Samson and the Lion

Samson and The Lion, 2009/5769
14th in the Biblical Art Coin Series
Legal Tender issued by the Bank of Israel

Samson was a Nazarite, an ascetic, who abstained from worldly pleasures, including drinking alcohol and even cutting his hair. When Samson was on his way to meet the Philistine girl he wanted to wed, he encountered an attacking lion. The Lord gave him super human strength to fight and destroy it. Later, when on his way to his wedding, he observed bees producing honey in the carcass of the lion - an unexpected lesson in the vagaries of life and in the possibility of making something sweet from something quite the opposite.

Obverse: Face value in Hebrew and English, Israel State Emblem, "Israel" in English, Hebrew and Arabic, mint year, a decorative element representing a palm tree.

Reverse: An artistic rendering of Samson wrestling with the fierce lion in the Philistine city of Timnat, in ancient Mesopotamian art style typical of the Canaanite period,. The same stylized palm tree as on the obverse, symbolizing the Land of Israel, where the scene took place.

Edge: Silver Prooflike Coin: Smooth, Silver Proof and Gold Coins: Milled

Mint Marks: Silver Prooflike Coin – Star of David, Silver Proof and Gold Coins – Hebrew letter "Mem"

Designer: Ilan Hagari

Engraving: Tidhar Dagan / Royal Dutch Mint

Mint: Royal Dutch Mint