• First walk the short distance to the observation area overlooking Nahal Sorek. Turn left on exiting from the parking lot. You will soon see the wooden deck that is part of the observation area. Unfortunately, for safety reasons, you are not permitted to walk on the deck, but you can still appreciate the view from adjacent to it. 

 

The Sorek Valley is a critical valley for understanding the geography of the Samson story. It is a deep valley with a seasonal flow of water. It begins from close to Ramallah and extends in a general south-west direction to Bet Shemesh and from there extends in a general north-west direction to Palmachim on the coast. Bet Shemesh is at the tip of the loop. From this observation point, Tel Tzora is behind you and overlooks the Sorek Valley. Tel Bet Shemesh is located on the other side of the Sorek Valley. The Sorek Valley is a fertile valley, and was well known for its growing of vines. This is presumably where Bet Shemesh and Tzora would have had their agricultural land. It is now part of the industrial section of Bet Shemesh.

 

Tel Bet Shemesh is close to the modern city of Bet Shemesh by Route 38. Route 38 is on an ancient road that goes in a general north-south direction. Biblical Eshtaol, which was also in the territory of the tribe of Dan, was close to Tzora, perhaps close to present-day Route 44. Ancient Timna was a Philistine city where Samson’s first wife lived. It is located on the bank of the Sorek Valley, about 7 Km north-west of Bet Shemesh between Beit Shemesh and Ekron, and is identified nowadays as Tel Batash. Samson’s love Delila also lived in the Sorek Valley, although the precise location of her home is not mentioned in the Bible. The presumption is that she was Philistine and hence lived in the Philistine part of the Sorek Valley.

 

This entire area was therefore a place of convergence between the Philistines and the two tribes of Israel, Judah and Dan. From the Samson story it would seem that relations between the Israelites and the Philistines were fairly amicable, in that they visited each other socially, although the Philistines had the upper hand and ruled over the Israelite tribes living in this area.

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• Return to the parking lot.

 

• From the far end of the parking lot take the concrete path past the white pillars. This leads to a dirt path with signs containing quotations from the Book of Judges regarding the first part of Samson’s life. The signs point in the direction of the route.

 

• This path comes to an end by the last sign at a T-junction. Turn left.

 

• Shortly you will come to another T-junction with a cypress and cactus ahead of you. Turn right.

 

• Continue ahead on this path until you see a path on the left going up the tell.  There are again excerpts from the Book of Judges about Samson on signs at the beginning of the trail.

 

• You will eventually come to a lookout on your left with a sign identifying what you are viewing.

 

• Continue along the main path and this will bring you to the tomb of Samson and his father.

 

This is the story of Samson’s death as found in the Book of Judges. Delila betrays him for money to the Philistines. She extracts from him the secret of his prodigious strength and his locks of hair are cut while he is sleeping:

 

The Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and shackled him in bronze fetters, and he became a mill slave in the prison. After his hair was cut off, it began to grow back. Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon and to make merry. They chanted, “Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy Samson.” When the people saw him, they sang praises to their god, chanting, “Our god has delivered into our hands. The enemy who devastated our land, and who slew so many of us.”As their spirits rose, they said, “Call Samson here and let him dance for us.” Samson was fetched from the prison, and he danced for them. Then they put him between the pillars. And Samson said to the boy who was leading him by the hand, “Let go of me and let me feel the pillars that the temple rests upon, that I may lean on them.” Now the temple was full of men and women; all the lords of the Philistines were there, and there were some three thousand men and women on the roof watching Samson dance. Then Samson called to God, “O Sovereign God! Please remember me, and give me strength just this once, O God, to take revenge of the Philistines, if only for one of my two eyes.” He embraced the two middle pillars that the temple rested upon, one with his right arm and one with his left, and leaned against them; Samson cried, “Let me die with the Philistines!” and he pulled with all his might. The temple came crashing down on the lords and on all the people in it. Those who were slain by him as he died outnumbered those who had been slain by him when he lived (Judges 16:21-30).

  

There is a tradition that this is Samson’s tomb. However, the Book of Judges tells us that his brethren and house of his father “buried him between Tzora and Eshtaol in the burying-place of Manoah his father” (Judges 16:31). This tomb is on the lower slope of the tell, which is not between Tzora and Eshtaol. On the sides of the tell is also an unlikely place for him to be buried, and there are doubts that this is truly his tomb.

 

• Behind the tomb is a path down to the road (this path is a bit easier than the one in front of the tomb). Turn left on the paved road and then left again to the main road through the park, the Sculpture Trail. This road will take you to a roundabout. Continue ahead at the roundabout and you will very soon come to the parking lot.