4495. Manoach
Lexical Summary
Manoach: Manoah

Original Word: מָנוֹחַ
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Manowach
Pronunciation: mah-NO-akh
Phonetic Spelling: (maw-no'-akh)
KJV: Manoah
NASB: Manoah
Word Origin: [the same as H4494 (מָנוַֹח - rest)]

1. rest
2. Manoach, an Israelite

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Manoah

The same as manowach; rest; Manoach, an Israelite -- Manoah.

see HEBREW manowach

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from nuach
Definition
father of Samson
NASB Translation
Manoah (18).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
II. מָנוֺחַ18 proper name, masculine father of Samson Judges 13:2,8 15t. Judges 13; Judges 16:31, ᵐ5 Μανωε.

Topical Lexicon
Identity and Family Context

Manoah was a Danite from the town of Zorah in the Shephelah of Judah. Scripture introduces him as the husband of a barren woman whom the Angel of the LORD visited, promising a son who would “begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines” (Judges 13:5). Together, Manoah and his unnamed wife became the parents of Samson.

Setting in the Book of Judges

Manoah appears exclusively in Judges 13–16, during Israel’s cyclical decline marked by idolatry, oppression, and periodic deliverance. His account unfolds near the end of the Judges era, when Philistine domination weighed heavily on the tribes along the coastal plain and foothills.

Key Scenes Involving Manoah

1. First announcement to Manoah’s wife (Judges 13:2–7).
2. Manoah’s intercessory prayer: “Please, LORD, may the man of God You sent to us come again to teach us how to raise the boy who is to be born” (Judges 13:8).
3. The Angel’s return and Manoah’s questions regarding the child’s future (Judges 13:11–14).
4. The attempt to honor the Angel with hospitality, redirected toward sacrificial worship (Judges 13:15–18).
5. The whole burnt offering: “When the flame went up from the altar toward heaven, the Angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell facedown to the ground” (Judges 13:19–20).
6. Holy fear and reassurance: Manoah cried, “We are going to die, for we have seen God!” but his wife reasoned, “If the LORD had meant to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering” (Judges 13:22–23).
7. Burial reference: Samson was laid “in the tomb of Manoah his father” (Judges 16:31).

Faith, Prayer, and the Angel of the LORD

Manoah’s narrative is one of earnest prayer answered by divine revelation. His petition for further instruction models the humility of a parent seeking God’s guidance. The Angel of the LORD—whom Scripture presents not merely as an emissary but as a visible manifestation of Yahweh—addresses Manoah’s concerns, thereby affirming that God equips those He calls.

Sacrificial Worship and Theophany

Manoah’s instinct to provide food for the mysterious visitor was redirected toward an offering, highlighting the priority of worship over hospitality when encountering the divine. The miraculous ascent of the Angel in the flame authenticated the encounter, evoked awe, and reinforced the holiness of God. Manoah’s fear of death reflects Israel’s conviction that seeing God meant certain demise (Exodus 33:20), yet the preservation of the couple underscored divine grace.

Parental Stewardship of a Nazarite

The stipulations communicated to Manoah and his wife—abstinence from wine, unclean food, and never cutting the child’s hair (Judges 13:4–5, 13–14)—placed lifelong Nazarite obligations upon Samson. The instructions stress parental responsibility: godly upbringing begins before birth, demands obedience to revealed standards, and influences national destiny.

Lessons for Contemporary Believers

• Prayer for guidance is met by God’s self-disclosure.
• Husbands and wives share complementary roles in discerning and obeying God’s word.
• True worship centers on sacrifice that God ordains, not on human initiative.
• Fear of God, tempered by trust in His character, leads to deeper understanding rather than despair.
• Parents serve as stewards of children who ultimately belong to the LORD and His redemptive purposes.

Connections in Redemptive History

The Angel of the LORD episode anticipates later theophanies culminating in the incarnation. Samson’s miraculous birth, announced by an angel, parallels Isaac, Samuel, and ultimately Jesus Christ, pointing to God’s pattern of raising deliverers through divine promise. Manoah’s role underscores the sovereignty of God in choosing unlikely vessels to further His plan of salvation.

Later Mentions and Legacy

After the burial notice in Judges 16:31, Scripture records no further activity by Manoah. His tomb, however, became the resting place of Samson, symbolizing the connection between father and son in Israel’s collective memory. Jewish tradition cites Manoah among righteous individuals who experienced direct angelic visitation, while Christian commentators often spotlight his prayer life as exemplary.

Summary of References

All eighteen occurrences of Manoah’s name cluster in Judges 13:2–22 and Judges 16:31, each reinforcing his identity as Samson’s father, a man of prayer, and a participant in a decisive theophany that shaped Israel’s deliverance story.

Forms and Transliterations
וּמָנ֤וֹחַ וּמָנ֥וֹחַ ומנוח מָנ֑וֹחַ מָנ֔וֹחַ מָנ֖וֹחַ מָנ֗וֹחַ מָנ֛וֹחַ מָנ֜וֹחַ מָנ֣וֹחַ מנוח mā·nō·w·aḥ maNoach mānōwaḥ ū·mā·nō·w·aḥ umaNoach ūmānōwaḥ
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Judges 13:2
HEB: הַדָּנִ֖י וּשְׁמ֣וֹ מָנ֑וֹחַ וְאִשְׁתּ֥וֹ עֲקָרָ֖ה
NAS: whose name was Manoah; and his wife
KJV: whose name [was] Manoah; and his wife
INT: of the Danites name was Manoah and his wife was barren

Judges 13:8
HEB: וַיֶּעְתַּ֥ר מָנ֛וֹחַ אֶל־ יְהוָ֖ה
NAS: Then Manoah entreated the LORD
KJV: Then Manoah intreated the LORD,
INT: entreated Manoah about the LORD

Judges 13:9
HEB: הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים בְּק֣וֹל מָנ֑וֹחַ וַיָּבֹ֣א מַלְאַךְ֩
NAS: to the voice of Manoah; and the angel
KJV: to the voice of Manoah; and the angel
INT: God to the voice of Manoah came and the angel

Judges 13:9
HEB: יוֹשֶׁ֣בֶת בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה וּמָנ֥וֹחַ אִישָׁ֖הּ אֵ֥ין
NAS: in the field, but Manoah her husband
KJV: in the field: but Manoah her husband
INT: was sitting the field Manoah her husband else

Judges 13:11
HEB: וַיָּ֛קָם וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ מָנ֖וֹחַ אַחֲרֵ֣י אִשְׁתּ֑וֹ
NAS: Then Manoah arose and followed
KJV: And Manoah arose, and went
INT: arose Then Manoah after his wife

Judges 13:12
HEB: וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מָנ֔וֹחַ עַתָּ֖ה יָבֹ֣א
NAS: Manoah said, Now
KJV: And Manoah said, Now let thy words
INT: said Manoah Now come

Judges 13:13
HEB: יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־ מָנ֑וֹחַ מִכֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־
NAS: said to Manoah, Let the woman
KJV: said unto Manoah, Of all that I said
INT: God to Manoah to all i

Judges 13:15
HEB: וַיֹּ֥אמֶר מָנ֖וֹחַ אֶל־ מַלְאַ֣ךְ
NAS: Then Manoah said to the angel
KJV: And Manoah said unto the angel
INT: said Manoah to the angel

Judges 13:16
HEB: יְהוָ֜ה אֶל־ מָנ֗וֹחַ אִם־ תַּעְצְרֵ֙נִי֙
NAS: said to Manoah, Though
KJV: said unto Manoah, Though thou detain
INT: of the LORD to Manoah Though detain

Judges 13:16
HEB: לֹא־ יָדַ֣ע מָנ֔וֹחַ כִּֽי־ מַלְאַ֥ךְ
NAS: it to the LORD. For Manoah did not know
KJV: it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew
INT: did not know Manoah for was the angel

Judges 13:17
HEB: וַיֹּ֧אמֶר מָנ֛וֹחַ אֶל־ מַלְאַ֥ךְ
NAS: Manoah said to the angel
KJV: And Manoah said unto the angel
INT: said Manoah to the angel

Judges 13:19
HEB: וַיִּקַּ֨ח מָנ֜וֹחַ אֶת־ גְּדִ֤י
NAS: So Manoah took the young
KJV: So Manoah took a kid
INT: took Manoah kid goat

Judges 13:19
HEB: וּמַפְלִ֣א לַעֲשׂ֔וֹת וּמָנ֥וֹחַ וְאִשְׁתּ֖וֹ רֹאִֽים׃
NAS: wonders while Manoah and his wife
KJV: wondrously; and Manoah and his wife
INT: wonders performed Manoah and his wife looked

Judges 13:20
HEB: בְּלַ֣הַב הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ וּמָנ֤וֹחַ וְאִשְׁתּוֹ֙ רֹאִ֔ים
NAS: of the altar. When Manoah and his wife
KJV: of the altar. And Manoah and his wife
INT: the flame of the altar Manoah and his wife saw

Judges 13:21
HEB: לְהֵרָאֹ֖ה אֶל־ מָנ֣וֹחַ וְאֶל־ אִשְׁתּ֑וֹ
NAS: did not appear to Manoah or his wife
KJV: appear to Manoah and to his wife.
INT: appear to Manoah to his wife

Judges 13:21
HEB: אָ֚ז יָדַ֣ע מָנ֔וֹחַ כִּֽי־ מַלְאַ֥ךְ
NAS: Then Manoah knew
KJV: and to his wife. Then Manoah knew
INT: Then knew Manoah for was the angel

Judges 13:22
HEB: וַיֹּ֧אמֶר מָנ֛וֹחַ אֶל־ אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ
NAS: So Manoah said to his wife,
KJV: And Manoah said unto his wife,
INT: said Manoah to his wife

Judges 16:31
HEB: אֶשְׁתָּאֹ֔ל בְּקֶ֖בֶר מָנ֣וֹחַ אָבִ֑יו וְה֛וּא
NAS: in the tomb of Manoah his father.
KJV: in the buryingplace of Manoah his father.
INT: and Eshtaol the tomb of Manoah his father he

18 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4495
18 Occurrences


mā·nō·w·aḥ — 15 Occ.
ū·mā·nō·w·aḥ — 3 Occ.

4494
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