The Valley of Sorek was a crossover point between Israel and Philistia. It was a seasonal riverbed that started about thirteen miles southwest of Jerusalem, in the hill country of Judah, and followed a roughly east-west course down to the Mediterranean Sea.1 It was a major component of Philistia. Just north of it were the Danite villages of Eshtaol and Zorah (Samson’s hometown), and just south of it was Timnah, where a Philistine woman first caught Samson’s attention, and he married her. So now the story of his life has come full circle. He is back in the vicinity of Timnah where his troubles began.2 He’s back to playing around, chasing after love. And he finds it here.
4 After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.