mach.la.phah refers to the seven locks of Samson’s head that were to be woven and were later shaved.

The term occurs for the locks of Samson’s head: they are to be woven in Judges 16:13 and are shaved in Judges 16:19.

1. Locks of Samson’s head · dominant

   Both occurrences are feminine plural construct forms associated with Samson’s head. In Judges 16:13 the APB renders the proposed action as weaving “the seven locks of my head with the web”; in Judges 16:19 it renders the later action as shaving “the seven locks of his head.”

   Judges 16:13Judges 16:19

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the forms as “the seven locks” of Samson’s head in both verses, first in a proposal to weave them and later in their shaving. This reflects the clauses’ presentation rather than a separate lexical distinction.