Recently I read the biblical account of Samson. In one part this
incredibly strong man gets revenge on his enemies, the Philistines. He captures 300 “foxes,” ties them together by the tails in pairs, fastens
torches to the pairs, and releases them into the Philistines standing grain to
burn the crops. Sounds X-Men-ish.
I have to admit, I’ve always felt skeptical when I read that
story. How can a guy catch 300 foxes, tie them in twos, burn the crops, and still get home for Tebow’s weekly miracle? Is
that possible?
The Hebrew word translated “fox” in the story means “jackal.”
So it’s likely the animals were the Golden Jackals that proliferate in Southern
Israel where the story occurred. They are apparently “more easily caught”[1]
than foxes. Jackals are more sociable
and run in herds. They would more naturally run even bound to another.
Israel has jackals. One study shows, “From 2006 to 2009, the
[Israel Nature and Parks Authority] culled the jackal population in the Golan
Heights, shooting about 1,000 a year.” In spite of killing an average of 3 a
day, “50 percent more need to be culled in order to significantly reduce the
jackal population…”[2] In
the Mateh Yehuda area each community with a dump supports about 50 jackals.
Did Samson work alone? The Bible seems to indicate this. But
it’s possible he had help.
People catch jackals by baiting steel jaws, snares, or cages
with food. A study that required the Golden Jackal to be trapped in the Modiin area of Israel reported a “high success rate in trapping”[3]
21 jackals. On average two nights with a trap set to capture each animal. New Hampshire trapper
G. Malcolm Locke caught 200 foxes in 26 days in 1945.[4]
If there is a record, it might be Pete Leggett of Maryland who took 1220 red
foxes over 53 days in 2003.[5]
That’s 23 a day. Less than two weeks to bag Samson’s quota.
Tying the tails together would have required restraining the
jaws. Samson was pretty good with jaw bones.
In order to destroy the Philistine crops they
must have been released over a wide area. The Palestine of today is more than
2400 square miles. Burning one or two fields wouldn’t have made much of a stir.
The torches would have burned out soon, so the 150 pairs could not have been
released all at once. I think it took time, but the Bible leaves us guessing.
In the movie “Evan, Almighty,” the animals just showed up at
Noah’s Ark. God made it happen.
That’s the supernatural element.
In Samson’s case, God could have brought the jackals. He’s God.
That’s the supernatural element.
In Samson’s case, God could have brought the jackals. He’s God.
But one thing we do know, there's nothing about the conditions in Israel or the ability to trap animals that rule out the biblical account.
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