67 WHAT WAS SAMSON THINKING JUDGES 16,17 16,20 ? IN AND any Philistines, he would not need any extraordinary strength to shake himself free. Shaking himself free after a haircut would simply involve brushing off the excess hair that had been cut and fallen unto his clothes or body. Samson’s choice of words in v. 20 supports this idea. He uses a reflexive verbal form for “shake off” (a niphal of r[n). The only other occurrence of r[n as a reflexive verb is in Isa 52,2 (BDB, 654), where personified Zion is commanded: “Shake yourself free (a hithpael imperative of r[n) from the dust”. It does not require extraordinary strength to brush excess hair or dust off one’s clothes or body. Thus, we should not assume that Samson thinks he still has extraordinary strength based on his recorded thoughts in v. 20 alone. If, as the narrator implies, Samson was honest in v. 17, then he would wake up expecting his hair to be cut and his strength to have left. Nor does Samson’s comparison to the “other times” in v. 20 mean that he thought that he retained the strength that he needed to get out of his restraints on the three previous occasions. Rather, the comparison focuses on the relative ease with which Samson thinks he can shake himself free. In both 16,7.9, the narrator uses similes involving fire and thread to emphasize the ease with which Samson escaped from his restraints on two occasions. As in 15,14, the repeated use of simile, which are unusual and therefore attention grabbing in biblical prose, highlights how little effort Samson e x p e n d s on these occasions. While the previous escapes require extraordinary strength, the similes stress the point that they were easy for Samson. Thus, even if Samson knows that his strength has left him and he knows that he is “like anyone else” (v.17), he could still believe that, just like the other times, this new situation does not present any major difficulties. It will not take much effort to shake excess hair off his clothes or body. * * * Samson was honest when revealing his inner thoughts in both 16,17.20. The repeated occurrences of “he told his whole heart” in vv. 17 and 18 emphasize the sincerity of his final confession to Delilah. If his first three deceptions of Delilah ensured him that a Philistine threat was minimal and that her warnings about the Philistines were just part of a playful love game, he may not have seen a reason to endure the sleep depriving side effects of his strength any longer. Moreover, there was a significant upside to losing his strength once he realized that he could continuing their game. Based on how she wove his hair a few verses earlier, this game involved his hair and his sleep, but not Philistines.