Temple of Dagon (Samson's Story)

I very much enjoy the story of Samson, his strength being related to the length of his hair and the way in which he died bringing down a temple filled with captors with just his bare hands. As such I'd like to try making an a temple of Dagon inspired pillar, representing one of the two that Samson toppled in order to bring down the temple.


The Story of Samson

Samson's father Manoah, and his wife had been trying to have a baby for many years when an angel showed up in front of their house. The angel told them that they were to have a son, who was to be a Nazarite. The child was to never cut his hair, drink wine, or touch a dead person. A while later, Samson was born, and he obeyed the Nazarite laws just as the angel said.

Samson saw a pretty Philistine woman while he walked through Timnah, a Philistine town. He went to ask permission from her father to marry her. The Philistines at the time were the enemies of the people in Israel, so Samson did not know how his father would react once he told him the news. While he was on his way home, a lion jumped on him. He killed the lion with his bare hands. After this, he told the Philistine woman that he wanted to be her husband. At their wedding, Samson gave the Philistine guests a riddle about the lion. However, his wife told them the answer because she was threatened by the men, and Samson realised he could not trust her. After the wedding, she was given to another man. Later, Samson's wife and father-in-law were burned to death.

After his first wife died, Samson found another good-looking Philistine woman. Her name was Delilah. However, little did Samson know that she would betray him to the Philistines. She tried many times to get the secret behind his great strength. This made Samson very annoyed with her. After a long time, Samson told Delilah that he would become weak if his hair was cut.

After getting the secret to his strength, Delilah told the Philistine army about it. She sang him to sleep at her feet, and called a man to shave Samson's head. After getting his haircut, Samson was tied up while still asleep. He woke up and tried without success to break free from the ropes he was tied down with. The Philistines grabbed him, poked his eyes out with their swords and took him to Gaza, where he was put in prison.

The destruction of a Philistine Temple (and Samson's Death)

While in prison, Samson worked on a treadmill, a machine used to grind grain. He did this work for a few months until his hair grew long again. Next, he was taken to a temple honouring the Philistine god Dagon. It was here that he performed for the people worshipping Dagon. While on stage, Samson told a young boy nearby to move him in between two pillars. He pushed the pillars apart with his full strength. This caused the temple's roof to fall down on top of himself and his Philistine audience. He defeated more Philistines in the event of his death than during his life.

Meaning Behind Samson’s Name

Samson (Hebrew: שמשון), Standard Šimšon; meaning "of the sun" – perhaps proclaiming he was strong, or "[One who] Serves [God]") or Shamshoun Arabic: شمشون or Sampson Greek: Σαμψών