Recently
I had a friend here who studies for teaching arts. She regrets having no
background in classics and the Bible, as this lack causes her difficulties in
interpreting paintings. This is a common problem now, as knowledge about
Biblical stories is rapidly declining, at least in the country I live – the Netherlands.
This and the fact that I found on youtube a fantastic video of Delilah seducing
Samson from the opera Samson et Dalila
by Saint Seans caused me to write this post.
Samson
is one of the judges of Israel, those leaders who ruled Israel before the
institution of the monarchy. Though the book Judges is presented as being
history, it is not: it is mostly a mixture of mythology and saga. The outlook
is theological, not historical, though cast in historical fiction. The sources
are often unclear and the Hebrew text is fraught with difficulties. This also
caused problems for the translations into Greek and Latin, as will be clear
from the text below. Saint Jerome clearly tried his best translating the Hebrew
and Greek into Latin, but I guess this translation was a pain in the ass and
the result is not quite satisfying.
The name
Samson is related to the Hebrew word for sun and Delilah could be related to
Arabic dallatum `flirt’, but the
etymology is not certain.
The Philistines
were the enemies of the Israelites when they tried to get possession of Israel
and Samson is very successful in beating them. Then he falls in love with Delilah,
a Philistine woman. The Philistines ask her to find out where his strength comes
from and as a good Soviet babe seducing Western diplomats, she does. Three
times he gives the wrong answer, but then she is constantly hanging around him:
seducing, asking, being irritating. This is too much for Samson, he gives up
and tells the truth: his strength is in his hair never been shaven. The power
of women…
Judges
16 4-21 (The Vulgate text differs from the translations of the Bible!)
4. Post
haec amavit mulierem quae habitabat in valle Sorech et vocabatur Dalila
5. Veneruntque
ad eam principes Philisthinorum atque dixerunt: `decipe eum et disce ab illo in
quo tantam habeat fortitudinem et quomodo eum superare valeamus et vinctum
adfligere. Quod si feceris, dabimus tibi singuli mille centum argenteos.’
6. Locuta
est ergo Dalila ad Samson: `dic mihi obsecro in quo sit tua maxima fortitudo et
quid sit, quo ligatus erumpere nequeas.’
7. Cui
respondit Samson: ` si septem nervicis funibus necdum siccis et adhuc humentibus
ligatus fuero infirmus ero ut ceteri homines.’
8. Adtuleruntque
ad eam satrapae Philisthinorum septem funes, ut dixerat, quibus vinxit eum
9. Latentibus
apud se insidiis et in cubiculo finem rei expectantibus clamavitque ad eum: `Philisthim
super te Samson.’ Qui rupit vincula quomodo si rumpat quis filum de stuppae
tortum putamine cum odorem ignis acceperit. Et non est cognitum in quo esset
fortitudo eius.
10. Dixitque
ad eum Dalila: ` ecce inlusisti mihi et falsum locutus es. Saltim nunc indica
quo ligari debeas.’
11. Cui
ille respondit: `si ligatus fuero novis funibus qui numquam fuerunt in opera,
infirmus ero et aliorum hominum similis.’
12. Quibus
rursum Dalila vinxit eum et clamavit: `Philisthim super te Samson.’ In cubiculo
insidiis praeparatis. Qui ita rupit vincula quasi fila telarum.
13 Dixitque
Dalila rursum ad eum: `usquequo decipis me et falsum loqueris. Ostende quo
vinciri debeas.’ `Si’, inquit,`septem crines capitis mei cum licio plexueris et
clavum his circumligatum terrae fixeris, infirmus ero.’
14. Quod cum fecisset Dalila dixit ad eum: `Philisthim
super te Samson.’ Qui consurgens de somno extraxit clavum cum crinibus et licio.
15. Dixitque
ad eum Dalila: ` quomodo dicis quod ames me, cum animus tuus non sit mecum. Per
tres vices mentitus es mihi et noluisti dicere in quo sit tua maxima fortitudo
16. Cumque
molesta ei esset et per multos dies iugiter adhereret, spatium ad quietem non
tribuens defecit anima eius et ad mortem usque lassata est.
17. Tunc
aperiens veritatem rei dixit ad eam: ` ferrum numquam ascendit super caput meum
quia nazareus id est consecratus Deo sum de utero matris meae. Si rasum fuerit
caput meum, recedet a me fortitudo mea et deficiam eroque ut ceteri homines.’
18. Videns
illa quod confessus ei esset omnem animum suum, misit ad principes
Philisthinorum atque mandavit: ` ascendite adhuc semel, quia nunc mihi aperuit
cor suum.‘ Qui ascenderunt adsumpta
pecunia, quam promiserant.
19. At illa dormire eum fecit super genua sua et
in sinu suo reclinare caput vocavitque tonsorem et rasit septem crines eius et
coepit abicere eum et a se repellere. Statim enim ab eo fortitudo discessit.
20. Dixitque: `Philisthim super te Samson.’ Qui
de somno consurgens dixit in animo suo: `egrediar sicut ante feci et me
excutiam’, nesciens quod Dominus recessisset ab eo.
21. Quem
cum adprehendissent Philisthim statim eruerunt oculos eius et duxerunt Gazam
vinctum catenis et clausum in carcere molere fecerunt
amavit: Samson
decipio decepi deceptum: to deceive
vinctum adfligere: and being bound throw down
singuli: each one
quo ligatus: bound with what
nervicis funibus: (bow)strings made of sinew
necdum
siccis: dry strings are more liable to break
satrapa: Persian name for the governor of a province.
It became the term for every kind of headman
Latentibus
apud se insidiis et in cubiculo: there were also (men) hidden in ambush at hers
in a room.
Philisthim
super te Samson: As an enthusiast slayer of Philistines, Samson would
immediately wake up!
filum de stuppae tortum putamine: a thread twisted from the husk of
flax (i.e cheap flax)
cum odorem ignis accperit: `When it catches the smell of fire’
is a poetic for `when it catches fire’.
Inludo inlusi inlusum: to jest, make fun of
saltim: at least
qui numquam fuerunt in opera: which have never been in use
filia telarum: threads of a web
usquequo: thus far
`Si’, inquit,`septem crines capitis mei cum
licio plexueris et clavum his circumligatum terrae fixeris, infirmus ero.’:
The Hebrew text has a lacuna, which explains why the translations differ from
the Vulgate text. The Vulgate text has been restored after the text of the
Septuagint, the Greek translation made around 200 BC. The text is puzzling:
what is a clavis circumligatus? As
the text stands the image is roughly of Samson’s seven braids being woven with a
woof (licium) and then fixed to the
ground with a pin. The text is however far from certain, for instance the
Septuagint has `wall’ instead of `ground’. It is likely that the original
Hebrew text was not understood and has been emendated in translation beyond
repair.
tres vices: three times
mentior mentitus sum: to lie
molesta ei esset: she was troublesome to him
iugiter adhereret: continually stuck to him
lasso: to exhaust
aperio aperui apertum: to uncover
ferrum: knife
nazareus: nazarite (a sacred person)
genu genus (n.): knee
sinus sinus (m.): bossom
tonsor tonsoris: hair-cutter
rasit:
apparently she cut the hair herself, but again, the text is uncertain
coepit abicere eum et a se repellere: and she started to cast him down
and repel from her
egrediar sicut ante feci et me excutiam: I will go out as I have done
before and shake myself free
eruerunt oculos eius: they took out his eyes
moleo molui molitum: to grind
Here is
the video. I too would have been enchanted…
Samson and
Delilah by Rembrandt.
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