Judges 13:8Then Manoah entreated Yahweh, and said, "Oh, Lord, please let the man of God whom you did send come again to us, and teach us what we shall do to the child who shall be born."
The setting
Zorah, ancient Israel, ~1100 BC. A future father, overwhelmed by the magnitude of raising a child destined for greatness, cries out for divine guidance...
The emotion here: desperate for divine guidance in overwhelming responsibility
The original word
atar (עתר) — to entreat earnestly, to pray with intensity and urgency
Why it matters
Manoah's name means 'rest' or 'comfort' - ironic since he would father the most turbulent judge in Israel's history
Read with care
What most readers miss in Judges 13:8
Manoah wasn't there for the first angelic visit - he's asking God to repeat the message because he missed it
Common misconceptionPeople think Manoah is being spiritual by asking for instruction, but he's actually panicking because his wife met an angel and he wasn't there to hear the original message.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Judges 13:8
Bible Genome reading
Judges 13:8 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Judges 13:8 comes from the book of Judges, written during the judges period. These words are attributed to Manoah. The dominant emotion in this verse is seeking, with a comfort power of 50% and a tone that is reverent. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include prayer, seeking guidance. Notable phrases: entreated Yahweh; teach us what we shall do. This verse is a prayer.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same seeking
“Pray without ceasing.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:17
“But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
— Amos 5:24
“Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that …”
— Genesis 18:25
“Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great things, and difficult, which you don't know.”
— Jeremiah 33:3
“Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evi…”
— Luke 11:4
Your reflection
What does Judges 13:8 mean to you, today?
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