Samson’s hair is central to his Nazirite vow and is described in Judges 13–16. Before his birth, an Angel of the Lord appeared to his mother and declared that Samson would be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and that no razor should come upon his head (Judges 13:5). This vow included abstaining from wine, not touching anything unclean, and not cutting the hair, as a sign of consecration to the Lord (Numbers 6:1–5).
God gave Samson extraordinary strength, which was linked to his Nazirite vow, specifically the uncut hair on his head. His feats of strength included killing a lion with his bare hands (Judges 14:5–6), defeating a thousand men with the jawbone of a donkey (Judges 15:15), and carrying the gates of Gaza on his shoulders (Judges 16:3).
Delilah, a Philistine woman, was used to discover the secret of his strength. After several failed attempts, she pressed him daily until he told her that if his hair were cut, his strength would leave him, for it was the symbol of his vow to God (Judges 16:17). While he slept, she had his hair cut, and the Lord departed from him. He was seized by the Philistines, blinded, and imprisoned (Judges 16:19–21).
However, in prison, “the hair of his head began to grow again” (Judges 16:22). At a gathering in the temple of Dagon, the Philistines brought Samson to mock him. He prayed to God for strength one last time, grasped the two central pillars of the building, and pulled them down, killing more in his death than in his life (Judges 16:28–30).
Samson’s hair symbolized his dedication to God under the Nazirite vow. It was not magical in itself, but a sign of the covenant relationship. His downfall came not merely from a haircut, but from breaking faith with the Lord. His final act of strength came through humble dependence on God, not self-reliance.