He came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me as wife.
Samson’s godly parents’ response to his desire was undoubtedly a mixture of brokenhearted grief and anger. Instead of opposing the Philistines he now wanted to ally with them in marriage. His intention reveals disregard for his divine calling in life (Judges 13:5). The reference to this woman as an "uncircumcised Philistine" stresses the fact that she was an unbeliever in Yahweh. Circumcision was the rite that identified believers in God’s promises to Abraham (Genesis 17). It was inappropriate for Israel’s deliverer to marry someone who did not share a common faith and purpose with God’s people (cf. 2 Corinthians 6:14).