Jesus Christ Word Search
April 20, 2026
This Samson and Delilah word search offers an interactive way to explore one of the Bible’s most compelling narratives of strength, temptation, and betrayal. This educational puzzle features 24 carefully chosen words that bring to life the dramatic story found in the Book of Judges, chapters 13-16.
Samson was an Israelite judge blessed with supernatural strength, consecrated as a Nazarite from birth to deliver his people from Philistine oppression. His strength came from God’s Spirit and was symbolized by his uncut hair, a sacred vow he maintained throughout his life. Delilah, the woman he loved from the Valley of Sorek, became the instrument of his downfall when Philistine rulers bribed her with silver to discover the secret of his power.
The story unfolds across ancient Philistine territories including Gaza and culminates in the temple of Dagon. After persistent questioning, Samson revealed his secret to Delilah, who betrayed him by having his seven locks shaved while he slept. The Philistines captured, blinded, and imprisoned him. However, as his hair grew back, so did his strength, enabling one final devastating act that killed more enemies in his death than during his lifetime.
This Samson and Delilah word search printable includes comprehensive definitions for all 24 words, five frequently asked questions answering common queries about the narrative, and fascinating “Did You Know?” facts—including the surprising detail that the Bible never actually identifies Delilah’s nationality. This word search printable transforms a classic puzzle into a rich educational experience for Bible students of all ages.
BETRAYAL, BLINDED, BLINDNESS, CHAINS, DAGON, DELILAH, FOXES, GAZA GRIND, HAIR, HONEY, ISRAEL, JAWBONE, JUDGE, LION, LOCKS, NAZARITE, PILLARS, RAZOR, RIDDLE, SAMSON, SHAVE, STRENGTH, TEMPLE
BETRAYAL – Delilah’s act of deceiving Samson by discovering the secret of his strength and revealing it to the Philistine rulers for silver, breaking his trust completely.
BLINDED – The Philistines gouged out Samson’s eyes after capturing him, leaving him sightless as punishment and to prevent escape, making him helpless in their hands.
BLINDNESS – The permanent state of being unable to see after the Philistines removed Samson’s eyes, forcing him to rely on others while imprisoned and grinding grain.
CHAINS – Bronze shackles used by the Philistines to bind and restrain the weakened Samson after cutting his hair, keeping him captive as their prisoner in Gaza.
DAGON – The fish-god deity worshipped by the Philistines, in whose temple they gathered to celebrate Samson’s capture and where he ultimately brought destruction upon them.
DELILAH – The woman from the Valley of Sorek whom Samson loved, who persistently questioned him until discovering his strength’s secret, then betrayed him to the Philistines.
FOXES – Three hundred animals Samson caught, tied in pairs by their tails with torches between them, then released to burn Philistine crops as revenge and warfare.
GAZA – A major Philistine city where Samson tore off and carried away the city gates, and where he was later imprisoned to grind grain after capture.
GRIND – The forced labor Samson performed in prison, turning millstones to crush grain, a humiliating task typically done by slaves, women, or animals in captivity.
HAIR – The seven locks of Samson’s uncut hair that symbolized his Nazarite vow to God, which when shaved off caused his supernatural strength to leave him.
HONEY – The sweet substance Samson found inside a lion’s carcass, which became the basis for his riddle posed to thirty Philistine wedding guests at his feast.
ISRAEL – The nation of twelve tribes whom Samson served as judge for twenty years, delivering them from Philistine oppression through his extraordinary God-given strength and exploits.
JAWBONE – The bone from a donkey’s jaw that Samson used as an improvised weapon to strike down one thousand Philistine men in a single remarkable and violent battle.
JUDGE – The leadership role Samson held over Israel for two decades, serving as a deliverer and ruler during the time before Israel had established kings.
LION – The young fierce animal that attacked Samson near Timnah’s vineyards, which he tore apart with his bare hands through God’s spirit empowering him supernaturally.
LOCKS – The seven braided strands of Samson’s hair that represented his consecration to God as a Nazarite, which Delilah deceitfully cut while he slept on her lap.
NAZARITE – A person consecrated to God from birth through special vows including never cutting hair, avoiding grapes and wine, and staying away from dead bodies completely.
PILLARS – The two central supporting columns in Dagon’s temple that Samson pushed apart with restored strength, collapsing the entire structure upon thousands of celebrating Philistines.
RAZOR – The cutting blade that had never touched Samson’s head according to his Nazarite vow, but was used by Delilah’s accomplice to shave his sacred hair.
RIDDLE – The cryptic puzzle Samson posed at his wedding feast about eating from the eater and sweetness from strength, based on his lion and honey encounter.
SAMSON – The incredibly strong judge of Israel, known for supernatural physical power, who was betrayed by Delilah but died destroying thousands of Philistines in Dagon’s temple.
SHAVE – The act of cutting off Samson’s seven locks of hair while he slept, performed at Delilah’s direction, which caused his divine strength to immediately depart.
STRENGTH – Samson’s extraordinary physical power given by God’s Spirit, enabling incredible feats like killing lions and moving gates, lost when his hair was cut off.
TEMPLE – The massive building dedicated to the Philistine god Dagon where Samson was displayed as entertainment, which he destroyed by collapsing its main support pillars.
BETRAYAL, BLINDED, BLINDNESS, CHAINS, DAGON, DELILAH, FOXES, GAZA GRIND, HAIR, HONEY, ISRAEL, JAWBONE, JUDGE, LION, LOCKS, NAZARITE, PILLARS, RAZOR, RIDDLE, SAMSON, SHAVE, STRENGTH, TEMPLE
Samson was an Israelite judge blessed with supernatural strength from God. He was a Nazarite from birth, consecrated to deliver Israel from Philistine oppression for twenty years.
The Philistine rulers bribed Delilah with eleven hundred pieces of silver from each lord to discover the secret of Samson’s strength, which she accepted for personal gain.
Samson’s strength came from God’s Spirit and was connected to his Nazarite vow, symbolized by his seven locks of uncut hair that had never been shaved.
Samson prayed for strength one final time, then pushed apart the two main pillars supporting Dagon’s temple, collapsing it upon himself and three thousand Philistines gathered inside.
The story teaches about the consequences of disobedience, the dangers of compromising one’s convictions for love, and ultimately demonstrates God’s redemption despite human failures and weaknesses.
The Bible records that Samson killed more enemies when he collapsed Dagon’s temple upon three thousand Philistines than all those he had slain throughout his previous exploits combined.
While commonly assumed, scripture only identifies Delilah as a woman from the Valley of Sorek. Her nationality remains unspecified, though she clearly collaborated with the Philistine rulers.
Before admitting the truth about his hair, Samson falsely claimed fresh bowstrings, new ropes, and weaving his hair into fabric would weaken him, testing Delilah’s loyalty each time.
Despite his moral failures and poor choices, Samson appears in the New Testament’s “hall of faith,” recognized for his faith in God and deliverance of Israel.
His name, Shimshon, derives from the Hebrew word “shemesh” meaning sun, possibly reflecting the brightness and warmth his parents felt at his miraculous birth announcement.
