The text is silent on just how Samson accomplished his feat. But his act fits well into the picture of someone who kills a lion with his bare hands, kills thirty Philistines, breaks brand new ropes that bind him, kills a thousand Philistines with a jawbone, and brings a house down over thousands of Philistines.1 What is absent from this particular account, however, is the Lord. The text makes no reference to the Spirit of the Lord. Samson, to be sure, is accomplishing God’s purposes. But his achievement is personal, not on Israel’s behalf; the focus is all on him.
4 Samson s'en alla. Il attrapa trois cents renards, et prit des flambeaux; puis il tourna les renards queue contre queue, et mit un flambeau entre deux queues, au milieu.