The Woman Who Coaxed Out the Secret of Samson’s Strength, in the Book of Judges
The Book of Judges records that Delilah was the Philistine woman Samson loved, bribed heavily by the Philistine lords to coax out the source of his strength again and again, until she learned the truth — that shaving his hair would take away the strength given him by God. Samson’s story is told in the [[samson]] entry; the name "Delilah" became a byword in Western languages for "using affection as a lure to extract a secret and bring about someone’s ruin."
Delilah tested Samson in turn with new bowstrings, new ropes, and by weaving his hair, and each time Samson put her off with a lie, until Delilah, pressing and weeping over and over — "how can you say you love me when your heart is not with me?" — at last drew out the true secret: that his hair was the source of his strength.
Below are how modern works borrow or reinterpret this name or story — not the original material. The two differ, so keep them apart.
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