Judges 18:25-31

25 The Danites said to him, "Don't raise your voice against us, or angry men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives."
26 The Danites went on their way, and Micah turned to go back home, because he saw that they were stronger than he was.
27 After they had taken the gods Micah had made and the priest that belonged to him, they went to Laish, to a quiet and unsuspecting people. They killed them with their swords and burned down the city.[a]
28 There was no one to save them, because it was far from Sidon and they had no alliance with anyone. It was in a valley that belonged to Beth-rehob. They rebuilt the city and lived in it.
29 They named the city Dan, after the name of their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel. The city was formerly named Laish.
30 The Danites set up the carved image for themselves. Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Moses,[b] and his sons were priests for the Danite tribe until the time of the exile from the land.
31 So they set up for themselves Micah's carved image that he had made, [and it was there] as long as the house of God was in Shiloh.

Judges 18:25-31 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 18

This chapter relates how the Danites, being overcrowed in their inheritance, sent out spies to search the land, and see if they could find any proper place to add unto it, and enlarge it, Jud 18:1-6 who returned and reported Laish as such, and encouraged the Danites to go and possess it; for which purpose they sent six hundred men up to it, Jud 18:7-12 and as they went, called at the house of Micah, and took away his priests and his gods, Jud 18:13-27 and having taken Laish, set up Micah's graven image there, Jud 18:28-31.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Jdg 1:8; 1:25; 4:15-16
  • [b]. Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss read Manasseh
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