Καὶ ἐκοιμήθη Σαμψων ἕως τοῦ μεσονυκτίου καὶ ἀνέστη περὶ τὸ μεσονύκτιον καὶ ἐπελάβετο τῶν θυρῶν τῆς πύλης τῆς πόλεως καὶ τῶν δύο σταθμῶν καὶ ἀνεβάστασεν αὐτὰς σὺν τῷ μοχλῷ καὶ ἐπέθηκεν ἐπὶ τῷ ὤμῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνήνεγκεν αὐτὰ ἐπὶ τὴν κορυφὴν τοῦ ὄρους ὅ ἐστιν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον Χεβρων καὶ ἔθηκεν αὐτὰ ἐκεῖ (Judges 16:3 LXX)
And Samson slept until midnight, and he rose about midnight, and he seized the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts, and he lifted them up with the bar, and he placed them on his shoulder, and he carried them to the top of the mountain which is opposite Ḥebron, and he set them there.
Introduction: A String of Aorists
This verse is a vivid display of consecutive aorist verbs narrating a sequence of decisive actions. The aorist indicative here functions as the backbone of narrative Greek, marking each event as a complete unit that moves the story forward. From ἐκοιμήθη (“slept”) to ἔθηκεν (“set”), the form gives each action the force of a snapshot—complete, self-contained, and linked to the next.
The Initial Rest: ἐκοιμήθη
ἐκοιμήθη is aorist passive (deponent in meaning) of κοιμάω, meaning “to sleep” or “to lie down.” In LXX narrative style, such aorist deponents often simply indicate the occurrence of the event without ongoing duration. The temporal phrase ἕως τοῦ μεσονυκτίου fixes the endpoint of the action, setting up the dramatic turning point.
The Rising: ἀνέστη
The aorist active indicative of ἀνίστημι (“to rise, to stand up”) signals the moment of transition from inactivity to decisive action. It is accompanied by περὶ τὸ μεσονύκτιον (“about midnight”), which balances the previous temporal phrase and emphasizes the immediacy of the reaction.
The Heroic Seizure: ἐπελάβετο
ἐπελάβετο is aorist middle indicative of ἐπιλαμβάνομαι (“to take hold of, to seize”). The middle voice underscores Sampson’s personal involvement—he took hold for himself. The genitive object τῶν θυρῶν follows the standard case usage with this verb, marking the thing seized.
The Lifting and Bearing: ἀνεβάστασεν … ἀνήνεγκεν
These aorists—active forms of ἀναβαστάζω and ἀναφέρω—depict feats of extraordinary strength. The addition of σὺν τῷ μοχλῷ (“with the bar”) magnifies the image, while ἐπὶ τῷ ὤμῳ αὐτοῦ (“upon his shoulder”) visualizes the load. The prepositional phrase ἐπὶ τὴν κορυφὴν τοῦ ὄρους expresses motion toward a high, prominent destination.
Geographical Specificity: ὅ ἐστιν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον Χεβρων
The relative clause defines the mountain’s location: “which is opposite Ḥebron.” The phrase ἐπὶ πρόσωπον is a Hebraism calqued into Greek, literally “upon the face (of),” conveying “opposite” or “facing.” The use of the transliterated place name Χεβρων preserves the Hebrew toponym.
The Final Placement: ἔθηκεν
The aorist active indicative of τίθημι closes the action. Like the opening ἐκοιμήθη, it is a complete, self-contained event—but here it functions as the climactic final act, marking the completion of the exploit.
Morphology Table: Key Verbal Forms
| Greek Form | Parsing | Root | Lexical Meaning | Narrative Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἐκοιμήθη | Aorist Passive (Dep.) Indicative 3rd sg. | κοιμάω | Sleep, lie down | Opening state of rest |
| ἀνέστη | Aorist Active Indicative 3rd sg. | ἀνίστημι | Rise, stand up | Transition to action |
| ἐπελάβετο | Aorist Middle Indicative 3rd sg. | ἐπιλαμβάνομαι | Seize, take hold | Initiation of the feat |
| ἀνεβάστασεν | Aorist Active Indicative 3rd sg. | ἀναβαστάζω | Lift up | Display of strength |
| ἀνήνεγκεν | Aorist Active Indicative 3rd sg. | ἀναφέρω | Carry up | Movement toward goal |
| ἔθηκεν | Aorist Active Indicative 3rd sg. | τίθημι | Place, set | Climactic conclusion |
The Pulse of the Aorist
Judges 16:3 LXX demonstrates how a series of aorist verbs can powerfully propel a narrative forward. Each form captures a discrete, decisive action, creating a rhythm of accomplishment. The result is a vivid, almost cinematic sequence—from sleep to rising, from grasping to lifting, from carrying to setting—etched into sacred history by the pulse of the aorist.
