Judges 18:14-31

Danites Take Micah's Idols

14 Then the five men who went to spy out the country of Laish said to their kinsmen, "Do you know that there are in these houses ¹an ephod and household idols and a graven image and a molten image? Now therefore, consider what you should do."

15 They turned aside there and came to the house of the young man, the Levite, to the house of Micah, and asked him of his welfare.

16 The six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the sons of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.

17 Now the five men who went to spy out the land went up and entered there, and took ²the graven image and the ephod and household idols and the molten image, while the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war.

18 When these went into Micah's house and took the graven image, the ephod and household idols and the molten image, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?"

19 They said to him, "Be silent, ³put your hand over your mouth and come with us, and be to us ⁴a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be a priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?"

20 The priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod and household idols and the graven image and went among the people.

21 Then they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the livestock and the valuables in front of them.

22 When they had gone some distance from the house of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah's house assembled and overtook the sons of Dan.

23 They cried to the sons of Dan, who turned around and said to Micah, "What is the matter with you, that you have assembled together?"

24 He said, "You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and have gone away, and what do I have besides? So how * can you say to me, 'What is the matter with you?' "

25 The sons of Dan said to him, "Do not let your voice be heard among us, or else fierce * men will fall upon you and you will lose your life, with the lives of your household."

26 So the sons of Dan went on their way; and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.

27 Then they took what Micah had made and the priest who had belonged to him, and came to ⁵Laish, to a people quiet and secure, and struck them with the edge of the sword; and they burned the city with fire.

28 And there was no one to deliver them, because it was far from Sidon and they had no dealings with anyone, and it was in the valley which is near ⁶Beth-rehob. And they rebuilt the city and lived in it.

29 ⁷They called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father who was born in Israel; however, the name of the city formerly was Laish.

30 The sons of Dan set up for themselves ⁸the graven image; and Jonathan, the son of ⁹Gershom, the son of Manasseh, ¹⁰he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land.

31 So they set up for themselves Micah's graven image which he had made, all the time that the ¹¹house of God was at Shiloh.

Judges 18:14-31 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.

Cross References

• 1. Judges 17:5
• 2. Genesis 31:19, 30; Isaiah 41:29; Micah 5:13
• 3. Job 21:5; Job 29:9; Job 40:4
• 4. Judges 17:10
• 5. Joshua 19:47; Judges 18:7
• 6. 2 Samuel 10:6
• 7. Joshua 19:47
• 8. Judges 17:3, 5
• 9. Exodus 2:22; Exodus 18:3
• 10. Judges 17:3, 5
• 11. Joshua 18:1

Footnotes

• [a]. Heb "teraphim"
• [b]. Heb "teraphim"
• [c]. Heb "teraphim"
• [d]. Heb "teraphim"
• [e]. Lit "their faces"
• [f]. Lit "bitter of soul"
• [g]. Lit "gather"
• [h]. Some ancient versions read "Moses"