But his father and his mother didn't know that it was of Yahweh; for he sought an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines had rule over Israel.
"Mixed marriages were uniformly disastrous early (Genesis 26:34-35) and late (Nehemiah 13:27) in Israel’s history. Moreover, the Philistines were the one nation near Israel that did not practice circumcision of any kind. In Egypt, Moab, and elsewhere, circumcision was often associated with reaching puberty or with premarital rites; but at least it was circumcision." [Note: Wolf, p. 466.] 