Judges 16:21 (KJV)

Passage

But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.

Nearby Context

Judges 16:19 And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.

Judges 16:20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. 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.

Judges 16:21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.

Judges 16:22 Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.

Judges 16:23 Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "philistines", "took", "eyes", "brought", "down", "gaza", "bound", and "fetters". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "philistines" and "took", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And she said The Philistines be upon..." into verse 22's "Howbeit the hair of his head began...", so "philistines" and "took" 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 "philistines" and "took" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.