The Meaning of Judges 13:5 Explained

Judges 13:5

KJV: For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no rasor 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.

YLT: for, lo, thou art conceiving and bearing a son, and a razor doth not go up on his head, for a Nazarite to God is the youth from the womb, and he doth begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.'

Darby: for lo, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from birth; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines."

ASV: for, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come upon his head; for the child shall be a Nazirite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Judges 13:5 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 13:5 mean?

For behold you shall become pregnant and bear a son and razor no shall come upon his head for a Nazirite to God shall be the child from the womb and he shall begin to deliver - Israel out of the hand of the Philistines
כִּי֩ הִנָּ֨ךְ הָרָ֜ה וְיֹלַ֣דְתְּ בֵּ֗ן וּמוֹרָה֙ לֹא־ יַעֲלֶ֣ה עַל־ רֹאשׁ֔וֹ כִּֽי־ נְזִ֧יר אֱלֹהִ֛ים יִהְיֶ֥ה הַנַּ֖עַר מִן־ הַבָּ֑טֶן וְה֗וּא יָחֵ֛ל לְהוֹשִׁ֥יעַ אֶת־ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מִיַּ֥ד פְּלִשְׁתִּֽים

הִנָּ֨ךְ  behold 
Parse: Interjection, second person feminine singular
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
הָרָ֜ה  you  shall  become  pregnant 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: הֹור 
Sense: to conceive, become pregnant, bear, be with child, be conceived, progenitor.
וְיֹלַ֣דְתְּ  and  bear 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person feminine singular
Root: יָלַד 
Sense: to bear, bring forth, beget, gender, travail.
בֵּ֗ן  a  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
וּמוֹרָה֙  and  razor 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֹורָה  
Sense: razor.
לֹא־  no 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יַעֲלֶ֣ה  shall  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
עַל־  upon 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
רֹאשׁ֔וֹ  his  head 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
נְזִ֧יר  a  Nazirite 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נָזִיר  
Sense: consecrated or devoted one, Nazarite.
אֱלֹהִ֛ים  to  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
יִהְיֶ֥ה  shall  be 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
הַנַּ֖עַר  the  child 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נַעַר  
Sense: a boy, lad, servant, youth, retainer.
הַבָּ֑טֶן  the  womb 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: בֶּטֶן  
Sense: belly, womb, body.
וְה֗וּא  and  he 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
יָחֵ֛ל  shall  begin 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָלַל 
Sense: to profane, defile, pollute, desecrate, begin.
לְהוֹשִׁ֥יעַ  to  deliver 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: יָשַׁע 
Sense: to save, be saved, be delivered.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
מִיַּ֥ד  out  of  the  hand 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
פְּלִשְׁתִּֽים  of  the  Philistines 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: פְּלִשְׁתִּי  
Sense: an inhabitant of Philistia; descendants of Mizraim who immigrated from Caphtor (Crete?) to the western seacoast of Canaan.