Samson was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" the twelve tribes of Israel before the institution of the monarchy. Samson was a Nazirite, and he was given immense strength to aid him against his enemies and allow him to perform superhuman feats.
Samson is betrayed by his lover, Delilah. Her servant cuts his hair, he loses his strength, and is captured. During his imprisonment, he prays to God and miraculously recovers his strength, allowing him to push down the columns – collapsing his captor's temple and killing both himself and the Philistines.
Jean-Hippolyte Flandrin was a 19th-century French painter. From an early age, Flandrin showed interest in the arts and a career as a painter. However, his parents pressured him to become a businessman, and having very little training, he was forced to instead become a miniature painter.
