Delilah suddenly realizes that this time Samson is not playing games with her. He is really telling her the truth about the source of his strength. This time, however, the Philistines are no longer hiding nearby. Delilah has to call for them to come and capture Samson. Perhaps they had given up hope that Samson would ever tell his secret. At this high point in the narrative there is much repetition. Told … all his mind and the lords of the Philistines are repeated twice, and the Hebrew verb meaning “go up” (ʿalah) occurs three times, rendered Come up, came up, and brought.
When Delilah saw that he had told her all his mind is an independent clause in Hebrew, literally “And Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart.” The verb saw may be rendered “realized” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation). For he had told her all his mind, see verse 16.17. We could follow Good News Translation by saying “When Delilah realized that Samson had told her the truth.” New American Bible proposes “When Delilah saw that he had taken her completely into his confidence,” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “Sensing that he had confided everything to her.”
She sent and called the lords of the Philistines: The Philistines probably had given up trying to catch Samson. They had tried three times and failed. This time they are not close by, so Delilah summons them. Sent renders the key Hebrew verb shalach, which is used often at high points in the judges’ stories (see, for example, verse 3.15; verse 4.6; verse 7.8). As elsewhere, called does not mean to shout, but to tell someone to come. Though the Hebrew text uses two verbs here, many languages will combine them by saying “she called the lords…” or “she sent for the lords….” For the lords of the Philistines, see verse 3.3.
Saying renders an infinitive of the Hebrew verb meaning “say.” Translators may use a common quote frame here.
Come up this once: Come up renders the Hebrew verb ʿalah meaning “go up,” used throughout this book to describe military attacks (see verse 1.1). It is fitting that Delilah uses this verb to call for the capture of Samson. The same verb is used in the previous verse, where it is rendered “come upon.” The Hebrew term rendered this once (paʿam) can refer to the footstep of a person or an animal (verse 6.28), or the strike of a hammer. Here it may be rendered “one more time” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) or “one last time.” New Jerusalem Bible says “Come just once more.” Evidently Delilah says this because she has already called these men several times. On each of the previous occasions, all of them had been tricked, but this time Delilah knows they will be successful in capturing Samson.
For he has told me all his mind: See verse 16.17.
Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and brought the money in their hands: Delilah has clearly convinced the Philistine leaders that this time they will capture Samson. No money is ever mentioned in the previous three incidents. But this time they bring the money that they had promised (see verse 16.5). The phrase the lords of the Philistines and the verb came up are repeated. Brought renders a causative form of the Hebrew verb translated came up, so there is a play on words here. The money (literally “the silver”) was considerable, since each leader had promised to give 1,100 silver coins to Delilah. In their hands is a common expression in this book (see verse 1.2). Here, instead of describing victory, it is used in a context of betrayal and defeat of an Israelite. Certainly, the Philistine leaders did not carry the money in their own hands, but had servants to bring it. Good News Translation provides a helpful model: “Then they came and brought the money with them.”
Translation models for this verse are:
• When Delilah realized that Samson had told her everything, she sent a message to the Philistine leaders that said, “Come once again. [This time] I know he has told me the truth.” So they came, carrying the money they had promised her.
• Delilah saw that Samson had told her the truth, so she sent for the Philistine leaders. She said, “Come. I know he has told me his secret this time.” So they arrived with the money in hand.
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 .