‘ And Samson called to Yahweh, and said, “Oh Lord Yahweh, remember me, I pray you, and strengthen me, I pray you, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.”
This is the only record we have of Samson praying, although like all true Israelites he would regularly have participated in covenant worship. But that lack may only be because of the nature of the narrative. Previously it was assumed because he was the dedicated of Yahweh. The record of his prayer here was necessary to explain why God acted powerfully for one who had forfeited the right to expect it.
The sight must have had its own magnificence. The excitement and baying of the crowd, the sense of expectation as the main acts of worship approached, then suddenly that bent, defeated, pathetic, blind figure between the pillars from whom they had obtained such entertainment straightening himself up and crying out in the Hebrew tongue. And some around would recognise his words.
His plea was impassioned. They would hear him refer himself to the ‘Lord Yahweh' and then to ‘God'. He was calling on Him both as Covenant Lord and Creator.
First he prayed to be remembered. As a vow breaker he was concerned lest God would not ‘remember' him, that is acknowledge him and be responsive to him in the way that He used to be. Then he prayed for strength. The strength that he could once have relied on but had lost by his disobedience. Humbly he asked for it just once more. He recognised his own undeserving and threw himself on the mercy of God. Finally he prayed for revenge for his two eyes that they had taken from him, thereby deforming him and preventing him from being again dedicated to Yahweh as a Nazirite or being fully acceptable to Yahweh (Leviticus 21:18; Leviticus 22:20; Leviticus 22:22). The phrase may have included the idea that as judge he was ‘the eyes' of his people (Job 29:15; compare Psalms 32:8) and that they had taken them away thereby taking away his people's hope. Or perhaps his thought was that he could no longer lift up his eyes to Yahweh (Psalms 123:1).
“At once for my two eyes” could be translated ‘for one of my two eyes' (either is possible as a translation). The significance of the latter would then be that their sin was so heinous that what he aimed to do would only be sufficient to avenge him for one eye, so great was their sin in blinding him.