“And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose
name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bore not. And the angel of the
LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her: Behold now, you are
barren, and have not borne; but you shall conceive, and bear a son.”
Bible commentators differ as to the nature of the Manoah’s wife’s visitor. Special he was, but was he an
angel or a prophet? For Abravanel, actually, there wasn’t a question. Indeed, the visitor was non-
corporeal, as we shall see. Furthermore, Abravanel addresses the question: What was the import of the
extraordinary appearance to Manoah’s wife? That is, even if Samson’s conception and life mission
would not have been foretold by an angel, so what? After all, the Maker is omnipotent. He could have
promoted a Hebrew judge (Samson) from the rank and file, per se, to rally the Jews from the hands of
the Philistines. Finally, Abravanel queries, even if the angel had not heralded the news that Samson
would be a lifelong nazir, still and all, God could have inspired and appealed to Samson, directly, to
pledge a nazarite vow later in life (and not from conception).
From Judges 13, it seems that both Manoah and his wife fully assumed their herald was a man of God, a
prophet, owing to his outward human garb. But the simple giveaway here is the language. “And the
angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman.” Admittedly, Abravanel continues, sometimes in the
Bible, prophets are called “angels of God.” Be that as it may, the principle is plain: “Angels of God” are,
well, of the non-physical and totally intellect type.
Returning back to Manoah and his wife, they supposed their visitor was a mortal, and thus offered him a
meal. “And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD: I pray you, let us detain you, that we may make
ready a kid for you.” Of course, angels don’t eat, this one being no exception.
Puzzled about the “prophet” standing before him, Manoah asked for his name. In ticks, Manoah began
to process the true nature of his visitor. “And the angel of the LORD said unto him: Wherefore do you
ask my name, seeing it is hidden?” The last clue cinched matters. “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…” In a flash, the angel disappeared.
In this manner, Abravanel demonstrates the true characterization of the couple’s caller. Hence, initially,
Manoah and his wife believed their visitor to be a man of God. Ultimately, however, they came around
and understood that a conversation with a wholly rational angel had transpired.
What lay behind Heaven’s plan to communicate with Manoah’s wife, regarding the child she was soon
to conceive? Here is Abravanel’s approach. At a most basic level, Samson’s mother would know that she
would be expecting a highly-anticipated, miracle child. Most literally. When her son would be born and
grow up, she would relate to the boy the wonder of his existence, the vital role for which he would be
tasked. With this knowledge, Samson would, presumably, live up to his role as savior for his beleaguered
brethren. Accordingly, he would conduct himself as the Creator’s conduit. With this awareness, the
young man would develop and train himself for the mission, confident that God stood in his corner.
Thus, Abravanel answers the questions posed above concerning the identity of the messenger, as well as
why Heaven foretold the couple of Samson’s conception. In truth, Abravanel delves deeper into the
subject, but we have shortened this essay in the interest of brevity.