In the tribe-land of Dan, which was next to the country of the Philistines, there was living a man named Manoah.  One day an angel came to his wife and said: 

“You shall have a son, and when he grows up he will begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.  But your son must never drink any wine or strong drink as long as he lives.  And his hair must be allowed to grow long and must never be cut, for he shall be a Nazarite under a vow to the Lord.”

When a child was given especially to God, or when a man gave himself to some work for God, he was forbidden to drink wine, and as a sign, his hair was left to grow long while the vow or promise to God was upon him.  Such a person as this was called a Nazarite, a word which means “one who has a vow”; and Manoah’s child was to be a Nazarite, and under a vow, as long as he lived.

The child was born and was named Samson.  He grew up to become the strongest man of whom the Bible tells.  Samson was no general, like Gideon or Jephthah, to call out his people and lead them in war.  He did much to set his people free; but all that he did was by his own strength.

When Samson became a young man he went down to Timnath, in the land of the Philistines.  There he saw a young Philistine woman whom he loved, and wished to have as his wife.  His father and mother were not pleased that he should marry among the enemies of his own people.  They did not know that God would make this marriage the means of bringing harm upon the Philistines and of helping the Israelites.

As Samson was going down to Timnath to see this young woman, a hungry lion came out of the mountain, roaring against him.  Samson seized the lion, and tore him in pieces as easily as another man would have killed a little kid of the goats, and then went on his way.  He made his visit and came home, but said nothing to any one about the lion.

After a time Samson went again to Timnath for his marriage with the Philistine woman.  On his way he stopped to look at the dead lion; and in its body he found a swarm of bees, and honey which they had made.  He took some of the honey and ate it as he walked, but told no one of it.

At the wedding-feast, which lasted a whole week, there were many Philistine young men, and they amused each other with questions and riddles.

“I will give you a riddle,” said Samson.  “If you answer it during the feast, I will give you thirty suits of clothing; and if you cannot answer it then you must give me the thirty suits of clothing.”  “Let us hear your riddle,” they said.  And this was Samson’s riddle: 

“Out of the eater came forth meat,
And out of the strong came forth sweetness.”

They could not find the answer, though they tried to find it all that day and the two days that followed.  And at last they came to Samson’s wife and said to her: 

“Coax your husband to tell you the answer.  If you do not find it out, we will set your house on fire, and burn you and all your people.”