Women at Work in the Deuteronomistic History - International Voices ...

310 | WOMEN AT WORK IN THE DTRH
harlot, an innkeeper or a “loose woman” and she would still be liminal, because
of her unattachment to a father or husband. Liminal, it is good to remind
ourselves, is not “bad” or evil. Weak? Yes, often. And also necessary precisely
because of both belonging and not belonging.
Apparently, some of the early Rabbis saw in this adventure the beginning of
Samson’s misadventures, and this for three reasons: the first one is that, by
surviving the attack, he headed toward “the crowning feat of his career, his
encounter with Delilah…;” the second one, that Samson is perceived as
“engaged in the satisfaction of his base inclination, without any benefit to
Israel.” This is true and if the focus is on Israel’s salvation, one can at least
question Samson’s strange ways of bringing them to happen. Thirdly, the Rabbis
noted, “prior to this event, we are told that he led Israel in the days of the
Philistines for twenty years (15:20), possibly hinting that until the incident in
Gaza Samson was considered a judge, and what he did in Gaza was entirely
irrelevant to his function and purpose to be the first to deliver Israel from the
Philistines.” 113 The point is well taken and it is only logical that the Rabbis
would be harsh on such an individualistic, tragic hero. Yet, even agreeing with
their evaluation, Samson’s achievement and the playful character of the story do
not load any judgment on the unnamed הנוז השׁא or on her profession. “This
story is not a cautionary tale about the dangers of foreign women or prostitutes
but instead celebrates Samson’s bawdiness and larger-than-life potency.” 114
So, is this “zônâ-woman” a prostitute? In my opinion, one could equally
argue for or against her being a sex worker. As in all stories observed, there is
no record of transaction, no indication of a “house of a הנוז” and no information
as to how he knew she was an הנוז השׁא when he saw her. All these holes leave
ample room for speculation. There is also abundant proof that Samson would
have had chances to have gotten to know a woman, somebody unattached to a
household, in Gaza. The two encounters recorded in chapters 14 and 16 are just
two (of other possible) examples of a man who is—for Israelite standards
(whatever that is in Judges!)—unusually fond of foreign lands, women and
quarrels. It would not be impossible, therefore, that the unnamed woman whom
he visits (16:1) be not a professional harlot, but a free woman whom he had met
or seen earlier. Since 14:1 and 16:1 are so similar, I believe the narrator intended
his audience to associate both stories and think of them as possible attachments
to Samson. In this sense, an unmarried woman would be far riskier than a
prostitute.
It is also very likely that, like Rahab in Josh 2, this woman would run a
tavern or inn. This is the option of the Targum. And, supposing what Samson
saw was her at her inn’s door (not explicit in the text), it would explain why he
113
Shimon Bakon, “Samson: A Tragedy in Three Acts,” JBQ 35 (2007): 38.
114
Mobley, Samson, 88.