The children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh; and Yahweh delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
It is difficult indeed to provide any kind of an accurate estimate regarding the value of Samson's judgeship.  He was a man of the most astounding physical ability, a man endowed with the special blessing of God in a most remarkable and wonderful manner, but his lustful and immoral behavior cast a sad shadow over his tragic life.  We cannot avoid the feeling that his exploits, wonderful as they were, fell far short of what might have been expected of him.  All of the scholars whose works we have consulted find this same difficulty.