Bible Figure
Manoah
biblical character from the Book of Judges 13:1-23 and 14:2-4
Manoah was the Danite father of Samson who, with his wife, received angelic instructions concerning their miraculously promised son.
Biography
Judges 13 says Manoah's wife was barren until the angel of the Lord announced that she would bear a son who was to be a Nazirite from the womb and would begin to deliver Israel from the Philistines. Manoah prayed for the messenger to return so they could learn how to raise the child. When the angel appeared again, Manoah asked questions, offered hospitality, and then presented a sacrifice. As the flame rose, the angel ascended in it, and Manoah feared they would die because they had seen God; his wife wisely reassured him. They later named their son Samson.
Biblical Significance
Manoah's story frames Samson's life as divinely initiated before birth. His desire for instruction and his wife's perceptive faith provide an important contrast to many of Samson's later impulsive choices.