The question “Was the power in Samson’s hair?” is an important subject that must be understood properly based on the Bible and the writings of Ellen G. White (Spirit of Prophecy - SOP). Let us answer this by examining the context of Samson’s Nazarite vow and how his hair was related to the power granted to him by God.
📖 Judges 13:5
“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.”
📖 Numbers 6:5
“All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the Lord, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.”
🔍 Explanation:
Samson’s hair was merely a symbol of his consecration as a Nazarite—a sacred vow that included specific rules:
Not drinking wine
Not touching a dead body
Not cutting the hair
Thus, his hair served as an outward token of his faithfulness to God’s vow, not the literal source of his strength.
📖 Judges 16:17, 20
“That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, ‘If I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.’”
“And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, ‘I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself.’ And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him.”
🔍 Explanation:
When Delilah cut his hair, Samson lost his strength—not because the hair itself had power, but because it symbolized his covenant with God, which he had broken. By violating the vow and revealing its secret, the Spirit of God left him, and he became weak.
📘 Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 566–567
“As the hair of his head was shorn, Samson's strength departed from him, and he was as weak as any other man. When he betrayed his secret, he betrayed his trust, and lost his connection with God. In place of being a mighty conqueror, he became a helpless captive, blinded and degraded.”
🔍 Explanation:
Ellen White explains that Samson’s strength was lost when he lost his connection with God, not because the hair itself had magical power. When he disclosed the secret to a heathen woman and violated his vow, God’s presence departed from him, and he became powerless.
📘 Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 567
“God had been his strength. When Samson confided his secret to a harlot, he separated himself from the Source of his strength.”
Question
Answer
Was Samson’s power in his hair?
Not literally. His hair was only a symbol of his vow to God as a Nazarite. The true source of his strength was God, and it was conditioned on his faithfulness to that vow.
Why did he lose his strength when his hair was cut?
Because the cutting of his hair represented the breaking of his vow. At that moment, the Spirit of God left him, and he lost his strength.
According to SOP (Ellen White)
Samson lost his strength because he broke his trust and connection with God, not because of the hair itself.
Yes. In the light of the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy (SOP), Samson’s affection for Delilah—a Philistine woman—can indeed be considered a snare of the enemy. His disobedience to God’s command regarding relationships with unbelievers led him into sin and caused him to lose his God-given strength.
❌ Israelites were forbidden to marry those who did not worship the true God:
“Do not intermarry with them… for they will turn your children away from following me…”
— Deuteronomy 7:3–4
The Philistines were idol worshipers who did not serve the God of Israel. Samson’s desire to become involved with Delilah was a violation of God’s command. Instead of leading Israel to victory against the Philistines, he was drawn into an immoral relationship.
📖 Judges 16:4–6
“Afterward it happened that he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, ‘Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies...’”
👉 Delilah was used by the enemies of God to trap Samson and discover the secret of his strength.
📘 Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 565
“By entering into companionship with Delilah, Samson was walking directly into the enemy’s path. His strong body and noble abilities were of no value while his heart was not under the control of God.”
📘 Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 567
“He was lured by the charms of Delilah... and he betrayed his sacred trust for sinful pleasures.”
👉 Delilah became an instrument of the enemy to lure Samson away and destroy his sacred consecration as a Nazarite.
📘 2 Shepherd’s Rod, p. 237
“Samson typifies the strength of the church when consecrated to God, but also shows what happens when that consecration is broken by union with the ungodly.”
👉 Samson’s experience serves as a warning for modern Israel (the church) against forming alliances with the world or with unholy individuals.
Loving the wrong person can be a snare of the enemy—especially when that person is not God’s will for you.
Disobedience to God’s principles in choosing a life partner leads to downfall.
Samson’s involvement with Delilah opened the door for the Spirit of God to depart from him (see Judges 16:20).