Mrs. Manoah, Samson's mother

See Judges 13.

Samson's mother is seldom mentioned as one of the heroines of the Bible, but she was one. Her name is not even given. But the angel appeared to her twice, and not to her husband, Manoah. (She told Manoah, who came to see, when the angel appeared the second time.) When the angel appeared again, he told Manoah the same thing he had told Mrs. Manoah previously, which was how to raise Samson as a Nazirite. Apparently Manoah didn't believe her when she told him what the angel said the first time. This is not too surprising, because Manoah's lack of faith kicked in even though he saw the angel himself the second time. He thought they would die, because they had seen such a sight, but Mrs. Manoah said that they wouldn't, because the angel had accepted a sacrifice, and, of course, she was right. So Mrs. Manoah believed, and Manoah was more or less along for the ride.

I suppose marriages are often like that -- one person believes, and one is a little hesitant. Perhaps the two swap roles, depending on the situation. But it's good that someone believes!


Thanks for reading. Happy Mother's Day!