<P> According to the account in the Book of Judges, Samson lived during a time of repeated conflict between Israel and Philistia, when God was disciplining the Israelites by giving them "into the hand of the Philistines". Manoah was an Israelite from Zorah, descended from the Danites, and his wife had been unable to conceive . The Angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah's wife and proclaimed that the couple would soon have a son who would begin to deliver the Israelites from the Philistines . </P> <P> The Angel of the Lord stated that Manoah's wife was to abstain from all alcoholic drinks, and her promised child was not to shave or cut his hair . He was to be a Nazirite from birth . In ancient Israel, those wanting to be especially dedicated to God for a time could take a Nazirite vow which included abstaining from wine and spirits, not cutting hair or shaving, and other requirements . The wife believed the Angel of the Lord; her husband was not present, so he prayed and asked God to send the messenger once again to teach them how to raise the boy who was going to be born . </P> <P> After the Angel of the Lord returned, Manoah asked him his name, but he said, "Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding ." Manoah then prepared a sacrifice, but the Angel of the Lord would only allow it to be for God . He touched it with his staff, miraculously engulfing it in flames, and then ascended into the sky in the fire . This was such dramatic evidence of the nature of the Messenger that Manoah feared for his life, since it was said that no one could live after seeing God . However, his wife convinced him that, if God planned to slay them, he would never have revealed such things to them . In due time, their son Samson was born, and he was raised according to the provisions . </P> <P> When he was a young adult, Samson left the hills of his people to see the cities of Philistia . He fell in love with a Philistine woman from Timnah, whom he decided to marry, ignoring the objections of his parents, who were concerned because the Israelites were forbidden to marry Gentiles . In the development of the narrative, the intended marriage was shown to be part of God's plan to strike at the Philistines . </P>

What was samson in the bible known for