Commentaria in Judices
The literal cause, then, why with the hair Samson’s strength remained, was that while the hair remained he himself remained a Nazarite, that is consecrated to God. For the consecration of the Nazarite consisted chiefly in the hair, as I said Num. vi. For God assigned this gift of strength to Samson’s Nazariteship as a reward.
The allegorical cause was that by the hair the Nazarite represented Christ the Nazarite and Nazarene, from whom all strength proceeds; for Christ is our head and the covering and ornament of our head. Hence St. Augustine, serm. 107 On the Time: “He had his strength,” he says, “not in his foot, not in his hand, but in his hair, that is in the covering; and in the covering Christ had power, when the shadows of the old law covered him. The hair of Samson was therefore in a covering, because in Christ one thing was seen, another understood.”
The tropological cause was that the hair denotes the thoughts and intentions of man; for as from a sound head sound hairs sprout, so from a good mind spring good thoughts, from which the strength of all virtues sprouts.
The symbolic cause was that God wished to show that this is his gift: for by what reason could a vile and slender hair, that is a hair of the head, of itself cause so great strength? Again, that God might warn us that exact care is to be had of hairs, that is of the least things; for from the least the greatest things depend. Give the least things to God, and you will obtain from him the greatest; but if you deny those to God and give them to earthly things, you will lose the greatest. Hear St. Ephrem, in the ascetic sermon On the religious life: “O great miracle, O astonishing! For as the lion, the most noble of animals, is held bound and humbled on the ground by even a single hair, so surely this virtue (which is compared to the lion) is bound by any earthly care, as by one hair, and withers and grows vile on the earth. Wherefore examine thyself, dearest, sober and watchful; and conquering thyself, laying hand to it, cut off from thee that slight and vile hair, that thou come not into derision, as that most strong Samson, who in one moment, in the twinkling of an eye, armed with the jawbone of an ass alone, killed a thousand men, and as if one hair cut off seven most strong cords, and freeing himself from his bonds, killed his enemies, and dedicated the victory to God; and whose prayer turned the jawbone of an ass into a fountain of water: yet he, though so great and such, and though he had done many illustrious things, nevertheless through imprudence delivered himself bound to his enemies; and was greatly humbled after his hair was taken from him, and bound and lost those terrible and admirable powers of his. Wherefore attend thou also to thyself,” etc.
Hence St. Ambrose, book I of the Offices chap. xxvi, calls Samson’s hair “the ornament of unshorn locks, the prerogative of virtue.” And St. Paulinus to Cytherius: “Samson, mighty by the strength of his hair, long-haired with sacred virtue.” And: “he recovered strength with his locks grown again.” St. Chrysostom, homily 17 from various places in Matthew, calls Samson’s hair “the treasury of Samson’s strength, the martyrdom of his virtue,” that is the testimony.
You will ask whether Samson’s strength lay in the hair alone, or also in the remaining ceremonies of the Nazariteship, especially in abstinence from wine and strong drink, so that if he drank wine he would lose his strength, even if he kept his hair unshorn? Abulensis, St. Basil and others to be cited presently affirm it, and the reason is that on account of the Nazariteship this strength was given him. But the Nazariteship consisted as much in abstinence from wine and strong drink as in unshorn hair, and therefore God had commanded this abstinence so severely not only to Samson but to his mother also, chap. xiii, 4; and this that he might teach us that health and strength do not consist in wine, but are a gift of God, who has ordained that abstinence be the mother of strength and health as of wisdom and holiness, as is plain in the ancient Anchorites. Serarius and others deny it. The reason is that Samson here mentions only the hair, and asserts that his strength lay in it. Moreover Samson knew this from his mother telling him, or the Angel revealing, or God inspiring. Both opinions are probable, but the former more probable.
19. BUT SHE MADE HIM SLEEP UPON HER KNEES.—Our Delrio thinks, book III of Magical Disquisitions, part I, question 2, that Dalila gave Samson poppy and other soporifics in food or drink, that he might sleep the more soundly and not awake at the shaving of his hair, and teaches that this was practised by such women from Virgil, Apuleius and Caesarius. Others add that she gave him wine to drink, which was most excellent in Sorec, where she dwelt; for “without Ceres and Bacchus Venus is cold.” And: “In wine is luxury,” says the Apostle, Eph. v, 18; “and Venus in wine, fire rages in fire.” Hence Josephus calls Samson drunk; St. Ambrose, epist. 70; St. Basil, orat. 1 and 9 On fasting, and Theodoret, Question 50 on book III of Kings hint the same. Which if true, Samson was justly and deservedly permitted by God to fall asleep and lose his hair, and with it his strength, because against the law of the Nazariteship he drank wine, and against the law of temperance drank more than was fit. Abulensis, however, denies this, because Scripture makes no mention of wine or drunkenness, which it surely would have made if he had thereby broken his Nazariteship commended by God. But hear St. Basil, homily 1 On fasting: “What made the strongest man Samson invincible? Was it not fasting? He was conceived in his mother’s womb with fasting, brought up with fasting, grew to manhood by fasting, which fasting the Angel had enjoined on his mother: Whatever comes of the vine let him not eat, and wine and strong drink let him not drink. Fasting begets prophets, adds strength to the mighty. Fasting furnishes wisdom to lawgivers, a good guard of the soul, a safe companion of the body, armour for those who fight bravely, exercise for athletes.” And homily 9, he exaggerates, saying: “Fasting brought up the great Samson, and as long as it was present with the man, in single conflicts thousands of enemies were laid low, the gates of cities were carried off, lions could not endure the strength of his hands. But as soon as drunkenness and fornication seized the man, he was captured by the enemies and blinded, and exposed as a sport to the boys of the foreigners.” From which St. Jerome concludes, book II Against Jovinian: “How fair a thing that pleases God, softens lions, terrifies demons!”
AND SHAVED HIS SEVEN LOCKS,—that is, the seven curls of which Samson’s hair consisted, and into which it was divided, lest, if all spread loose, it should veil his eyes and whole face. So Abulensis. Others by seven locks understand all the locks. For seven is the symbol of universality.
Allegorically, as Dalila cut Samson’s hair, so the Jews during the night of Christ’s Passion, mocking him, plucked out or shaved his hair, according to that of Isaias l, 6: “I have given my cheeks to them that plucked them; I have not turned away my face from them that rebuked me,” and tore his hair with the crown of thorns.
Mystically St. Ephrem, tom. I, sermon Against wicked women: “Samson wore seven locks on his head, which designated the sevenfold light … a woman at night by guile plundering him as he slept, ensnared him, now naked and unarmed.” And after many things between, he gives these ill epithets and eulogies of malice to woman: “What is woman? A shipwreck on the earth, a fountain of wickedness, a treasury of uncleanness and malice, a deadly converse and talk, the destruction of the eyes, the ruin of souls, the dart of the heart, the perdition of youths, the sceptre of hell and headlong concupiscence. What is woman? The cause of the devil, the rest of the serpent, the consolation of the devil, inconsolable grief, a kindled furnace, the offence of those who are saved, incurable malice, daily gossip, the lodging of the lascivious and the workshop of demons. What is woman? A shameful love, an impudent beast, a most intemperate impulse, an unbridled mouth for secrets, the triumph of darkness, leader of crimes, mistress of delights, insatiable concupiscence, the procuress of wickedness and eternal punishment. What woman? Earthly prudence, the sloth of wine, intemperance lying down, excited care, a viper clothed, a voluntary battle, a daily calamity, the storm of the house, the shipwreck of the man, a savage beast, the inn of adulterers, the arms of the devil, desired madness, adorned death, so that it was not undeservedly said by the Wise Man: All malice is short compared with the malice of a woman.”