Samson vs. Hercules

Why is Samson’s story included in the Bible? What did he do that merited the inclusion? Why is he called a judge? Does the biblical book Judges call all its protagonists judges, not in the current sense as a person who decides cases, but as an individual who shows others how to act? Is the Samson story an accurate tale of an actual person, but perhaps an exaggerated depiction of his activities? What, if anything, can we learn from the tale?

Some secular scholars compared the Samson tale to the Greek myth of Hercules. They saw many similarities. As will be seen below, there are apparent striking similarities between the two stories, but a closer look at them shows significant differences.

Similarly, some scholars contended that the Samson story is a tale of the sun, with Samson’s hair signifying solar rays. They base their contention on the Hebrew name whose root is sh-mem-shin, the word for sun.

However, they overlook that Judaism never worshiped the sun and that the letters also mean “serve.” The word “serve” fits in with Samson’s life mission, which was mentioned by the angel to Samson’s mother: to serve as the one who begins the salvation of the Israelites from the Philistines. Samson was to have a role like the Nazir, individuals who devoted themselves to God. Nazirs were told not to cut their hair, meaning they should not be vain, spending time cutting and fashioning their hair to impress people, a requirement that Samson apparently did not understand.

What are the similarities between Samson and Hercules?

Many, if not virtually all, ancient cultures had myths about men with unusual strength. Some ancient cultures also felt super women, Amazons, existed. The Egyptians, the Babylonians, Indians, Assyrians, and many others had these legends. Many of the exploits of these strong people resembled the adventures of Samson. The activities of the Greek Hercules appear to be remarkably like those of Samson.

There are also many seeming similarities between the strong Samson and Hercules and people who surpassed others in sexual encounters, intelligence, and piety. Most of these tales show how ancients loved to imagine people who exceeded other humans in various ways. At the same time, they found flaws in their behavior, which showed they were only superficially superior.

We do not know when the myth of Hercules originated. The earliest evidence of the tale is from the sixth century BCE. Scholars say the book of Judges, which contains the story of Samson, was composed much earlier than the sixth century. This does not prove that Hercules was copied from Samson. It is more likely that the desire to depict men and women with superior skills developed early, very soon after humans came into being, and compared their skills with the skills that others had.

Many consider Hercules the strongest ancient Greek and Samson the most muscular Jew. Both tales involve eating and drinking. Both were engaged in romantic affairs; Hercules had four wives, and Samson had liaisons with three women and married one of them. The two had miraculous births involving a deity: Hercules’ father was the god Zeus, and Samson gave birth after his mother received a message from heaven delivered by an angel. The two births focused on their mother, the woman Zeus cohabited with, and the woman with whom an angel communicated. In both instances, the husbands were ignored.

The two had long hair.  Both killed a lion. Samson slew thirty men in Ashkelon because of a demand for clothing, and Hercules cut off the ears and noses of heralds who claimed tribute from him. Samson caught 200 foxes and attached firebrands to them to cause a massive fire, and Hercules killed a Hydra and caused an enormous fire. Samson smote many Philistines, and Hercules fought against an army of centaurs and giants.

The two had weaknesses. They were unable to control their temper. They would act without thinking, which led to their death. Both had problems with a woman: Hercules with Zeus’ wife and Samson with Delilah. The women were responsible for their deaths. The two died near two pillars.

The natural and rational approach in Samson differs from Hercules’ other-worldly one   

I am taking no position on whether or not Samson lived. I leave it to the reader to decide. However, I feel that even if the Samson story is a parable, there is good reason for its inclusion in the Bible. Many stories in the Hebrew Bible are parables. An example is the Book of Job. Many rabbis recognized it as a parable.

The Jewish depiction of strong men shows them to behave in ways that teach rationality to readers.

One of the principal lessons is that, like Samson, we all make mistakes and need to correct them. At the near end of his life, Samson realized how much he failed in his assigned life mission and turned to God, while Hercules, making similar errors, never did so.

The Jewish tale rejects the idea that God manipulates people, treating them as Pinocchio puppets. Hercules was the result of a god impregnating a human woman, while Samson was born naturally.

Another example shows how overindulgence, such as Samson’s pursuit of sexual favors, has dire consequences. We need to act according to the Golden Mean without extremes.

Women are disparaged in the Hercules myths. True, Samson mistreated women. However, the introduction to his story has the angel speaking to Samson’s mother and disparaging her husband, who has difficulty understanding what is happening. This event highlights the Torah’s desire to train the ancient Israelites to recognize that women are equal to men.

Hercules is generally depicted fighting mythical creatures that do not exist outside of myths, while Samson fights fellow humans. The story rationally emphasizes that the difficulties in life are part of nature. While Samson’s behaviors, especially his strength, might be an exaggeration, yet the message is clear: life must be lived rationally, not fearing otherworldly beings or relying on divine help.