Then Samson put his hands on the two center pillars that held up the temple. Pushing against them with both hands,
Parallel translations
- WEB Samson took hold of the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and leaned on them, the one with his right hand, and the other with his left.
- KJV And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.
- BSB And Samson reached out for the two central pillars supporting the temple. Bracing himself against them with his right hand on one pillar and his left hand on the other,
- NKJV And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left.
- NASB Then Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Samson grasps the two central pillars on which the temple rests, bracing himself between them. He takes hold of the structure's key supports.
Overview
By gripping the load-bearing pillars, Samson positions himself to bring down the whole building. The physical act depends on the renewed strength he just sought in prayer. The verse moves the narrative to its climax, where God answers and the temple of Dagon falls.
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Christ at the center
Israel's cycle of sin and rescue through flawed deliverers cries out for a Savior who never fails — the true and final Judge and Deliverer who saves his people not for a season but forever.
How Judges 16:29 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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