The Meaning of Judges 13:2 Explained

Judges 13:2

KJV: 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.

YLT: And there is a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danite, and his name is Manoah, his wife is barren, and hath not borne;

Darby: And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Mano'ah; and his wife was barren and had no children.

ASV: 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.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Judges 13:2 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 13:1-14 - The Promise Of A Nazarite Champion
The secret of Samson's strength was a puzzle to his contemporaries. Even Delilah could not account for it, Judges 16:5-6. Clearly, then, it did not depend on his great height, nor his brawny chest and arms, nor his muscular development. It was due, as Hebrews 11:32 explains, to his faith, which opened his nature to the Spirit of God. See Judges 14:6; Judges 14:19; Judges 15:14. But faith is always in direct proportion to consecration. The soul cannot give itself in two directions nor serve two masters; and if it draws its energy from the eternal God, there must be strict discipline exercised on the gateways of sense.
This was the intention of the Nazarite vow, which was generally taken for a limited period, but in this case for life. Its three particulars are enumerated in Numbers 6:4-9. Modern physiology has laid heavy emphasis on the necessity for a mother's careful regimen. How blessed it would be if not mothers only, but fathers and indeed all who influence young life, would, for the sake of Christ and the children, abstain from alcohol! Is this price too much for love to give? See Mark 9:42. [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 13

1  Israel is delivered into the hands of Philistines
2  An angel appears to Manoah's wife
8  The angel appears to Manoah
15  Manoah's sacrifices, whereby the angel is discovered
24  Samson is born

What do the individual words in Judges 13:2 mean?

Now there was man a from Zorah of the family of the Danites and whose name [was] Manoah and his wife [was] barren and no had children
וַיְהִי֩ אִ֨ישׁ אֶחָ֧ד מִצָּרְעָ֛ה מִמִּשְׁפַּ֥חַת הַדָּנִ֖י וּשְׁמ֣וֹ מָנ֑וֹחַ וְאִשְׁתּ֥וֹ עֲקָרָ֖ה וְלֹ֥א יָלָֽדָה

וַיְהִי֩  Now  there  was 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
אִ֨ישׁ  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
מִצָּרְעָ֛ה  from  Zorah 
Parse: Preposition-m, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: צָרְעָה  
Sense: a town in Dan, residence of Manoah and the home town of Samson.
מִמִּשְׁפַּ֥חַת  of  the  family 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: מִשְׁפָּחָה  
Sense: clan, family.
הַדָּנִ֖י  of  the  Danites 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּנִי  
Sense: descendants of Dan, son of Jacob.
וּשְׁמ֣וֹ  and  whose  name  [was] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
מָנ֑וֹחַ  Manoah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָנׄוחַ  
Sense: a Danite, father of the judge Samson and inhabitant of Zorah.
וְאִשְׁתּ֥וֹ  and  his  wife  [was] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
עֲקָרָ֖ה  barren 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: עָקָר  
Sense: barren, sterile.
וְלֹ֥א  and  no 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יָלָֽדָה  had  children 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: יָלַד 
Sense: to bear, bring forth, beget, gender, travail.