Judges 16:16 (DRB)

Passage

And when she pressed him much, and continually hung upon him for many days, giving him no time to rest, his soul fainted away, and was wearied even unto death.

Nearby Context

Judges 16:14 And when Dalila had done this, she said to him: The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And awaking out of his sleep, he drew out the nail with the hairs and the lace.

Judges 16:15 And Dalila said to him: How dost thou say thou lovest me, when thy mind is not with me? Thou hast told me lies these three times, and wouldst not tell me wherein thy greatest strength lieth.

Judges 16:16 And when she pressed him much, and continually hung upon him for many days, giving him no time to rest, his soul fainted away, and was wearied even unto death.

Judges 16:17 Then opening the truth of the thing, he said to her: The razor hath never come upon my head, for I am a Nazarite, that is to say, consecrated to God from my mother's womb: If my head be shaven, my strength shall depart from me, and I shall become weak, and shall be like other men.

Judges 16:18 Then seeing that he had discovered to her all his mind, she sent to the princes of the Philistines, saying: Come up this once more, for now he hath opened his heart to me. And they went up, taking with them the money which they had promised.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "pressed", "much", "continually", "hung", "upon", "days", "giving", and "time". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "pressed" and "much", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "And Dalila said to him How dost..." into verse 17's "Then opening the truth of the thing...", so "pressed" and "much" belong inside that flow. In Judges context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "pressed" and "much" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.