And Delilah said to Samson,.... At a proper opportunity, when in his hands and caresses, as Josephus relates , and introduced it in an artful manner, admiring his strange exploits, and wondering how he could perform them:tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth; which she proposed seemingly out of mere curiosity, and as it would be a proof of his affection to her, to impart the secret to her:and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee; not that she suggested to him that she was desirous to have him afflicted, or to try the experiment herself in order to afflict him, but to know by what means, if he was bound, it would be afflicting to him so that he could not relieve himself; she knew he might be bound, if he would admit of it, as he had been, but she wanted to know how he might be bound, so as to be held, and could not loose himself.
Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 8. sect. 9.