Judges 16:3Samson lay until midnight, and arose at midnight, and laid hold of the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and plucked them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron.
The setting
Gaza, Palestine ~1100 BC. Midnight. Samson grips bronze-reinforced cedar gates weighing over 1,000 pounds. Metal groans, wood splinters, and he hoists them onto his shoulders...
The emotion here: amazed at recording the physically impossible
The original word
wayissa'em (וַיִּשָּׂאֵם) — he lifted them up, bore the impossible weight
Why it matters
Gaza's gates were embedded 6 feet deep in stone foundations — Samson pulled up the entire gate system
Read with care
What most readers miss in Judges 16:3
He carried the gates 38 miles uphill to Hebron — a marathon carrying a building
Common misconceptionPeople focus on Samson's strength, but miss that he did this at MIDNIGHT — he could have left during the day, but chose the dramatic moment.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Judges 16:3
Bible Genome reading
Judges 16:3 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Judges 16:3 comes from the book of Judges, written during the judges period. These words are attributed to Narrator. The dominant emotion in this verse is deciding, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include strength, escape. Notable phrases: arose at midnight; laid hold.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same deciding
“"You shall have no other gods before me.”
— Deuteronomy 5:7
“"You shall not murder.”
— Exodus 20:13
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
— Matthew 23:12
“For God didn't give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.”
— 2 Timothy 1:7
“But Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!"”
— Acts 3:6
Your reflection
What does Judges 16:3 mean to you, today?
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