Judges 16:3 - Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Bible Comments

Instead of forcing the doors open, he tore the posts up, as it were, by the roots, with the barred doors attached to them. The word rendered “went away with them,” means “to pluck up the tent-pins,” and hence, “to remove.” The present town of Gaza (Ghuzzeh) is an open town, without gates or walls, but the sites of the ancient gates still remain visible. One of these, on the southeast, is shown as the gate carried off by Samson.

A partially-isolated hill, about half-an-hour southeast of Gaza, and standing out from the chain that runs up to Hebron, bears the name of “Samson’s Mount.” But it may be doubted whether one of the hills overlooking Hebron is not rather meant.

Judges 16:3

3 And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, barb and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.