“pressed him hard.” His wife had pressed him to learn his riddle (Judg. 14:17), now Delilah pressed him to learn the secret of his strength. He gave in both times and both times ended up being hard on him and then hard on the Philistines.

“his soul.” Here the “soul” is used for himself with an emphasis on his mental activities; his thoughts and attitude.

[For more on “soul,” see Appendix 7, “Uses of ‘Soul.’”]