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Samson is mentioned, by name, at least thirty-eight times in the King James Old Testament.

His name comes from the Hebrew Shimshon (Strong's Concordance #H8123) and means "like the sun" (Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Definitions).

His miraculous birth, exploits, failings, and redemptive death is covered in the book of Judges from chapters 13 to 16.

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1. Samson's Marriage (Judges 14)

Samson greatly desired to marry a Philistine woman of Timnah (Judges 14:1 - 4). A young lion attacks him as he travels to the city to take her for a wife. In his first notable act of strength he, with his bare hands, quickly tears up and kills the hungry lion (Judges 14:6).

During his wedding celebration guests are offered a valuable prize if they answer a riddle (Judges 14:10 - 14). Stumped, the guests resort to having his new wife ply the answer from him (verses 15 - 17). Samson, enraged after discovering he had been tricked into divulging the riddle's answer, kills thirty Philistines in order to provide the promised prize (verses 18 - 19).

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2. Samson's Vengeance on the Philistines (Judges 15)

Three thousand men of Judah decide to turn Israel's strong man over to the Philistines in order to avoid retribution upon their tribe for his deeds. He seizes on the opportunity, however, to get close to Israel's enemy. Once he is turned over to them, he finds the jawbone of a newly dead ass and uses it to slay 1,000 men (Judges 15:9 - 15). Samson led Israel for 20 years in the days of the Philistines.

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3. Samson and Delilah (Judges 16:1-22)

The people of Gaza discover that Samson is in the city utilizing the services of a prostitute (Judges 16:1). They quickly decide to secretly surround him and wait until morning in order to take his life (verse 2). He decides, however, to leave the city at midnight with a spectacular show of strength. While exiting Gaza he tears loose the city's gate, along with its posts and bar, and deposits them at the top of a hill outside the city (verse 3)!

Desperate to stop Samson, five Philistine leaders decide to employ the services of a harlot named Delilah to discover how to render him powerless (Judges 16:4 - 5). Some time later, he fell in love with Delilah. His lust and weakness for women, coupled with her persistence, pays off. She learns from him that the source of his power is his dedicated service to God symbolized by his unshaved head (verse 17). As he sleeps, she has his hair shaved off and, with his Nazarite vow now broken, he loses his superhuman strength. The brutal Philistines take him prisoner, gouge out his eyes, bind him and force him to grind in prison (verses 18 - 21).

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4. The Death of Samson (Judges 16:23-31

The last act of this Judge of Israel's service is to call upon God to strengthen him, one last time, so that the Philistines may be judged for what they have done to him. Standing with outstretched arms against the main supporting pillars of a pagan temple dedicated to Dagon, he pushes with all his might and causes the entire building to collapse! Not only does he kill himself, but also at least 3,000 Philistines AND their leaders who lose their lives in this climatic final miracle (Judges 16:26 - 30).

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International Bible Society (1973,1978, 1984). Holy Bible: New International Version.
The Bible Study Site (n.d.). The Life of Samson. Retrieved from: http://www.biblestudy.org/bible-study-by-topic/people-in-the-bible/samson.html