שופטים, פרק ט״ז, פסוק כ״ט

In his final moments, Samson gathers his remaining strength to bring down the Philistine temple upon its occupants. He positions himself between the two central pillars that serve as the main foundation, supporting the entire weight of the building [ביאור שטיינזלץ, מצודת ציון]. Placing his right hand on one pillar and his left hand on the other [מצודת דוד], he prepares for a final, devastating act.

Samson's action involves a combination of a firm physical grip and the application of immense force. The primary approach among commentators is that he tightly embraces and grasps the pillars [רש״י, מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. However, another perspective suggests that his movement is focused on bending and twisting the structures out of place [רד״ק, רלב״ג, אברבנאל]. Together, these views illustrate that Samson does not merely hold the pillars, but locks them in a powerful embrace to violently force them from their foundation.

To achieve this destruction, Samson does not simply rest his weight against the stone. There is a distinct physical difference between casually leaning for support—as he had earlier asked a young boy to help him do—and the intense pushing required now. In this moment, he presses against the pillars with the absolute maximum of his physical power [מלבי״ם]. This combined effort of gripping, twisting, and pushing with all his might causes the entire structure to collapse upon the Philistine leaders and the surrounding crowd, allowing Samson to kill more people in his death than he did throughout his entire life [רלב״ג, אברבנאל].