Manoah

Manoah was a member of the tribe of Dan whose wife remained childless during Israel's oppression by the Philistines. The Angel of the Lord first appeared to his wife, foretelling the birth of a son who would be consecrated as a Nazirite from birth and begin delivering Israel from its enemies. When Manoah sought confirmation, the angel returned, repeated the instructions on the child's upbringing, and ascended in the flame of the ensuing sacrifice, revealing his divine identity. This narrative in Judges 13 establishes the miraculous origins of Samson and demonstrates God's initiative in raising leaders to fulfill his covenant purposes.

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Biography

Tribe: Dan
Spouse: Wife of Manoah (unnamed)
Children: Samson
Era: Judges (c. 1100 BC)
Nationality: Israelite

Family

Manoah ⚭ Wife of Manoah (unnamed)

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Children

Samson

Old Testament Judges

Did You Know?

Manoah's unnamed wife received the initial angelic visitation announcing Samson's birth, with the Angel of the Lord appearing to her twice before manifesting to Manoah, a detail underscoring women's occasional prominence in Judges-era theophanies despite patriarchal norms.

When Manoah asked the angel's name, the reply 'it is wonderful' (peli) uses the same rare Hebrew term later applied to the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6, leading many scholars to interpret the encounter as a Christophany rather than an ordinary angelic visit circa 1100 BC.

Manoah's attempt to offer hospitality by sacrificing a young goat resulted in the angel ascending in the flames of the altar, one of only a few Old Testament scenes where a divine messenger accepts and vanishes amid a burnt offering, confirming the message's authenticity.

After the angel's fiery departure, Manoah feared he and his wife would die for seeing 'God,' reflecting the ancient Israelite belief rooted in texts like Exodus 33:20 that direct encounters with the divine could be fatal, even though no harm occurred.

As a member of the tribe of Dan still residing in the southern Shephelah before its northern migration and later idolatry, Manoah's household represents a rare biblical snapshot of Danite family life during the pre-monarchic settlement period.

Key Passages

Angel Announces Samson's Birth

Judges 13:1-25

This passage shows God's faithful initiative in raising up deliverers through ordinary families who respond with trust and obedience.

A¹nd the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

² And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not. ³ And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. ⁴ Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: ⁵ For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. ⁶ Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name: ⁷ But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death. ⁸ Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born. ⁹ And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her. ¹⁰ And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day. ¹¹ And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am. ¹² And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him? ¹³ And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware. ¹⁴ She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe. ¹⁵ And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee. ¹⁶ And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD. ¹⁷ And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour? ¹⁸ And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret? ¹⁹ So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wonderously; and Manoah and his wife looked on. ²⁰ For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground. ²¹ But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD. ²² And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God. ²³ But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these. ²⁴ And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him. ²⁵ And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Read full chapter: Judges 13 →