Image Details

Courtesy of the Mizel Museum of Judaica, Denver, CO/Art and Culture Authority, Ramat Gan, Israel

“Let me die with the Philistines” (Judges 16:30), Samson cries as he single-handedly tears down a Philistine temple. As depicted in this 1948 painting by the Israeli artist Aharon Kahana, Samson’s chest muscles swell under the strain as he crushes the temple columns (which frame the scene) with his powerful arms. With this action, the muscleman Samson becomes a true biblical hero, sacrificing himself to save the Israelites from their enemy, the Philistines.