It’s not a compliment to someone a “sweet Delilah” today—after all, she is one of the bad girls of the Old Testament. Charismatic churches use the term “Delilah spirit” for spiritual forces that create problems in their community.
But what do they mean when they use this expression? What does this spirit allegedly do? We must explore what the Bible tells us about Delilah, then consider how the story connects with what the Bible tells us about the spiritual world.
Do We See the Delilah Spirit in the Bible?
Delilah is mentioned in the Old Testament book of Judges at the end of the account about Samson.
Unlike the Philistine woman that Samson got engaged to and the Philistine prostitute he met in Gaza, Delilah’s name is recorded. We also learn her background: she is from the Valley of Sorek, which is on the border between Philistia and the territory of the Israeli tribe of Dan. Sorek means “red grape” or “vine,” which suggests the Valley of Sorek was vineyard territory. Ironically, Samson wasn’t allowed to drink wine due to his Nazirite vow. So, Samson getting involved with a Philistine woman from vineyard country summarized everything he was supposed to avoid—fornication, wine, and foreigners who would lead him astray from God’s moral code.
Besides mentioning the Philistine god Dagon, the biblical story of Samson and Delilah doesn’t mention evil spirits or deities. We don’t see Delilah’s name ever connected to a spirit. We do see Delilah working undercover for the Philistines, who want to destroy Samson’s supernatural strength so he can’t defend the Israelites. Each Philistine ruler pays her 1,100 pieces of silver for the task.
She accomplishes the task, to the Israelites’ dismay. However, she indirectly destroys much of the Philistines’ world as well.
How Does Delilah Manipulate Samson in the Bible?
When Delilah meets Samson, he is an easy target. Before he meets Delilah, he has made his way through romances with at least two women (mentioned in Judges 13-15). After the Philistines recruit her, she tries multiple times to determine what makes Samson so strong.
“So Delilah said to Samson, ‘Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued’” (Judges 16:6).
Samson leads Delilah on with lies that lead her to try and weaken him with bowstrings, ropes, and tying his hair into a loom. Each attempt fails to take away his strength.
Delilah becomes more desperate and manipulative: “How can you say, ‘I love you’ when you won’t confide in me?” (Judges 16:15). Samson gets tired of her nagging and tells her the truth: his strength is linked to his Nazirite vow not to shave his head.
Nazirite vows, first mentioned in Numbers 6, are serious vows that dedicate people to God’s service—maybe for a season or a lifetime. Samson’s mother had been told that her child would be a special child for God’s service and to raise him without ever cutting his hair or drinking alcohol, classic parts of the Nazirite vow. He was meant to be a pious leader who led the Israelites to serve God while defending them from Philistine forces.
After Delilah discovers the source of Samson’s strength is his long hair, she has a servant shave Samson’s head while he is cradled in sleep on her lap. Samson loses his strength, and Delilah delivers him to the Philistines, who gouge out his eyes and lock him up.
Sometime later, Samson is brought out of his cell and chained to the Dagon temple, where the Philistines chain him to pillars and mock him.
“When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, ‘Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands, the one who laid waste our land and multiplied our slain.’” (Judges 16:24-25)
Ultimately, God gives Samson victory, although it brings many casualties. Samson’s hair has grown back during his captivity. While the Philistines jeer him, Samson pulls the pillars that hold him from their foundation. The massive temple stones fall on thousands of Philistines, their rulers, and Samson. Everyone dies at Samson’s hands.
Whether Delilah was in the temple is not recorded in Bible history. Perhaps she moved on with her money.
What Are the Delilah Spirit’s Traits?
Now that we know Delilah’s story, we can understand why church leaders warn people to avoid Delilah’s sinful behavior.
However, for Charismatic Christians, the key point is that evil spirits manipulate people toward particular sinful behaviors. Lori Stanley Roeleveld outlines the traits that Charismatic Christians typically associate with the Delilah Spirit.
A key trait of a Delilah spirit is seduction. It is a subtle, seemingly pleasant way to manipulate another person for personal gain. People with a Delilah spirit are not to be trusted. They see relationships as give and take, mostly take. The most common use of the term Delilah spirit is when a woman lures a man to do what she wants for reasons unrelated to love. Sex or flattery is the bargaining chip with an unsuspecting man.
A person under the influence of a Delilah spirit compromises their faith and values. In the Old Testament story, Samson abandons his Nazirite vow by sleeping with Delilah, which leads to losing strength and resistance to his enemies, the Philistines.
Roeleveld notes that the Delilah spirit is a destructive influence: Delilah’s actions led to Samson’s capture and violence against the Philistines. Samson’s sin also leads to his “spiritual, emotional, or relational harm.” Samson may have felt dead inside long before falling temple stones crush him.
If Samson had time to ponder his relationship with Delilah before his death, he would have realized Delila betrayed him by revealing the source of his strength to the Philistines. He becomes wise to her cunning only when it is too late.
Do We Have to Watch Out for the Delilah Spirit Today?
We may or may not agree with Charismatic churches that see specialized spirits as working for Satan to convince people to sin.
However, we can appreciate that the Bible describes the spiritual world as more complicated and dangerous than we may assume.
For example, the gospels record Jesus exorcised demons on various occasions. In Mark 5:9, Jesus casts a legion of evil spirits out of a man. The troubled soul recognizes Jesus as the Son of God and begs for mercy before Jesus casts his demons into a herd of pigs that dive into the sea. In Matthew 9:33, Jesus casts a demon out of a man who can only speak after the demon leaves.
The Bible also talks about watching out for these dark forces and some things we can do to defend ourselves. For example, Paul warns believers in Ephesians 6 to put on the armor of God to fight evil forces. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” The passage is not definite on whether evil thoughts always come from within a person from human nature (think Adam and Eve sinning the first chance they got in the Garden of Eden) or always as a result of outside forces (like the serpent tempting Eve in the Garden of Eden). Either way, the point is that we can seek God’s help to fight back.
Different traditions discuss various ways to combat dark spiritual forces. Some, such as the Roman Catholic church, recommend exorcisms. Others recommend individual or corporate prayer.
What Can We All Learn from Reading about the Delilah Spirit?
Whatever we believe about the Delilah Spirit, the discussion raises points about spiritual warfare, deception, and manipulation that we can all learn from.
The Bible story of Delilah and Samson reminds anyone with leadership responsibilities to be careful of manipulators who try to get things from them. We must remember that we cannot try to increase pleasure while ignoring God’s plan—what is healthy, the good things he wants us to do to live blessed lives. Since we cannot completely resist sin, we pray that God will “lead us from temptation,” as Jesus taught his disciples in the Lord’s prayer (Matthew 6:9-13).
While we should watch out for any manipulation, sexual manipulation is especially tempting. Proverbs describes the dangers of a seductive person: “With much seductive speech, she persuades him; with her smooth talk, she compels him. All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter” (Proverbs 7:21-22). Samson’s fate shows that there are grave consequences to mindlessly following lust. We still see the story play out today: Leaders in every field, from government to sports to ministry, and everyday people, as well, ruin their lives by having affairs. Truth emerges, and the damage affects more than the two people involved.
Samson’s late return to faith, getting his strength back, can remind us that there is always time to repent. There is always a way back from the clutches of sin. The prodigal son’s father ran out to greet his wayward child just as God will welcome us back to Him when we take the first steps in His direction—praying and asking for forgiveness (Luke 15:11-32). This is true whether you are attracted to a seductive manipulator or are being a seductive manipulator.
We know that we can resist temptation with God’s help. As 2 Thessalonians 3:3 reminds us, “the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” We know that a key part of our fight against evil is to not only put on the armor of God and use weapons like spiritual warfare prayer but also to practice love for others. As Jesus says, we are to love one another “as I have loved you” (John 15:12). When we practice that kind of love, we will not treat other people as pawns in life’s big game. We will cherish each fellow child of God and treat them with respect.
