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Nearly everywhere in the story of Samson, more than in most stories in Tanakh, both parents are mentioned quite frequently. Leading up to birth, both parents share about equal page-time. After birth, they are always mentioned together - "aviv v'imo", "his father and mother".

The only place this is not true is the last pasuk, 16:31:

וַיֵּרְדוּ אֶחָיו וְכָל-בֵּית אָבִיהוּ, וַיִּשְׂאוּ אֹתוֹ, וַיַּעֲלוּ וַיִּקְבְּרוּ אוֹתוֹ בֵּין צָרְעָה וּבֵין אֶשְׁתָּאֹל, בְּקֶבֶר מָנוֹחַ אָבִיו

Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the burying-place of Manoah his father

Why is eishet Manoach not mentioned here? Was she still alive? Was she buried elsewhere? Rashi, Radak and Metsudot are all silent on this issue at the verse.

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    Unrelated, but the research for this answer led me to this question.
    – Charles Koppelman
    Commented Feb 22, 2013 at 4:54
  • You want it to say something like: בקבר מנוח אביו ואשתו?
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Feb 22, 2013 at 4:58
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    @DoubleAA To be consistent with the rest of the story, it should be בקבר אביו ואמו
    – Charles Koppelman
    Commented Feb 22, 2013 at 4:59
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    (1) Where is one's mother ever mentioned in relation to the burial place of a man in the Tanakh? (2) More interesting to me is, why is he said to be buried "in the burying-place of Manoah his father"( as if only his father was buried there, but not others of his ancestors or of the "house of his father")?
    – Tamir Evan
    Commented Feb 22, 2013 at 12:58
  • @TamirEvan I wouldn't think it was strange except that literally every other time his father is mentioned (post-birth), he's mentioned with his mother. Maybe that's the answer? that it only had to do with Shimshon being alive?
    – Charles Koppelman
    Commented Feb 22, 2013 at 14:42

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(Note that Avihu is translated as "his Father", so it would not be strange for it to specifically mention his father at that point if all of his father's family accompanied him to be buried next to his father. This is stronger if we assume that his brothers are only from his father, as his mother was barren, although Abarbanel disagrees with this analysis.)

However, the simple answer is that when Shimshon comes back wanting to get married to the Pelishti woman, his parents disapprove. His mother comes down with her husband and son to Timna, and then leaves the narrative entirely, presumably because she severs all ties to him due to his choice (or perhaps coincidentally dies exactly at that point, although that is unlikely). This is evidenced by the first time that his father is mentioned alone after his birth, in 14:3, where Shimshon tells only his father he wants to marry her anyways (Abarbanel 14:3 makes this same note). At the point that his father comes to meet his prospective wife (14:10, again by himself), Shimshon's mother is never mentioned again. He stays with his father (again alone, 14:19), and is eventually buried with just his father.

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