Judges 18:2-12

2 Therefore the sons of Dan sent five (of) the strongest men of their generation, and family, from Zorah and Eshtaol, that they should espy the land, and behold diligently (so that they could spy out the land, and carefully look it over). And they said to them, Go ye, and behold the land. And when they going forth had come into the hill (country) of Ephraim, and had entered into the house of Micah, they rested there.
3 And they knew the voice of the young waxing deacon; and they rested in his place, and said to him, Who brought thee hither? What doest thou here? For what cause wouldest thou come hither? (And they knew the voice of the young Levite; and they rested there before him, and said to him, Who hath brought thee here? What doest thou here? For what reason wouldest thou come here?)
4 The which answered, Micah hath given to me these things and these, and he hath hired me for meed, that I be priest to him. (And he answered, Micah hath given these things, and other things to me, and he hath hired me for money, to be his priest.)
5 And they prayed him, that he should counsel with the Lord, and that they might know (so that they could know), whether they went in the way of prosperity, and that the thing of their purpose should have effect.
6 Which answered to them, Go ye with peace, the Lord beholdeth your way, and the journey whither ye go. (And he answered to them, Go ye in peace, the Lord watcheth over your way, and the journey on which ye go/and where ye go on the journey.)
7 Then those five men went forth, and came to Laish; and they saw the people dwelling therein without any dread, by the custom of Sidonians, secure and restful, for no man utterly against-stood them, and they were full rich, and dwelled far from Sidon, and were parted from all men. (Then those five men went forth, and came to Laish; and they saw the people living there without any fear, by the custom of the Sidonians, secure and at rest, for there was utterly no one who stood against them, and they were very rich, and lived far away from Sidon, and were separated from all people.)
8 And they turned again to their brethren in Zorah and Eshtaol; and they answered to (their) brethren, asking what they had done, (And they returned to their kinsmen in Zorah and Eshtaol; and they answered to their kinsmen, who were asking what they had done,)
9 and said, Rise ye, and go we up to them of Laish, for we have seen the land full rich and plenteous; do not ye be negligent, do not ye cease, (but) go we forth, and have we it into possession (and let us take the land);
10 no travail shall be to us; we shall enter to secure men, into a full large country; and the Lord shall betake to us a place, wherein is not poverty of anything of those things that be brought forth in (all) [the] earth. (it shall not be any great effort for us; for we shall go to a people who be very complacent and naive, and into a very large country; and the Lord shall deliver a place to us, where nothing is lacking of anything, of that which be brought forth in all the earth.)
11 Therefore six hundred men girded with armours of battle went forth of the kindred of Dan, that is, from Zorah and Eshtaol. (And so six hundred men of the Danites, girded with arms, or with weapons, for battle, went forth from Zorah and Eshtaol.)
12 And they went up, and dwelled in Kiriathjearim of Judah, the which place took from that time the name of [the] Tents of Dan (the which place from that time took the name of Mahanehdan), and it is behind the back of Kiriathjearim.

Judges 18:2-12 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.