Now she had men lying in wait in an inner chamber renders a rather difficult Hebrew text, which is literally “And the ambusher sitting to her in the room.” Though the Hebrew speaks of the men lying in wait, Revised Standard Version casts Delilah as the one setting up the ambush before she bound Samson. Now renders the Hebrew waw conjunction, which many versions omit (Good News Translation, New International Version). New Revised Standard Version renders this sentence as a dependent clause, beginning with the conjunction “While.” Revised Standard Version renders two singular Hebrew participles (literally “the ambusher sitting”) as plurals: men lying in wait. For the Hebrew verb meaning “ambush,” see verse 16.2, where it is rendered “lay in wait.” The Hebrew term for inner chamber generally refers to a private room where a person sleeps (see verse 15.1, where it is rendered “chamber”), so the word “bedroom” ( NET Bible) can be used. If it is difficult to find a word for inner chamber, translators may say “inside her house.” Revised Standard Version and many other versions understand the Hebrew expression for “to her” to mean that Delilah was the principal agent in setting up the ambush here. Revised English Bible, for example, says “She had men concealed in the inner room,” and Good News Translation has “She had some men waiting in another room.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh uses a more impersonal expression, saying “while an ambush was waiting in her room,” as does New International Version: “With men hidden in the room.” Contemporary English Version gives a lengthy explanation that says far more than the text and should not be followed as a model here.

And she said to him: Some steps seem to be missing in the narration here. The text does not say where Samson was when Delilah tied him up, nor where he was when the ambushers made their way into the house. However, the audience knows that Samson is now tied up and the ambushers are waiting. The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered And may be translated “In the meantime” or “Then,” depending on the target language. The pronoun she refers to Delilah, and the pronoun him to Samson, which will be understood in most languages. Otherwise full names can be used. In this context the general verb said may be rendered “shouted” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Jerusalem Bible), “cried [out]” (New Living Translation, Revised English Bible), or “called [out]” (New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).

The Philistines are upon you, Samson!: This key sentence is repeated in each of the incidents recounted here (verse 16.12, 14, 20). In Hebrew there is no verb here, but most languages will either insert a verb such as are or use a demonstrative expression, for example, “Here come….” The Philistines are very close to the place where Samson is tied up or one nearby, which explains why she says they are upon him. They are close enough to capture him. In many languages the vocative Samson will occur at the beginning of this sentence, for example, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” Good News Translation‘s “Samson! The Philistines are coming!” may make it sound as if the Philistines are far away. It should be clear they are right there, and the danger is imminent. Contemporary English Version‘s “Samson, the Philistines are attacking!” also should not serve as a model, since the word “attack” does not fit the circumstances. If possible, the direct quote should be kept here in order to express the drama of the situation.

But he snapped the bowstrings: Delilah’s cry arouses Samson to action. But renders well the Hebrew waw conjunction, since it introduces an unexpected event here. Instead of being captured, Samson will escape. He snapped the bowstrings means Samson broke the ropes holding him. This clause may be rendered “But Samson tore apart the bowstrings [holding him]” or “But Samson quickly broke his bonds.” In some languages an ideophone may effectively express the idea of “snapping.”

As a string of tow snaps when it touches the fire: Once again the narrator uses a comparison or simile to describe Samson’s great strength (compare verse 15.14). This simile describes the ease with which Samson broke loose from the bowstrings. It pictures a thread that breaks quickly when it touches fire. Tow refers to a tuft of fiber, used in spinning or weaving a rope or thread. Here the material is probably flax, though the Hebrew word for tow is not the same one used in verse 15.14. Certainly some languages will have an equivalent for “a tuft of fiber,” but if not, translators might say “a [thin] thread.” Snaps renders the same Hebrew verb translated snapped. However, some languages will need to use two separate verbs, for example, “But he snapped his bonds like a thread breaks….” When it touches the fire is literally “when it smells fire.” This is certainly an exaggeration, but also a forceful way of saying how fast Samson broke loose. We might say “But Samson broke loose from his bonds as fast as fire dissolves a thread.” Samson broke free in a split second. If this comparison is not understood in the target language, an idiomatic expression or ideophone may be substituted here.

So the secret of his strength was not known is literally “and his strength was not known.” In Hebrew this sentence could mean either that the Philistines did not learn the source of his strength, or that they did not find out how strong he actually was. The first interpretation makes more sense in this context. Revised Standard Version adds the phrase the secret of, which makes the sentence easier to understand. Was not known is a passive expression, which can be rendered as an active one by saying “nobody knew.” The whole sentence may be translated “So still nobody could discover where his strength came from.” This sentence serves as the conclusion of this short subunit. No details are given about Samson’s escape, since the narrator merely moves on to the next episode.

Translation models for this verse are:

• Delilah had set an ambush inside her house. Then she cried out to Samson, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But he snapped his bonds as easily as a thread breaks when it gets near fire. So the source of Samson’s strength was still unknown.

• An ambush had been set up inside her house, and Delilah said, “Samson, it’s the Philistines!” But Samson broke out of the bowstrings. They fell away like straw near fire. So the Philistines did not learn the secret of Samson’s strength.

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 .