And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
The lords of the Philistines. The five rulers deemed no means beneath their dignity to overcome this national enemy; and learning the ascendancy she had acquired over the Hebrew champion, they bribed her to use that influence in promoting their designs.
Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth. They probably imagined that he carried some amulet about his person, or was in the possession of some important secret, by which he had acquired such Herculean strength; and they bribed Delilah, doubtless by a large reward, to discover it for them. She undertook the service, and made several attempts, plying all her arts of persuasion and blandishment, in his soft and communicative moods, to extract his secrets (see Josephus, 'Antiquities,' b. 5:, ch. 8:, sec. 10-12).