Samson & Delilah

Judges 16:6 So Delilah said to Samson “Tell me, what makes you so strong? And how could you be tied up and made helpless?” 16:19 She lulled him to sleep on her lap. Then she called in a man, and she had him cut off the seven locks of his head; thus she weakened him and made him helpless: his strength slipped away from him. 20 She cried, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” and he awoke from his sleep, thinking he would break loose and shake himself free as he had the other times, For he did not know that the lord had departed from him.
In this painting I wanted to show this scene in its truest form. The ancient Philistines are the ancestors to today’s Palestinians, so I painted theirs colors on the pillow behind Samson. And I also painted a menorah and torah on Samson’s gauntlet. Thank you to the young and inspirational model Faith Nelson, who did a wonderful job as Delilah.