“pressed him hard.” His wife had pressed him to learn his riddle (Judg. 14:17), and 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 16: “Uses of ‘Soul.’”]

“was exasperated to death.” “Death” is exactly where Samson’s exasperation led. There is a very important lesson here for believers. Very few people are able to withstand the pressure of constant exposure to ungodliness or to constant nagging. It makes living life so horrible that even death is preferable. Even a strong man like Elijah got so worn down that “he requested that he might die, and said, ‘It is enough. Now, O Yahweh, take my life.’” (1 Kings 19:4).

When a Christian is in a situation that constantly makes them miserable, they need to take steps—drastic steps if necessary—to free themselves from the situation.