61 WHAT WAS SAMSON THINKING JUDGES 16,17 16,20 ? IN AND so great” (cf. her repeated use of μ[p in v. 18). Samson’s comparison of his circumstances in v. 20 to these “other times”, in which he obviously knew that Delilah had bound him or woven his hair, suggests that he re- alized that his hair had been cut upon awaking. Thus, v. 20 implies that, regardless of whether he knew that the Lord had left him, he did not actually believe that a haircut would compromise his strength. This article will discuss this apparent contradiction by examining some of the costs and benefits of Samson’s divinely inspired strength. First, we explore the potential downside of his strength and his possible motivations for giving it up voluntarily. Second, we examine the crises that his strength helps him to handle. We ask whether he would have thought that these crises still posed a significant threat at the time that he tells Delilah the truth. He may have made the misguided decision that it was safe enough for him to give up his strength. Third, we argue that, after his haircut, he does not necessarily think that he still has or even needs his extraordinary strength to handle the situation in v. 20. Contrary to popular opinion, his decision to reveal his secret may reflect an overestimation of his own ability rather than an example of unprecedented stupidity 4. I. Why would Samson want to give up his strength? In 16,17 Samson finally tells Delilah his whole heart after lying to her on three previous occasions. Each time, Delilah acted on the misinformation that he provided her. After he tells her that binding him would weaken him, she binds him. After he tells her that weaving his hair would weaken him, she weaves his hair. Despite the fact that he was asleep when she wove his hair, since he was awake the two times that she bound him, we can assume that he submitted to her actions voluntarily. Based on his three previous experiences with Delilah, Samson could have anticipated that she would cut his hair if he told her that a haircut would result in a loss of his strength even if he was asleep when the haircut actually happened. Thus, we must consider why Samson would give up his strength voluntarily in 16,17. A desire for rest, reinforced by the narrator’s comment about his emo- tional fatigue (16,16b), provides the most probable reason 5. One could argue For an overview of scholarly portrayals of Samson as more muscles than 4 brains, see D.M. GUNN, “Samson of Sorrows: An Isaianic Gloss on Judges 13- 16 ”, Reading Between Texts. Intertextuality and the Hebrew Bible (ed. D.N. FEWELL) (Louisville, KY 1992) 225-226. Since Samson touches a lion’s corpse intentionally (14,8-9; cf. Num 6,6) 5 and hosts a drinking feast (14,10; cf. Num 6,3-4), Samson’s haircut could