SEV Biblia, Chapter 16:21
Mas los filisteos echaron mano de él, y le sacaron los ojos, y le llevaron a Gaza; y le ataron con cadenas de hierro, para que moliese en la cárcel.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Judges 16:21
Verse 21. Put out his eyes] Thus was the lust of the eye, in looking after and gazing on strange women, punished. As the Philistines did not know that his strength might not return, they put out his eyes, that he might never be able to plan any enterprise against them. He did grind in the prison-house.] Before the invention of wind and water-mills, the grain was at first bruised between two stones, afterwards ground in hand-mills. This is practiced in China and in different parts of the East still; and women and slaves are the persons who are obliged to turn these mills. Such instruments were anciently used in this country, and called querns, from the Anglo-Saxon [A.S.] and [A.S.] cweorn and cwyrn, which has the signification of a mill; hence [A.S.] cweorn stan, a millstone: and as quern conveys the notion of grinding, hence [A.S.], cweornteth, the dentes molares or grinders in the jaws of animals. This clause of the verse is thus translated in the Saxon Octateuch: "And the Philistines laid their fangs, (seized) him soon, and led him away to their burgh, (city,) and shut him up in prison, and made him grind at their hand-querne." So late as half a century ago I have seen these querns or hand-mills in these kingdoms.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 21. But the Philistines took him , etc.] Being assured by Delilah that his strength was gone from him, of which perhaps she had made trial by binding him, and found he could not free himself from the bonds till she loosed them; or otherwise they would have been afraid to have ventured to lay hold upon him; and put out his eyes ; that should his strength return to him, be might not be able to see where and whom to strike, and so be incapable of doing much mischief any more; the word signifies, they “dug” or “bored them” out; they plucked or cut out his eye balls, so that it was impossible his sight should ever be recovered; according to the Arabic version, they blinded him by putting fire to his eyes; the Jews observe, that this was done in just retaliation, measure for measure; Samson, they say f348 , went after his eyes; that is, by taking one harlot after another; therefore the Philistines put out his eyes: and brought him down to Gaza : which lay on the sea coast, and therefore they are said to bring him down to it; here he had been before of his own will, now against it; for in one instance he had acted to his own shame, by going in to an harlot; and in another, to the shame and disgrace of the city, and the inhabitants of it, by carrying off their city gates; through which they now brought him in triumph, in order to repair the dishonour done them: though, perhaps, the true reason of carrying him thither was, that he might be at the greater distance from the Israelites, should they think of rescuing him out of their hands; and especially because it was a very strong fortified city, it had its name from strength; hence Mela calls it “Munita admodum Gaza”, and says, that when Cambyses made war in Egypt, he carried his wealth and money to this place: and bound him with fetters of brass ; the Targum calls them chains of brass, and the word being of the dual number, it is probable there were two of them, with which he was bound the greater security: and he did grind in the prison house ; the motion of mills by water or wind was as yet not invented, but it was usual, as it is still in the eastern countries, to grind with hand mills, at which one or more worked; or with mills moved around by beasts or slaves, and was a work prisoners were employed in, ( Exodus 11:5 12:29 Isaiah 47:1,2) and Samson being a strong man, they might expect much service from him this way. The Talmudists understand this in a criminal sense, as they do ( Job 31:10) but this is justly rejected by Kimchi.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 18-21 - See the fatal effects of false security. Satan ruins men by flatterin them into a good opinion of their own safety, and so bringing them to mind nothing, and fear nothing; and then he robs them of their strengt and honour, and leads them captive at his will. When we sleep ou spiritual enemies do not. Samson's eyes were the inlets of his sin (ver. #(1),) and now his punishment began there. Now the Philistine blinded him, he had time to remember how his own lust had befor blinded him. The best way to preserve the eyes, is, to turn them awa from beholding vanity. Take warning by his fall, carefully to watc against all fleshly lusts; for all our glory is gone, and our defenc departed from us, when our separation to God, as spiritual Nazarites is profaned.
Original Hebrew
ויאחזוהו 270 פלשׁתים 6430 וינקרו 5365 את 853 עיניו 5869 ויורידו 3381 אותו 853 עזתה 5804 ויאסרוהו 631 בנחשׁתים 5178 ויהי 1961 טוחן 2912 בבית 1004 האסירים׃ 615
