Manoah

Biblical Account

Manoah first appears in Judges 13:2 as "a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah." His name is often interpreted as meaning "rest" or "repose" in Hebrew. He lived during the period of the judges, when Israel was under the dominion of the Philistines.

• Announcement of the birth: Manoah's wife was barren. The angel of the Lord appeared to her and announced that she would bear a son. Because the child would be a Nazirite from the womb, the mother was to drink no wine or strong drink and eat nothing unclean. She was also instructed that no razor should come upon the child's head (Judges 13:3-5).
• Manoah's prayer: When his wife told him these things, Manoah prayed that the man of God would be sent again. When the angel appeared once more, Manoah asked, "How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?" (Judges 13:8-12).
• Asking the name and offering sacrifice: When Manoah asked his name, the angel replied, "Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?" (Judges 13:18). The Hebrew word rendered "secret" in the KJV is often translated "wonderful." Manoah offered a kid with a meat offering upon a rock. The angel then ascended in the flame of the altar, and only then did Manoah realize that he was the angel of the Lord. In fear he said, "We shall surely die, because we have seen God." His wife replied that if the Lord had intended to kill them, He would not have received their offering (Judges 13:19-23).
• After Samson grew up: When their son Samson sought to marry a Philistine woman, his parents objected. The text adds that this was of the Lord, though his parents did not know it (Judges 14:1-4). After his death, Samson was buried between Zorah and Eshtaol in the burial place of his father Manoah (Judges 16:31).

Significance in Scripture

The story of Manoah's household belongs to an Old Testament pattern in which a barren woman, through God's intervention, bears a son of special significance. The accounts of Sarah and Hannah follow the same pattern, and the New Testament account of Zechariah and Elizabeth is often compared with it. The New Testament does not mention Manoah directly; it is his son Samson whom Hebrews 11:32 names among the heroes of faith.

Interpretation and Debate

• Identity of the angel of the Lord: Many Reformed and evangelical interpreters regard this angel as a preincarnate appearance of Christ, and some connect the name "Wonderful" with Isaiah 9:6. Others read the figure as an angel sent by God, that is, a created messenger.
• Contrast between Manoah and his wife: The angel appeared first to the wife, and in one scene she corrects her fearful husband with theological insight. For this reason, a common interpretation holds that her faith was the clearer of the two. Others, however, view Manoah's prayer to be taught again in a positive light.
• The wife's name: Scripture does not give the name of Manoah's wife. Later Jewish tradition reportedly assigned her a name, but it is not found in the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, the question in Judges 13:12, "How shall we order the child?", is frequently used as a sermon text on child-rearing and Christian education. The passage is often cited on Children's Sunday and at parenting seminars. Sunday schools teach about Manoah and his wife, together with the Nazirite vow, as an introduction to the story of Samson.