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Description
Samson, in the end, finds himself in a Philistine temple at Gaza, who's gates were under repair since he, you know, ripped them off. He is made to do slave labor in a mill where they apparently forgot about the hair thing, and it grows back. So they bring him to the temple to show off their dominance over their enemy, something that was often done, and paraded around being led by a boy (probably an insult as well). While they are mocking and laughing and partying, Samson asks the boy to lead him to the pillars that held up the temple.

Now this is where it gets interesting, because archeology tells us that the Philistines built their temples held up by huge wooden pillars set on stone pedestals on which the entire structure rested and was held together, so pushing them apart would absolutely take down the whole place. That's why I opted for wooden pillars, which being pushed off their pedestals, brings the whole place crashing down. This also made for an interesting visual as I imagined the displaced weight crushing the pillars into splinters.

Note Delilah just behind him, who I wanted to include as a nod to the play on their names, where in conclusion, the sun (Samson) has risen up and overcome the darkness/night (Delilah) in his last final act. It's a sad story, and tragically beautiful, as this greatly flawed hero uses his God-given power to avenge himself (his own words).

#samson #bookofjudges #samsonproject #biblicalillustration #ancientneareast #phillistine #templeofdagon #samsonsdeath #finalbattle

Description
Samson, in the end, finds himself in a Philistine temple at Gaza, who's gates were under repair since he, you know, ripped them off. He is made to do slave labor in a mill where they apparently forgot about the hair thing, and it grows back. So they bring him to the temple to show off their dominance over their enemy, something that was often done, and paraded around being led by a boy (probably an insult as well). While they are mocking and laughing and partying, Samson asks the boy to lead him to the pillars that held up the temple.

Now this is where it gets interesting, because archeology tells us that the Philistines built their temples held up by huge wooden pillars set on stone pedestals on which the entire structure rested and was held together, so pushing them apart would absolutely take down the whole place. That's why I opted for wooden pillars, which being pushed off their pedestals, brings the whole place crashing down. This also made for an interesting visual as I imagined the displaced weight crushing the pillars into splinters.

Note Delilah just behind him, who I wanted to include as a nod to the play on their names, where in conclusion, the sun (Samson) has risen up and overcome the darkness/night (Delilah) in his last final act. It's a sad story, and tragically beautiful, as this greatly flawed hero uses his God-given power to avenge himself (his own words).

#samson #bookofjudges #samsonproject #biblicalillustration #ancientneareast #phillistine #templeofdagon #samsonsdeath #finalbattle