During the period of the Judges, the Israelites lived under significant Philistine oppression. The Philistines, with their iron chariots and superior weapons, maintained a strong military dominance over the Israelites, who were often reduced to fighting with farm implements like goads, mattocks, and axes. Beyond military might, the Philistines were culturally and materially advanced, being a coastal, sea-faring, mercantile people with a sophisticated, cosmopolitan outlook, in stark contrast to the Israelites, who were primarily hill-country farmers with a simpler, subsistence lifestyle. This disparity made the Israelites vulnerable, and without strong leadership or divine support, they quickly fell into subjugation. The Philistines established dominance over the Israelites swiftly, especially after devastating defeats such as the loss of the ark of the covenant during Eli's time, which left Israel without effective resistance. Their policy of control was strict and enforced, ensuring the Israelites remained downtrodden, poor, and heavily taxed, as seen in the high cost of sharpening tools. The Israelite spirit was broken, to the point where even Judah, meant to lead militarily, surrendered their own people to the Philistines to maintain a fragile peace. This oppression, the longest during the Time of the Judges, created a dire situation with no strong leaders emerging to challenge the Philistine rule, setting the stage for God to raise up a deliverer for His people.

The capture and humiliation of Samson marked a significant moment for the Philistines, who viewed it as the end of his oppression over them. For twenty years, Samson had judged Israel, holding the Philistines at bay single-handedly, preventing their national ambitions for glory and dominance. He had killed thousands of their soldiers and thwarted their rise to regional power, squashing their efforts whenever they rose against him. Now, with Samson under their control, they rejoiced, seeing this as the beginning of their return to dominance and power. They celebrated with a great feast at the temple of Dagon in Gaza, inviting rulers, lords, and all notable figures from their cities and towns to commemorate this national, political, military, and religious victory. They credited their god Dagon with delivering Samson into their hands, believing this proved Dagon's strength over both Samson and the God of Israel. This attitude of gloating over Samson's capture, and by extension over his God, set the stage for a profound reaction, as such humiliation was not something the true God would tolerate.

During the time of Samson, the Philistines exerted significant control over the Israelites, marking a period of oppression that fueled conflict and revenge. Samson's personal grievances with the Philistines escalated after his father-in-law gave his wife to another man, an act that enraged Samson and led him to seek retribution. He orchestrated a massive act of destruction by using 300 jackals, tied in pairs with torches between their tails, to set fire to the Philistines' fields, vineyards, and olive groves. This devastating arson destroyed their annual and perennial crops, plunging the region into economic hardship and famine, and drawing a fierce response from the Philistines. The Philistines, in retaliation, burned Samson's wife and her father in their house, holding them responsible for instigating the conflict. This act further inflamed Samson's desire for vengeance, leading him to slaughter many Philistines in close combat, described as striking them hip and thigh. The cycle of revenge continued as the Philistine army organized a military incursion into Judah to capture Samson, deploying forces that threatened the local Israelites. The men of Judah, fearing war and further oppression, submitted to the Philistines' overlordship and gathered 3,000 men to apprehend Samson, betraying him into enemy hands to avoid conflict. Samson, bound by the men of Judah with strong ropes, was led to the Philistines. However, as they shouted in victory, the ropes snapped like cobwebs, and Samson, seizing a fresh jawbone of a donkey, killed a thousand men in a bloody slaughter. He taunted the fleeing Philistines with a mocking ditty, reveling in his triumph. This series of events underscores the deep-seated tension and ongoing struggle between Samson and the Philistine oppressors, highlighting the personal and national dimensions of their conflict.

In the early eleventh century BC, the Middle East was a region of chaos and turmoil, with no dominant nation to impose order among the squabbling minor powers. Amidst this instability, the Philistines emerged as a significant force, oppressing Israel for a total of forty years. Though stronger than Israel, they were not as powerful as some past or future empires, allowing Israel to live peaceably under their control, albeit unwillingly. The Philistines, residing closely alongside the Danites, posed a constant threat, and it was in this context that God chose a Danite, Samson, to begin delivering Israel from their oppression. As stated in Judges 13:25, God was preparing Samson as a troublemaker and rebel to initiate this deliverance, though not to overthrow the Philistines entirely. Samson was to be the spark, the firebrand, starting a process that would later culminate under David. His career as a judge, beginning in Judges 14, unfolded in the buffer zone between Israelite and Philistine territories, specifically in the Sorek Valley, highlighting the tense proximity and ongoing conflict with the Philistines.