Judges 16:25 (WEB)

Passage

When their hearts were merry, they said, “Call for Samson, that he may entertain us.” They called for Samson out of the prison; and he performed before them. They set him between the pillars;

Nearby Context

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

Judges 16:24 When the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said, “Our god has delivered our enemy and the destroyer of our country, who has slain many of us, into our hand.”

Judges 16:25 When their hearts were merry, they said, “Call for Samson, that he may entertain us.” They called for Samson out of the prison; and he performed before them. They set him between the pillars;

Judges 16:26 and Samson said to the boy who held him by the hand, “Allow me to feel the pillars whereupon the house rests, that I may lean on them.”

Judges 16:27 Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were on the roof about three thousand men and women, who saw while Samson performed.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "hearts", "merry", "said", "samson", and "entertain". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "hearts", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 24's "When the people saw him they praised..." into verse 26's "and Samson said to the boy who...", so "called" and "hearts" 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 "called" and "hearts" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.