Judges 13:2

Zorah. The name means “disease.” It is the modern Sar‘a, situated in the Shephelah 14.7 mi. (23.5 km.) west of Jerusalem. In Joshua 19:41, as here, it is called a city of the territory of Dan, but in Joshua 15:33 it is called a city of Judah. The city was probably first given to Judah and later assigned to Dan (see on Joshua 19:41). The city is generally mentioned in connection with Eshtaol (Judges 13:25; 18:2, 8, 11; etc.); the inference is that the tribe of Dan was largely confined to the environs of these two cities. Zorah was an ancient Canaanite town, being mentioned in the Amarna Letters. Its proximity to Philistia exposed the inhabitants to Philistine influence.

Manoah. The name, which means “rest,” may express the yearning of the Israelites in those troubled days. It does not occur elsewhere in the Bible.

Barren. Barrenness, to a Hebrew woman, was the greatest of calamities. Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel were likewise barren. So was Hannah, the mother of Samuel, and Elisabeth, the mother of John the Baptist.