Judges 16

Carrying away the gates (Samson as type)

And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him. Judges 16:2–3

Enemies lock Samson in the city, planning to kill him at dawn, but he rises in the night and carries away the gates themselves. Early Christians saw a picture of Christ rising from the tomb and breaking the gates of death and hell that tried to hold Him.

• a type of what is in Psalm 107:16 — 'For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.'
• a type of what is in Matthew 16:18 — The gates of hell shall not prevail.

Jehovah

And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. Judges 16:28

Blind and bound, Samson finally turns fully to Jehovah and pleads to be remembered. Even a broken servant can call on the Lord at the end.

How we know: Jehovah is the premortal Christ (Abraham 1:16; D&C 110:3–4)

Victory through death (Samson as type)

And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. Judges 16:29–30

With arms stretched between two pillars, Samson willingly dies and wins a greater victory in death than in life. Christian teachers have long seen this as a faint picture of Christ, whose arms were stretched on the cross and whose death overthrew the powers of sin and death more completely than anything in His mortal ministry.

• a type of what is in Hebrews 2:14 — Through death He destroyed him that had the power of death.
• a type of what is in Colossians 2:15 — Having spoiled principalities and powers, He triumphed over them.