Judges 18:6-16

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.
13 From thence they passed into the hill (country) of Ephraim; and when they had come to the house of Micah,
14 the five men, that were sent before to behold the land of Laish, said to their other brethren, Know ye, that ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image is in (one of) these houses; see ye what pleaseth you. (the five men, who were sent before to spy out the land of Laish, said to their other kinsmen, Know ye, that an ephod, and teraphim, and a carved idol, and a cast image be in one of these houses? see ye what pleaseth you.)
15 And when they had bowed a little aside, they entered into the house of the young deacon, that was in the house of Micah (they entered into the young Levite's home, that is, into Micah's house), and they greeted him with peaceable words.
16 And six hundred men stood before the door, so as they were armed. (And the six hundred armed men stood outside, in front of the door.)

Judges 18:6-16 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.