And when she pressed him hard with her words day after day: And renders the Hebrew word wayehi (literally “And it was/happened”), which seems to indicate a turning point in the story here. For the Hebrew verb rendered pressed … hard, see verse 14.17. With her words day after day is literally “with her words all the days.” Delilah never ceased complaining, putting pressure on Samson. New American Bible says simply “continually,” but Good News Translation is more expressive, saying “She kept on asking him, day after day,” and New Jerusalem Bible has “And day after day she pestered him with her talk.” We might also say “She nagged him constantly” or “Day in and day out, she never stopped asking him [his secret].”

And urged him: The Hebrew verb rendered urged only occurs here in the Old Testament, so its meaning must be derived from this context. Certainly it is adding emphasis to the previous verb. It may be translated “prodded” (New International Version), “pestered” (New Revised Standard Version), or “bothered.” Translators may keep two verbs for emphasis, or use one very strong expression to convey the idea that Delilah was hammering Samson with her complaints.

His soul was vexed to death is literally “and his life was short to die.” This figurative Hebrew expression indicates that Samson became very tired of Delilah’s constant nagging. Soul renders the Hebrew word nefesh, which can refer to the life or breath of a living being (see verse 5.21). Here it does not point to Samson’s inner spiritual being, but simply his person. His soul may be translated “he himself” or simply “he” (New Revised Standard Version, New International Version). Translators should find an equivalent expression that conveys the strong frustration here. While some languages will evoke death, others may say “She pestered him until he was tired [or, until he could not take it any more].” Good News Translation is very colloquial: “He got so sick and tired of her bothering him about it.” It is now clear that Delilah’s strong complaining has finally reached him.

Translation models for this verse are:

• Delilah nagged Samson about it day after day until he was sick to death.

• She asked him about it constantly until he could bear it no longer.

Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .