65 WHAT WAS SAMSON THINKING JUDGES 16,17 16,20 ? IN AND It is worth noting that when he finally concentrates on Delilah acting upon him (“you weave my hair”), rather than the Philistines acting upon him (“they bind me”), he is able to sleep. Although the narrator does not specify that Samson slept during either time that Delilah bound him, the narrator notes that Delilah wove his hair “while he slept” (v. 14a LXX). Furthermore, despite Delilah’s claim that once again, “The Philistines are upon you”, the narrator gives no indication of a potential Philistine ambush. In fact, on this third occasion, nothing suggests that the Philistines are in the vicinity. There is no reference to any Philistines hiding in an inner chamber. Also, Delilah’s message to the Philistines in v. 18 may imply that they were not present when she wove Samson’s hair. After he finally tells her his whole heart in v. 17, she instructs the Philistines, “This time (μ[ph) come up, for he has told his whole secret to me ” (v. 18). Since μ[p refers to her various attempts to find the source of Samson’s strength throughout this passage (vv. 15.18.20), her instructions that the Philistines should be present “this time” suggests that they were absent during the previous time that she tried to weaken Samson by weaving his hair. After he deceives her three times, Samson appears satisfied that the threat of Philistine captivity is minimal. Even if he suspected or even discovered the Philistine ambush on the first two occasions, they seem to be absent during Delilah’s third attempt. When she challenges him for the fourth time in v. 15, his motivation for deceiving her seems far less clear than the first three times. By her fourth request, he may have tested her enough to trust her and conclude that she would not betray him to the Philistines. Without an obvious threat of capture, Samson may have been willing to sacrifice his strength for the benefit of more rest or untroubled sleep. Thus, Samson would have good reason to tell Delilah the truth in v. 17, as the idiom, “to tell one’s whole heart”, implies 11. The parallels between Samson’s respective conversations with his wife 11 and with Delilah also suggest that he tells Delilah the truth in v. 17. The Philistines tell both women to “coax” (ytp) Samson (14,15; 16,5), both women question the sincerity of Samson’s love (14,16; 16,15), and both woman “nag” (qwx) him until he answers them (14,17; 16,16). On these parallels, see J.C. EXUM, “Aspects of Symmetry and Balance in the Samson Saga”, JSOT 19 (1981) 5. Although the reader does not have access to Samson’s answer to his wife, based on his reaction to the Philistine’s reply in 14,18, he must have told her the correct response to his riddle. Thus, 14,17 indicates that his wife’s nagging provokes him to tell her the truth regarding the answer to his riddle. If Delilah’s strategy in 16,15-16 is crafted to recall 14,16-17, this allusion implies that Samson knowingly told Delilah the truth in 16,17.