q=delilah+feminism&pg=PA95|isbn=9780567053572}}</ref> however, numerous foreigners in the Bible have Hebrew names, so Delilah's name cannot be seen as indisputable proof that she was Hebrew.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Exum|first1=J. Cheryl|title=Plotted, Shot, and Painted: Cultural Representations of Biblical Women|date=1996|publisher=Sheffield Academic Press, Ltd.|location=Sheffield, England|isbn=1-85075-592-2|page=184|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4qCsZLJqhE0C&q=philistine+prostitute&pg=PA175}}</ref> [[J. Cheryl Exum]] of the [[Jewish Women's Archive]] argues that the author of the Book of Judges would probably not portray Delilah in a negative light if she were a fellow [[Israelites|Israelite]].<ref name=jw/> Samson was attracted to Philistine women; he had previously been married to one.<ref name=jw/> Exum writes that the arguments that Delilah was a Philistine are inconclusive,<ref name=jw/> while the ''[[Jewish Encyclopedia]]'' says that Delilah was a Philistine in all probability.<ref name=ppp/>

Dolores G. Kamrada write in ''Heroines, Heroes and Deity: Three Narratives of the Biblical Heroic Tradition'' that Delilah is similar to [[Jael]], a woman mentioned in the fourth and fifth chapters of the Book of Judges who murders [[Sisera]] by driving a tent peg into his head,<ref name=jael>{{cite book|editor1-last=Kamrada|editor1-first=Dolores G.|title=Heroines, Heroes and Deity: Three Narratives of the Biblical Heroic Tradition|date=2016|publisher=Bloomsbury|pages=84–85|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xXWcDAAAQBAJ&q=delilah+yael&pg=PA84|isbn=9780567662385}}</ref> and frequently compared to the title character of the [[Book of Judith]], who beheads [[Holofernes]];<ref name=jael/> all three women defeat powerful warriors.<ref name=jael/> According to [[Susan Ackerman (biblical scholar)|Susan Ackerman]], Delilah differs from Jael and Judith in that she "sells out to the enemy, rather than the other way around".<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Vander Stichele|editor1-first=Caroline|editor2-last=Pyper|editor2-first=Hugh S.|title=Text, Image, and Otherness in Children's Bibles: What Is in the Picture?|date=2012|publisher=Society of Biblical Literature|page=302|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pC90dYEmLw4C&q=delilah+ackerman+judith&pg=PA301|isbn=9781589836624}}</ref>

Some scholarly commentary on Delilah centers on her gender. In the ''Feminist Companion to Judges'', Carol Smith says that [[Feminism|feminist]] commentators tend to stress Delilah's positive qualities, explain her negative ones, or ignore her in favor of "other biblical women who are more amenable to reinterpretation in a positive way".<ref name=feminist/> James D. G. Dunn and John William Rogerson feel that the Bible portrays Delilah as "a doubly dangerous woman given her apparent independence", noting that she is not "identified by a male relationship – the wife, daughter or sister of anyone" but simply "appears in her own right".<ref name=family/> Conversely, [[Phillip Lopate]] writes "while the message of Samson's fall, like [[Fall of man|Adam's]], would seem to be cautionary and misogynistic, underneath we see his time with Delilah as a liberating fantasy....Don't we secretly rejoice at his having the good sense to follow the route of his desire, to free himself from the 'good boy' Nazirite onus by putting himself in temptation's way?"<ref>{{cite book|last=Lopate|first=Phillip|title=Getting Personal: Selected Writings|date=2003|publisher=Basic Books|page=[https://archive.org/details/gettingpersonals00lopa/page/37 37]|url=https://archive.org/details/gettingpersonals00lopa|url-access=registration|quote=delilah misogynistic.|isbn=9780465041732}}</ref>

''[[Haaretz]]''{{'}}s Elon Gilad writes "some biblical stories are flat-out cautions against marrying foreign women, none more than the story of Samson",<ref name=Gilead>{{cite news|last=Gilad|first=Elon|title=Intermarriage and the Jews: What Would the Early Israelites Say?|url=https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/shavuot/.premium-1.595543|access-date=October 30, 2017|newspaper=[[Haaretz]]|date=June 4, 2014}}</ref> noting that Samson's relationship with Delilah leads to his demise.<ref name=Gilead/> He contrasts this to what he sees as a more positive portrayal of intermarriage in the [[Book of Ruth]].<ref name=Gilead/> James D. G. Dunn and John William Rogerson say in ''Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible'' that Delilah exemplifies an important theme in the Book of Judges – a fear of [[Cultural assimilation|assimilation]].<ref name=family/> They see the narratives of Samson, [[Gideon]], and [[Jephthah]] as [[cautionary tale]]s against men choosing partners who could create "impure offspring".<ref name=family/> Melissa A. Jackson, in ''Comedy and Feminist Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible: A Subversive Collaboration'', says that the Bible delineates between "good" foreigners like [[Tamar (Genesis)|Tamar]], [[Pharaoh's daughter (Exodus)|Pharaoh's daughter]], [[Rahab]], and [[Ruth (biblical figure)|Ruth]], and "bad" foreigners like [[Jezebel]] and Delilah.<ref>{{cite book|last=Jackson|first=Melissa A.|title=Comedy and Feminist Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible: A Subversive Collaboration|date=2012|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|page=222|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RZNdcbh4jX8C&q=delilah+foreigner&pg=PA222|isbn=9780199656776}}</ref>
Contrariwise, [[Elizabeth Wurtzel]] sees Samson's relationship with Delilah as "the archetypal story of cross-cultural love between members of warring nations", akin to ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]''.<ref name=feminist/>

==Cultural influence==
[[File:Samson and Delilah film still.JPG|thumb|300px|right|[[Victor Mature]] and [[Hedy Lamarr]] in the title roles of [[Cecil B. DeMille]]'s ''[[Samson and Delilah (1949 film)|Samson and Delilah]]'' (1949)]]
According to the ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'', Delilah's name has "become synonymous with a voluptuous, treacherous woman".<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Delilah|url= https://www.britannica.com/biography/Delilah |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia Britannica]] |access-date= October 31, 2017}}</ref> The use of the name "Delilah" to connote deceit or betrayal can be found in works such as [[H. G. Wells]]' ''[[The Invisible Man]]'' (1897), the [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]] song "[[Delilah (Tom Jones song)|Delilah]]" (1968), [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]]'s ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)|The Phantom of the Opera]]'' (1986), and [[Pat Conroy]]'s ''[[Beach Music (novel)|Beach Music]]'' (1995).{{sfn|Wells|1996|page= 160}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Exum |first1= J. Cheryl |title=Plotted, Shot, and Painted: Cultural Representations of Biblical Women|date=1996|publisher= Sheffield Academic Press |location= Sheffield, [[England|ENG]], UK |isbn= 1-85075-592-2|pages=175–76|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=4qCsZLJqhE0C&pg=PA175}}</ref> In ''[[One Thousand and One Nights]]'', her name is applied to cunning women.<ref name=ppp/>

Delilah also appears as a character in a number of works of art. [[John Milton]]'s [[closet drama]] ''[[Samson Agonistes]]'', an [[allegory]] for the downfall of the [[Puritans]] and the [[Restoration (England)|restoration of the English monarchy]],<ref name="Smith1930">{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1= Preserved |title= A History of Modern Culture|date= 1930 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location= Cambridge, [[England|ENG]], UK |isbn=978-1-108-07464-3|page=387|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=CfnCAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA387}}</ref> casts Delilah as an unrepentant, but sympathetic, deceiver<ref name= Guillory1986>{{cite book|last= Guillory |first=John|author-link=John Guillory|date=1986|article= Dalila's House: ''Samson Agonistes'' and the Sexual Division of Labor|title= Rewriting the Renaissance: The Discourses of Sexual Difference in Early Modern Europe |editor1-last=Ferguson|editor1-first= Margaret|editor2-last= Quilligan|editor2-first=Maurren|editor3-last=Vickers|editor3-first=Nancy|location=Chicago, [[Illinois|IL]] |publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-22624314-6 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=9rW7EHRNJ0sC}}</ref> and speaks approvingly of the [[Patriarchy|subjugation of women]].<ref name= Guillory1986/> Scottish poet [[Carol Ann Duffy]] included an eponymously titled poem written from Delilah’s perspective in her poetry collection, ''[[The World's Wife|The World’s Wife]]''.

In 1735, [[George Frideric Handel]] wrote the opera ''[[Samson (Handel)|Samson]]'',<ref name="Leneman2000">{{cite book|last1=Leneman|first1=Helen|article= Portrayals of Power in the Stories of Delilah and Bathsheba: Seduction in Song|title=Culture, Entertainment, and the Bible |editor-last=Aichele|editor-first= George|date=2000|publisher= Sheffield Academic Press |location= Sheffield, [[England|ENG]], UK |isbn= 1-84127-075-X |page=153|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=T_efFTiILLkC&pg=PA153}}</ref> with a [[libretto]] by [[Newburgh Hamilton]], based on ''Samson Agonistes''.<ref name="Leneman2000" /> The opera is almost entirely set inside Samson's prison<ref name="Leneman2000"/> and Delilah appears only briefly in Act II.<ref name="Leneman2000"/> In 1877, [[Camille Saint-Saëns]] composed the opera ''[[Samson and Delilah (opera)|Samson and Delilah]]'' with a libretto by [[Ferdinand Lemaire]] in which the entire story of Samson and Delilah is retold.<ref name="Leneman2000"/> In the libretto, Delilah is portrayed as a seductive ''[[femme fatale]]'',<ref name="Leneman2000"/> but the music played during her parts invokes sympathy for her.<ref name="Leneman2000"/> The narrative of Samson and Delilah is retold in [[indie pop]] singer [[Regina Spektor]]'s "[[Samson (Regina Spektor song)|Samson]]" (2002), which includes the lyrics "I cut his hair myself one night / A pair of dull scissors and the yellow light / And he told me that I'd done alright."<ref>{{cite magazine |first= Rincón|last=Alessandra|url= https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/the-late-show-regina-spektor-chilling-performance-samson-watch-8469051 |title= Regina Spektor Gives Chilling Performance Of 'Samson' On 'Late Show': Watch |date=August 7, 2018 |magazine= [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date= January 4, 2023}}</ref>

The 1949 [[List of films based on the Bible|Biblical drama]] ''[[Samson and Delilah (1949 film)|Samson and Delilah]]'', directed by [[Cecil B. DeMille]] and starring [[Victor Mature]] and [[Hedy Lamarr]] in the titular roles, was widely praised by critics for its cinematography, lead performances, costumes, sets, and innovative special effects.<ref>{{cite book |last= McKay|first= James|title= The Films of Victor Mature |publisher= McFarland & Co |year= 2013 |isbn= 978-0-78644970-5 |page= 76 }}</ref>  It became the highest-grossing film of 1950<ref>{{cite book |last= Barton |first= Ruth |title= Hedy Lamarr: The Most Beautiful Woman in Film |location= Lexington, [[Kentucky|KY]] |publisher= University Press of Kentucky |year= 2010 |isbn= 978-0-81312610-4 |page=174 }}</ref> and was nominated for five [[Academy Awards]], winning two.<ref>{{cite web |title= 23rd Academy Awards Winners |date= 4 October 2014 |url= http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1951 |publisher= Oscars}}</ref> According to [[Bosley Crowther]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'', the film depicts Delilah as "a much more noble creature than legend would lead us to suppose".<ref name=nyt>{{cite web |first= Bosley |last=Crowther|url= https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9906E5DD133CE53ABC4A51DFB4678382659EDE |title= The screen: lavish de Mille film arrives; 'Samson and Delilah' Has Its Premiere at Two Theatres, Rivoli and Paramount |date=December 22, 1949 |work= [[The New York Times]]|access-date= October 1, 2017}}</ref> In ''Samson and Delilah'', Delilah is the sister of Samson's wife, and repents cutting off his hair. When Samson prepares to collapse the pillars, Delilah does not follow Samson's advice to get out and she dies alongside him when the temple collapses.<ref name=nyt/> Actresses who have portrayed Delilah besides Lamarr include [[Belinda Bauer (actress)|Belinda Bauer]] in ''[[Samson and Delilah (1984 film)|Samson and Delilah]]'' (1984),<ref>{{cite web |title= ''Samson and Delilah'' 1984 |publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1018127_samson_and_delilah |access-date=April 8, 2018}}</ref> and [[Elizabeth Hurley]] in ''[[Samson and Delilah (1996 film)|Samson and Delilah]]'' (1996).<ref>{{cite web |title=''Samson and Delilah'' 1996 |publisher= [[Rotten Tomatoes]] |url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1073132_samson_and_delilah |access-date= April 8, 2018}}</ref>

== See also ==
* {{Portal inline|Bible}}

== Citations ==
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{{Reflist|30em}}

== General and cited references ==
* {{Cite book |last=Wells |first=H. G. |date=1996 |title=The Invisible Man |location=New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-283195-X}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links |wikt=Delilah |commons=Samson and Delilah |commonscat=yes |n=no |q=no |s=Delilah |b=no |v=no | d = yes}} 
* [http://www.sacrednamebible.com/kjvstrongs/CONHEB832.htm "soreq"] in ''[[Strong's Concordance]]''

{{Samson}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Women in the Hebrew Bible]]
[[Category:Samson]]
[[Category:Philistines]]