Shimshon and Shemuel/0

Shimshon and Shemuel

Introduction

The Shimshon and Shemuel narratives each open with a scene in which the leader's birth and future destiny is promised.  The two birth stories contain a significant number of plot similarities, buttressed by a few linguistic allusions.  The similarities, though, mainly serve to highlight the many contrasts between the narratives and hence, the difference in character between the protagonists.

Content Parallels

Both stories revolve around a barren woman who is promised a child who then grows up to be a leader of the nation.  There are several more specific parallels as well, which are summarized in the following table:

Mrs. Manoach and Channah	Barren – Both wives are introduced as being barren. Dominant – Both Mrs. Manoach and Channah are the prominent characters in the narrative and are more dominant than their husbands. No wine – Mrs. Manoach is told not to drink wine while Eli tells Hannah "rid yourself of your wine"
Shimshon and Shemuel	Nazir-like status– The angel states that a razor should not touch Shimshon's hair and Channah promises the same regarding Shemuel. Leadership – Both Shimshon and Shemuel becomes judges of Israel.1 Fight Philistines – Both leaders help save their nation from the Philistines. Hashem with them– The verses state that both boys group up "with Hashem" or blessed by Him. Moreover, Hashem allows each some level of prophetic ability. By Shimshon we are told, "וַתָּחֶל רוּחַ ה' לְפַעֲמוֹ" and by Shemuel, " נִגְלָה ה' אֶל שְׁמוּאֵל ".
The Men	Husbands – Both husbands bring a sacrifice in the context of the annunciation. Man of God – In each story there is a man of God (the angel in the Shofetim story and Eli, the priest, in Sefer Shemuel) who play a role in promising the child. The angel actively promises the couple a son while Eli more passively tells Channah, "May Hashem grant your request that you asked of Him."

Literary Allusions

¹ By Shimshon the verse states "וַיִּשְׁפֹּט אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּימֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה" and by shemuel we are told, "וַיִּשְׁפֹּט שְׁמוּאֵל אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל כֹּל יְמֵי חַיָּיו".