Delilah
[6] The lords of the Philistines bribed her to discover the source of Samson's great strength, each offering to give her 1,100 silver coins.
[2] Finally, after many complaints that Samson did not trust her, he told her that his strength lay in his Nazirite vow, symbolized by his uncut hair.
[11] Midrashim on Delilah reveal negative attitudes toward non-Jewish women[11] and are supposed to "demonstrate the havoc that a foreign woman could wreak".
Saint Ambrose represents Delilah as a Philistine prostitute[6] and declares that "men should avoid marriage with those outside the faith, lest, instead of love of one's spouse, there be treachery.
"[6] Marbodius of Rennes uses the examples of Delilah, Eve, Lot's daughters, Herodias, Clytemnestra, and Procne to illustrate that women are a "pleasant evil, at once a honeycomb and a poison".
[18] However, Thomas de Vio Cajetan views Delilah in a somewhat sympathetic light, suggesting that she never intended Samson to be killed or wounded.
[23] J. Cheryl Exum of the Jewish Women's Archive argues that the author of the Book of Judges would probably not portray Delilah in a negative light if she were a fellow Israelite.
[2] Dolores G. Kamrada write in Heroines, Heroes and Deity: Three Narratives of the Biblical Heroic Tradition that Delilah is similar to Jael, a woman mentioned in the fourth and fifth chapters of the Book of Judges who murders Sisera by driving a tent peg into his head,[24] and frequently compared to the title character of the Book of Judith, who beheads Holofernes;[24] all three women defeat powerful warriors.
[22] James D. G. Dunn and John William Rogerson feel that the Bible portrays Delilah as "a doubly dangerous woman given her apparent independence", noting that she is not "identified by a male relationship – the wife, daughter or sister of anyone" but simply "appears in her own right".
[10] Conversely, Phillip Lopate writes "while the message of Samson's fall, like Adam's, would seem to be cautionary and misogynistic, underneath we see his time with Delilah as a liberating fantasy....Don't we secretly rejoice at his having the good sense to follow the route of his desire, to free himself from the 'good boy' Nazirite onus by putting himself in temptation's way?
[27] James D. G. Dunn and John William Rogerson say in Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible that Delilah exemplifies an important theme in the Book of Judges – a fear of assimilation.
[10] They see the narratives of Samson, Gideon, and Jephthah as cautionary tales against men choosing partners who could create "impure offspring".
[28] Contrariwise, Elizabeth Wurtzel sees Samson's relationship with Delilah as "the archetypal story of cross-cultural love between members of warring nations", akin to Romeo and Juliet.
John Milton's closet drama Samson Agonistes, an allegory for the downfall of the Puritans and the restoration of the English monarchy,[32] casts Delilah as an unrepentant, but sympathetic, deceiver[33] and speaks approvingly of the subjugation of women.
[33] Scottish poet Carol Ann Duffy included an eponymously titled poem written from Delilah’s perspective in her poetry collection, The World’s Wife.
"[35] The 1949 Biblical drama Samson and Delilah, directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr in the titular roles, was widely praised by critics for its cinematography, lead performances, costumes, sets, and innovative special effects.
[38] According to Bosley Crowther of The New York Times, the film depicts Delilah as "a much more noble creature than legend would lead us to suppose".
