Judges 18:12

12 Along the way they made camp at Kiriath Jearim in Judah. That is why the place is still today called Dan's Camp - it's just west of Kiriath Jearim.

Judges 18:12 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 18:12

And they went up and pitched in Kirjathjearim in Judah
Of which place see ( Joshua 15:9 Joshua 15:60 ) . According to Bunting F1 it was sixteen miles from Zorah and Eshtaol, and this was their first day's march:

wherefore they called the name of that place Mahanehdan unto this day;
which signifies the camp of Dan, or of the Danites; so it was called in the times of Samson, ( Judges 13:25 ) and is a proof that this expedition was before his time; and it was so called, it seems, in the time of Samuel, the writer of this book:

behold, it is behind Kirjathjearim;
to the west of it; for though they are said to pitch in that place, the meaning is, that they pitched near it, in the fields adjacent to it, which were the most proper and convenient for a camp.


FOOTNOTES:

F1 Ut supra. (Travels of the Patriarchs p. 112.)

Judges 18:12 In-Context

10 When you get there, you'll find they're sitting ducks, totally unsuspecting. Wide open land - God is handing it over to you, everything you could ever ask for."
11 So 600 Danite men set out from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed to the teeth.
12 Along the way they made camp at Kiriath Jearim in Judah. That is why the place is still today called Dan's Camp - it's just west of Kiriath Jearim.
13 From there they proceeded into the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah's house.
14 The five men who earlier had explored the country of Laish told their companions, "Did you know there's an ephod, teraphim-idols, and a cast god-sculpture in these buildings? What do you think? Do you want to do something about it?"
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.