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John Trapp · Citado em PreceptAustin
Juízes 18
Trapp - Quid vos? (What are you) So hasty they were to hear the news, that they utter imperfect speeches. (ED: WHAT ARE YOU IS LITERALLY "WHAT-YOU?") Judges 18:9 And they said, "Arise, and let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good. And will you sit still? Do not delay to go, to enter, to possess the land. Arise - Nu 13:30 Nu 14:7-9 Jos 2:23-24 And will you sit still - 1Ki 22:23 Do not delay to go - Jos 18:3 1Sa 4:9 2Sa 10:12 Joh 6:27 Heb 6:11,12 2Pe 1:10,11 Judges 18 Resources Related Passage: Numbers 13:30+ (THE "GO" THAT ELICITED A "NO!") Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.” FAB FIVE SPIES CALL FOR SURPRISE ATTACK And they said, "Arise, and let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good. And will you sit still? Do not delay to go, to enter, to possess the land. Their positive and unanimous report, recommending an immediate attack, contrasted sharply with the pessimistic majority opinion of the spies sent by Moses to explore the entire land (cf. Nu 13:25-33). The claim of divine approval (Jdg 18:10), however, based on the consultation of Jdg 18:6, was hardly justifiable. Cundall points out as sad contrast of two spy parties, one out of the will of God and the other in the will of God, the former saying "GO", the latter saying "NO" - The unanimous and enthusiastic report of the spies when they returned to their brethren and the urgency with which they advocated action are in marked contrast to the doleful account of the ten companions of Joshua and Caleb (Nu 13:27–29, 31–33+). (Borrow Judges & Ruth: Tyndale Old Testament Commentary ) John Trapp on be not slothful to go - Thus do these spies notably and manfully encourage their contribules (from the same tribe/region) to set upon Laish, to secure a city. Captain Gam in like sort bespake our Henry V before the Battle of Agincourt, If the French be so numerous, there will be enough to be killed, enough to be taken prisoners, and enough to run away. It proved accordingly, though the French were so confident of a victory, that they sent to King Henry, to know what ransom he would give! Keil and Delitzsch - the spies said to their fellow-citizens, in reply to the question מָה אַתֶּם, “What have you accomplished?” “Up, let us go up against them (the inhabitants of Laish), for the land is very good, and ye are silent,” i.e., standing inactive (1 Kings 22:3; 2 Kings 7:9). “Be not slothful to go (to proceed thither), to come and take possession of the land!”. (Judges 18 Commentary) Judges 18:10 "When you enter, you shall come to a secure people with a spacious land; for God has given it into your hand, a place where there is no lack of anything that is on the earth." secure - Jdg 18:7,27 God has - Dt 2:29 4:1 Jos 6:16 where there is no lack of anything - Ex 3:8 Dt 8:7-9 11:11,12 Eze 20:6 1Ti 6:17 Judges 18 Resources Related Passage: Exodus 3:8+ “So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land (SAME WORD AS HERE IN Jdg 18:10 - rachab), to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. Deuteronomy 8:7-9+ “For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; 9a land where you will eat food without scarcity, in which you will not lack anything; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. SURPRISE A SECURE PEOPLE IN A SPACIOUS LAND When you enter, you shall come to a secure people with a spacious land; for God has given it into your hand, a place where there is no lack of anything that is on the earth - "Spacious" is literally "broad of hands"; meaning hence the land stretched "wide to right and left" as when one spreads out their hands. This expression was used by the leaders of Shechem in an attempt to convince the people that there was room for the family of Jacob to live among them (Ge 34:21). It is easy and convenient to rationalize selfish desires by saying that the opportunity to fulfill them is God’s guidance to do so. With their affirmation that God has given it into your hand, the Danites claimed divine support, but their confidence was based on an oracle that was sought almost as an afterthought and was acquired from a rogue pseudo priest at an idolatrous shrine! And you think that is God's blessing? They thought it was "right" because it was in their own eyes, not God's eyes! The deep deception of depravity! John Trapp - A place where there is no want of anything.] And might therefore have been called Makaria, or Blessed; as the island Cyprus was of old, because of the abundance of commodities which it sent to other countries, of whom it craved no help in return. The people therein generally lived so at ease and pleasure, that therefore the island was dedicated to Venus, who was thereafter called Cypria. Sextus Rufus, writing thereof, saith, Cyprus, famous for its wealth, solicited the poverty of the people of Rome to seize upon it. Ita ut ius eius insulae avarius magis quam iustius simus assecuti (WHICH MEANS) so that we got that island more covetously than justly. So did the Danites this city of Laish, if at least, as some will have it, it belonged to the tribe of Asher, and not to them. (ED: ACTUALLY IF YOU LOOK AT THIS MAP DAN WAS IN THE TERRITORY OF NAPHTALI). Keil and Delitzsch “When ye arrive, ye will come to a secure people (i.e., a people living in careless security, and therefore very easy to overcome); and the land is broad on both sides (i.e., furnishes space to dwell in, and also to extend: vid., Gen. 34:21, 1 Chron. 4:40); for God has given it into your hand.” They infer this from the oracular reply they had received from the Levite (v. 6). “A place where there is no want of anything that is in the land (of Canaan).”. (Judges 18 Commentary) Judges 18:11 Then from the family of the Danites, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, six hundred men armed with weapons of war set out. armed with weapons of war set ou- Jdg 18:11 Judges 18 Resources SMALL COMMANDO FORCE SENT OUT Then from the family of the Danites, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, six hundred men armed with weapons of war set out - Is this all the army the Danites could muster? Compare this figure with the 62,700 Danite soldiers at the beginning of the wilderness wandering (Nu 1:38-39+) and the 64,400 at the end of the wilderness wandering having added 1700 (Nu 26:42-43). Responding to the challenge of the spies, the Danites quickly set out for this new "promised land." Yet one wonders why only 600 are mentioned? Were they only part of a larger migrating group, or does this low number reflect the toll taken by their wars with the Philistines and Amorites? Compare the 600 men who constituted the remnant of the tribe of Benjamin (Jdg 20:47+). Cundall on the small number of armed men - The relatively small numbers may indicate the decimation of the tribe resulting from years of hostile pressure. Alternatively, it may be that when the moment of decision came a majority were unwilling to leave their familiar surroundings. If this incident be dated before the events described in the Samson narratives (ED: THE FACT THAT THE SPIRIT BEGAN TO STIR SAMSON AT MAHANEH-DAN WHICH WAS NOT NAMED UNTIL Jdg 18:12 SUGGESTS THIS WAS BEFORE SAMSON) , then it is obvious that only a portion of the tribe left the region of Zorah and Eshtaol, but this is not clearly indicated in the text. The question of Jdg 18:19 suggests that the major part of the tribe migrated and so Jonathan was able to be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel. (Borrow Judges & Ruth: Tyndale Old Testament Commentary) John Trapp on 600 men - Picked out for the purpose, and very well appointed: they and their families, a whole colony of them, set forward for Laish, by the persuasion of the spies. Oh that we could as easily prevail with people to take God’s kingdom by force, to storm heaven, and to lay hold upon eternal life! Plutarch telleth of the Gauls, that after they had once tasted of the grapes that grew in Italy, they never rested till they had possessed themselves of that country. Oh that we would do so for heaven! AMEN!!! Keil and Delitzsch - Six Hundred Danites to Laish—Robbery of Micah’s Images—Conquest of Laish, and Settlement There.—Vv. 11, 12. In consequence of the favourable account of the spies who returned, certain Danites departed from Zorea and Eshtaol, to the number of 600 men, accoutred with weapons of war, with their families and their possessions in cattle and goods (see v. 21), and encamped by the way at Kirjath-jearim (i.e., Kuriyet Enab; see Josh. 9:17), in the tribe territory of Judah, at a place which received the permanent name of Mahaneh Dan (camp of Dan) from that circumstance, and was situated behind, i.e., to the west of, Kirjath-jearim (see at Judg. 13:25). The fact that this locality received a standing name from the circumstance described, compels us to assume that the Danites had encamped there for a considerable time, for reasons which we cannot determine from our want of other information. The emigrants may possibly have first of all assembled here, and prepared and equipped themselves for their further march. (Judges 18 Commentary) Judges 18:12 And they went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. Therefore they called that place Mahaneh-dan to this day; behold, it is west of Kiriath-jearim. Kirjath-jearim -Jos 15:60 1Sa 7:1 1Ch 13:5,6 2Ch 1:4 Mahaneh-dan - Jdg 13:25 Judges 18 Resources CAMP OF DAN NEAR KIRIATH-JEARIM And they went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim (city of forests or thickets) in Judah. Therefore they called that place Mahaneh-dan (encampment or camp of Dan) to this day; behold, it is west of Kiriath-jearim - Mahaneh-dan (encampment or camp of Dan) which is only noted in Jdg 13:25 "And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir Samson in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol." Here is a thought to ponder -- if this location is named in Jdg 18:12, it at least suggests that these events in Judges 17-18 occurred BEFORE the time of Samson. Of course there is the possibility that this name was used in a proleptic sense. KIRIATH-JEARIM [ISBE] - kir-i-ath je'-a-rim, kir-i-ath je-a'-rim (qiryath-ye`-arim, "city of thickets"; Septuagint he polis Iareim; the King James Version Kirjathjearim): One of the four chief cities of the Gibeonites (Josh 9:17); a city ,of Judah (Josh 15:60), evidently an ancient, Semitic "high place", hence, the name "Kiriath-Baal" (same place) ; it was one of the places on the border line between Judah and Benjamin (Josh 18:14,15; 15:11 (where it is called "Baalah"); compare 1 Ch 13:6). It is mentioned as in Judah (Josh 15:60; 18:14; Jdg 18:12), but if KIRIATH (which see) is identical with it, it is mentioned as belonging to Benjamin (Josh 18:28; in 2 Sam 6:2, Baale-judah). 1. Scripture References: (19v - Jos. 9:17; Jos. 15:9; Jos. 15:60; Jos. 18:14; Jos. 18:15; Jos. 18:28; Jdg. 18:12; 1 Sam. 6:21; 1 Sam. 7:1; 1 Sam. 7:2; 1 Chr. 2:50; 1 Chr. 2:52; 1 Chr. 2:53; 1 Chr. 13:5; 1 Chr. 13:6; 2 Chr. 1:4; Ezr. 2:25; Neh. 7:29; Jer. 26:20) Jdg 18:12 records that the men of Dan set forth out of Zorah and Eshtaol and encamped in Mahaneh-dan behind (West of) Kiriath-jearim. (In Jdg 13:25 Mahaneh-dan ("the camp of Dan") is described as between Zorah and Eshtaol; see MAHANEH-DAN.) To this sanctuary the ark of Yahweh was brought, from Beth-shemesh by the people of Kiriath-jearim, and they "brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill (m "Gibeah"]; and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of Yahweh" (1 Sam 7:1). Here it abode twenty years (1 Sam 7:2; 2 Sam 6:2-4; compare 1 Ch 13:6; 2 Ch 1:4). Clearly it was in the hills somewhere to the East of Beth-shemesh. The prophet Uriah-ben-shemaiah, killed by Jehoiskim, belonged to Kiriath-jearim (Jer 26:20 f). In Ezr 2:25 (compare Neh 7:29), this place occurs under the name "Kiriath-arim." In 1 Esdras 5:19 the name occurs as "Kiriathiarius." 2. Position: The exact position of this important Israelite sanctuary has never been satisfactorily settled. Some of the data appear to be contradictory. For example, Josephus (Ant., VI, i, 4) says it was a city in the neighborhood of Beth-shemesh, while Eusebius and Jerome (Onomasticon) speak of it ("Cariathiareim") in their day as a village 9 or 10 miles from Jerusalem on the way to Lydda. But it is open to doubt whether the reputed site of their day had any serious claims. Any suggested site should fulfill the following conditions: (1) It must harmonize with the boundary line of Judah and Benjamin between two known points--the "waters of Nephtoah," very generally supposed to be Lifta, and Chesalon, certainly Kesla (Josh 15:10). (2) It should not be too far removed from the other cities of the Gibeonites--Gibeon, Chephirah and Beeroth--but those places, which are all identified, are themselves fairly widely apart. (3) Mahaneh-dan ("the camp of Dan") is described as between Zorah and Eshtaol, and was West of Kiriath-jearim; this, and the statement of Josephus that it was in the neighborhood of Beth-shemesh, makes it probable that the site was near the western edge of the mountains of Judah. Zorah (now Sara`), Eshtaol (now Eshu`a) and Beth-shemesh (now `Ain Shems), are all within sight of each other close to the Vale of Sorek. (4) The site should be a sanctuary (or show signs of having been such), and be at least on a height (Gibeah, 1 Sam 7:1 margin). (5) The name may help us, but it is as well to note that the first part of the name, in the form "Kirathiarius" (1 Esdras 5:19), appears to have survived the exile rather than the second. MAHANEH-DAN [ISBE] - ma'-ha-ne-dan (machaneh-dhan; parembole Dan): (Scriptural uses - Jdg. 13:25; Jdg. 18:12) This place is mentioned twice: in Jdg 13:25 (the King James Version "the camp of Dan"), and Jdg 18:12. In Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol, the spirit of the Lord began to move Samson. Here the 600 marauders of Dan, coming from Zorah and Eshtaol, encamped behind Kiriath-jearim. It has been thought that these two statements contradict each other; or at least that they cannot both apply to the same place. But if we accept the identification of Zorah with Surah, and of Eshtaol with Eshu`, which there seems no reason to question; and if, further, we identify Kiriath-jearim with Khirbet Erma, which is at least possible, the two passages may be quite reconciled. Behind Kiriath-jearim, that is West of Khirbet Erma, runs the Vale of Sorek, on the north bank of which, about 2 miles apart, stand Zorah and Eshtaol; the former 3 1/2 miles, the latter 2 1/2 miles fron khirbet Erma. No name resembling Mahaneh-dan has yet been recovered; but the place may have lain within the area thus indicated, so meeting the conditions of both passages, whether it was a permanent settlement, or derived its name only from the incident mentioned in Jdg 18:12. W. Ewing Judges 18:13 And they passed from there to the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah. Ephraim - Jdg 18:2-3 Jdg 17:1 19:1 Jos 24:30,33 Judges 18 Resources PERRARO GRATI REPERIUNTUR The Latin phrase means "Very rarely are we found thankful," which is true of all of us but especially in the days of the Judges, when every man was his own judge as to what was right and could care less about giving thanks. And they passed from there to the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah - The hill country of Ephraim is where this farcical scenario began to play out (Jdg 17:1+). John Trapp regarding Micah and his house writes - "Whom the five spies ill requited for his former hospitality and courtesy: Perraro grati reperiuntur, saith Cicero. A thankful man is a rare bird. Ungrateful persons are but like a mouse in a satchel or a snake in one’s bosom, who do ill repay their hosts for their lodging. Xerxes dealt barbarously with the sons of Pythias, who gave free quarter to that whole huge army of his. See Jdg 18:2." Judges 18:14 Then the five men who went to spy out the country of Laish answered and said to their kinsmen, "Do you know that there are in these houses an ephod and household idols and a graven image and a molten image? Now therefore, consider what you should do." Then - 1Sa 14:28 in these - Jdg 18:3,4 Jdg 17:5 now therefore - Pr 19:27 Isa 8:19,20 Judges 18 Resources FAB FIVE STIR UP STEALING "GODS"! Then the five men who went to spy out the country of Laish answered and said to their kinsmen, "Do you know that there are in these houses an ephod (epod) and household idols (teraphim; Lxx = theraphim - transliterated) and a graven image (pesel) and a molten image (massekah)? Now therefore, consider what you should do." - NET = "Decide now what you want to do." The casualness of this decision to steal Micah’s gods stands out as another reflection of them doing what is right in their own eyes! Sin has lost its ability to convict! None of the religious restraints of God's 10 Commandments deter the Danites. Even worse, there is no feeling that a god who can be stolen is, for that reason, undesirable. THOUGHT- The Danites were going to a new home, relatively far from the worship center, the house of God in Shiloh, so why not collect a few idols (and a priest) and save the long trip south to Shiloh? John Trapp - Here they stir up their fellows to theft. There is little difference faveasne sceleri, an illud facias (favor the crime, or do it), whether ye hold the bag, or fill it. There is little difference whether ye hold the bag, or fill it. (SUGGESTERS AND STEALERS BOTH GUILTY!)
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Trapp - And so did soon insinuate into him (PSEUDO PRIEST) who might be won with an apple, and lost with a nut (MEANING ~ DESCRIBES CHILDREN AND FICKLE FOLK). These Danites, with their salutations and fair promises, win this hireling Levite insalutato hero suo dacedere (to leave his hospice hero), to leave Micah his master without asking leave and who yet had made him like one of his sons. Keil and Delitzsch Then they turned from the road thither, and went to the house of the young Levite, the house of Micah, and asked him (the Levite) concerning his health, i.e., saluted him in a friendly manner (see Gen. 43:27, Ex. 18:7, etc.). (Judges 18 Commentary) Judges 18:16 And the six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the sons of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate. six hundred - Jdg 18:11 Judges 18 Resources A SOLID PLAN TO STEAL WORTHLESS IDOLS And the six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the sons of Dan - Ready to assist the fab five if there should be any resistance to taking what belonged to Micah (godless idols!) These are the "bouncers" at the door (like at the door of a nightclub), if they might be needed for a little "muscular re-enforcement!" John Trapp - "To aid the thieves, if there should be any opposition made against them. So that here met those two ways of theft mentioned by Nazianzen, επιβουλη (a plan against someone, a plot), or crafty contrivance, and επιβολη (means assault, hostile attempt. Epibole also means repetition of a phrase for emphasis, overlaid repetition), rapine and violence." Judges 18:17 Now the five men who went to spy out the land went up and entered there, and took the 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. five men - Jdg 18:2,14 the graven - Jdg 6:31 17:4,5 Ex 32:20 1Sa 4:11 6:2-9 2Ki 19:18,19 Isa 46:1,2,7 Judges 18 Resources FAB FIVE STEAL IDOLS Now the five men who went to spy out the land went up and entered there, and took the graven image (pesel)and the ephod (epod) and household idols (teraphim; Lxx = theraphim - transliterated) and the molten image (massekah), while the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war - They should have been stealing them to destroy them because they were supposed to be God's people who hated idolatry. Instead they were stealing these unholy objects that they might use them in unholy worship! They had been ensnared by the seductions of idolatry! In short, they stole, because it was right in their own eyes! In God's eyes it was "upside down" so to speak! Oh the distorting, contorting effects of sin can have even on plain old secular logic! Spurgeon's comment is classic "How insane a thing, that men should steal what they had worshipped, and afterwards worship what they stole."
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Trapp - They knew well enough what ailed him, and yet they expostulate an injury. This is one of the miseries of war, that might overcometh right. Sic cedit viribus aequum, poor men must suffer wrongs and be thankful. Judges 18:24 And 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?'" what have - Jdg 17:13 Ps 115:8 Isa 44:18-20 Jer 50:38 51:17 Eze 23:5 Hab 2:18,19 Ac 19:26 Rev 17:2 Judges 18 Resources Related Passage: Isaiah 44:9 Those (LIKE MICAH) who fashion a graven image are all of them futile, and their precious things are of no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be put to shame. MY HOMEMADE GODS AND HIRELING PRIEST And he said, "You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, Can you see the irony? Micah was concerned about the loss of gods that could not even protect themselves. Trapp - Goodly gods that were made by man, and could not save themselves from being stolen! And have gone away, and what do I have besides? So how can you say to me, 'What is the matter with you: Literally the last phrase in Hebrew is "What to you?" NET has "How can you have the audacity to say to me, 'What do you want?'" (Jdg 18:24NET) "If we lose the smile of the living God, we may well say, “What have I more?” To lose the presence of God is to lose all. -- C H Spurgeon Trapp on "what have I more" (KJV) - The Vulgate hath it, All that I have: that is, all that I make any account of. He reckoned all the rest of his goods as nothing, having lost his gods; and came forth to fight for them, velut pro aris et focis (as for home and hearth). This superstitious zealot shall rise up in judgment against our lukewarm Laodiceans (Rev 3:17-18+), our neuter passive professors, that care not what becomes of true religion, - modo ferveat olla (just boil the pot), so the pot boil. God hath many such cold friends now-a-days. (1Ki 18:21)
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Trapp adds an interesting thought that Micah "took no notice that God punished him for his idolatry by those injurious Danites." Spurgeon (The Interpreter: Spurgeon's Devotional Bible)…And if he became a wiser man he was a great gainer by his loss. If Ritualists and others could be cured of their folly by the breaking in pieces of all their altars and the pulling down of every cathedral in the land it would be a cheap remedy. O that the Lord would visit this land, and with his great besom sweep out the priests and their idols. May he also cleanse the temples of our hearts. For this let us pray. God is King among all nations, God above all gods is he; In his hand are earth’s foundations, The strong hills and rolling sea: He created land and ocean, He with beauty clothes the sod; Let us kneel in deep devotion, Bless our Maker and our God. From vile idolatry Preserve my worship clean; I am the God who set thee free From slavery and sin. No symbol shalt thou make, Or graven image frame; I am the Lord, Invisible, Eternal is my name. Though steeped in midnight dire as death, The heathen scorn thy name, And rage with bold blaspheming breath; Dear Lord, remember them! Darkly they roam, enslaved by lust, Devoid of fear and shame; Before their gods they crouch in dust; But, oh! remember them! Why is thy church so much defaced? Why hast thou laid her fences waste? Strangers and foes against her join, And every beast devours thy vine. Return, Almighty God, return; Nor let thy bleeding vineyard mourn; Turn us to thee, thy love restore, We shall be saved, and sigh no more. Judges 18:27 Then they took what Micah had made and the priest who had belonged to him, and came to Laish, to a people quiet and secure, and struck them with the edge of the sword; and they burned the city with fire. Laish - Jdg 18:7,10 struck - Dt 33:22 Jos 19:47 burned - Jos 11:11 C H Spurgeon Judges 18:7, 27, 28 The Danger of Carnal Security Judges 18 Resources QUICK BUSINESS MADE OF LAISH! Then they took what Micah had made and the priest who had belonged to him, and came to Laish, to a people quiet and secure, and struck them with the edge of the sword; and they burned the city with fire: These peaceful people minding their own business and with no treaties with anyone were "unsuspecting and secure" and "prosperous", isolated and in short, were were a perfect target for the warlike tribe of Dan. With 600 armed men, plus their women and children they marched north and captured Laish, killing all the inhabitants and burning the city. THOUGHT - There is a profound principle in this passage - Success does not always signify God's blessing! They were clearly out of the will of God and this is always displeasing to Him! They stole this land from another peaceful people and in truth from another tribe as this territory was in the area allotted to Naphtali (some say Asher). The sins of these Danite fathers were the "gift that keeps on giving" - (1) Dan became to site of the abominable calf worship set up by Jeroboam I to keep northern Israelites from trekking to Jerusalem to worship the true God at His House! (2) Dan is completely omitted from the list of tribal genealogies in 1Chr 4:1-7:40. (2) Dan is not mentioned in the tribes of the 144,000 Jews in Revelation 7:4-8+! (See notes above regarding why they were omitted - could it have something to do with the fact that they spurned God's promised land and sought their own land? God is not mocked!) (NOTE: "The tribe of Dan, once the second-most populous tribe, declined in numbers and influence until, by Ezra’s time, it had been totally wiped out. This would explain why Dan is not listed among the tribes in 1 Chronicles 4—7 or in Revelation 7.GotQuestions.org") Someone has said that there are only three philosophies of life in today’s world: (1) “What’s mine is mine, I’ll keep it”; (2) “What’s yours is mine, I’ll take it”; and (3) “What’s mine is yours, I’ll share it.” The Danites followed the second philosophy, and so do too many other grasping people. One of the current booming industries in the US is the installing of security systems in private homes. The number of shooting sprees in shopping malls, schools & fast-food restaurants prompted Time magazine Aug 23, 1993 to nickname our country as “America the Violent.” John Trapp on they took what Micah had made - Chuckering themselves, to think what happiness they should have in them, and little considering that there would be "bitterness in the end." {Jer 2:19} Ralph Davis concludes that "our writer describes the tragedy of false religion (Jdg 18:27-31). The Danites reenact Micah’s folly. It grows from an idea in Micah’s mother’s perverted brain (Jdg 17:3, 4) to a reality in Micah’s used–god lot and spreads, like cancer, to a tribal group. Sadly, the lie can make progress even without evangelists. Indeed, the Danite sanctuary may not be the end of the tragedy, for, whatever the historical and critical questions involved, the existence of the Danites’ cult may have provided some of the stimulus for Jeroboam I to inject his own lethal infection into Israel’s life (1Kings 12 esp 1Ki 12:29). If so, the tragedy continues into 2Kings 17 and damns a nation. We would do well, however, not to laugh too heartily at Micah and the Danites. Even we who worship the Image of the Invisible God (Col 1:15) have our own struggles in worshiping him in wholeheartedness and fidelity. (Such A Great Salvation) Keil and Delitzsch …they (the Danites) had taken what Micah had made, i.e., his idols and his priest, and they fell upon Laish (בֹּוא עַל, to come over a person, to fall upon him, as in Gen. 34:25), a people living quietly and free from care (vid., v. 7), smote them with the edge of the sword (see at Gen. 34:26), and burned down the city (cf. Josh. 6:24), as it had no deliverer in its isolated condition (v. 28a; cf. v. 7). It was situated “in the valley which stretches to Beth-rehob.” This valley is the upper part of the Huleh lowland, through which the central source of the Jordan (Leddan) flows, and by which Laish-Dan, the present Tell el Kadi, stood (see at Josh. 19:47). Beth-rehob is most probably the same place as the Rehob mentioned in Num. 13:21, and the Beth-rehob of 2 Sam. 10:6, which is there used to designate a part of Syria, and for which Rehob only is also used in v. 8. Robinson (Bibl. Res. pp. 371ff.) supposes it to be the castle of Hunin or Honin, on the south-west of Tell el Kadi; but this is hardly correct (see the remarks on Num. 13:21, Pent. p. 709). The city, which lay in ashes, was afterwards rebuilt by the Danites, and called Dan, from the name of the founder of their tribe; and the ruins are still to be seen, as already affirmed, on the southern slope of the Tell el Kadi (see Rob. Bibl. Res. pp. 391–2, and the comm. on Josh. 19:47). (Judges 18 Commentary) Judges 18:28 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 Beth-rehob. And they rebuilt the city and lived in it. And there - 2Sa 14:6 *marg: Ps 7:2 50:22 Da 3:15-17 city. Jdg 18:1,7 Jos 11:8 Isa 23:4,12 Beth-rehob - Nu 13:21, 2Sa 10:6 Judges 18 Resources NO RESCUE FOR LAISH 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 Beth-rehob. And they rebuilt the city and lived in it - The fab five's human assessment had proved correct and justified their confidence to bring their families to the place of the battle, which is not generally the best course of action. Treasury of Scripture Knowledge offers this comment on far from Sidon - Probably the people of Laish were originally a colony of the Zidonians; who being an opulent people, and in possession of a strong city, lived in a state of security, not being afraid of their neighbours. In this the Leshemites imitated them, though they appear not to have had the same reason for their confidence; and though they might naturally expect help from their countrymen, yet as they lived at a considerable distance from Sidon, the Danites saw they could strike the blow before the news of the invasion could reach Judges 18:29 And they 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. Dan - Jdg 20:1 Ge 14:14 Jos 19:47 2Sa 17:11 1Ki 12:29,30 15:20 Who was born in Israel - Ge 30:6 32:28 LAISH RENAMED DAN AFTER DAD And they 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 Then they rebuilt it and proudly called it Dan, after the name of the founder of their tribe. Click to read about the city of Dan situated at the northern extremity of the land of Canaan, in a beautiful and fertile plain, at the foot of mount Hermon, on the springs of Jordan, and, according to Eusebius, four miles from Cesarea Philippi, or Paneas (see picture of "Sanctuary to Pan") towards Tyre. Dan was Israel's northernmost settlement which gave rise to the expression "from Dan to Beersheba" to describe the extent of the land (cf. Jdg 20:1; 1Sa 3:20; 2Sa 3:10). Trapp - Afterwards it was called Cesarea Paneadis, and Cesarea Philippi, because rebuilt and beautified by Philip, brother to Herod the Tetrarch, in honour of Augustus Caesar. Judges 18:30 And the sons of Dan set up for themselves the graven image; and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land. set up - Ex 20:4 Lev 26:1 Dt 17:2-7 27:15 31:16,29 Jos 19:40-48 Ps 78:58-61 Ps 105:44, 45 until - Jdg 13:1 1Sa 4:2,3,10,11 Ps 78:60-62 Related Passages: Exodus 2:22 Then she gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.” Exodus 18:3 and her two sons, of whom one was named Gershom, for Moses said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.” 1 Chronicles 23:14-15 But as for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi. 15 The sons of Moses were Gershom and Eliezer. DAN'S "PRIVATE" WORSHIP CENTER And the sons of Dan set up for themselves the graven image (pesel) - The tribe of Dan was the first tribe in Israel to officially adopt an idolatrous system of religion. Even though there was a house of God in Shiloh, they preferred their images and idols. Years later, when the kingdom divided, Jeroboam I of Israel would set up golden calves in Dan and Beersheba and encourage the whole nation to turn away from the true and living God (1Ki 12:25-33). The willful spiritual deception which produced the complacent syncretism of Micah’s household spread throughout an entire tribe and raised the corruption of the nation to a new level. And Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh - GWT = "Jonathan (son of Gershom and grandson of Moses)"Jonathan's name means something like "Gift of Jehovah," "Grace of Jehovah" or "Jehovah is Gracious," all great names, making this perversion of the priesthood of God all the more abominable! Jonathan is identified as the son of Gershom, who is known as the son of Moses, rather than of Manasseh (Ex 2:22). Text critics generally conjecture that the veneration of Moses caused later scribes to substitute the name "Manasseh" for the original "Moses," which still appears in the some versions of the LXX and Vulgate. Virtually all authoritative sources agree that the original Hebrew reference was to Moses, but that the ancient scribes added the supralinear "n" (nun) thus causing the reading to be "Manasseh" rather than Moses (Hebrew has no vowels). Further support is that several of the popular Bibles including NIV, RSV, NRSV, CSB, ESV, NAB, NJB, NLT, 1901 ASV translate it as "son of Moses". One version of the Septuagint (A) translates it "Mouse" (Moses) rather than as "Manasseh" (Manasse). Finally, the Latin Vulgate translates it as "Moses" rather than "Manasseh". TECHNICAL NOTE FROM NET NOTE - Several ancient textual witnesses, including some LXX MSS and the Vulgate, support the reading “Moses” (מֹשֶׁה, mosheh) here. Many Hebrew MSS have a nun (ן) suspended above the name between the first two letters (מנשׁה), suggesting the name Manasseh (מְנַשֶּׁה, ménasheh). This is probably a scribal attempt to protect Moses’ reputation. For discussion, see G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 401–2. John Trapp has an interesting note on son of Manasseh - Of Moses by nature, but of Manasseh that notorious idolater, by imitation Herbert Wolf has an interesting note on Moses or Manasseh - "Gershom was a son of Moses (Ex 2:21,22), but the Masoretes inserted the letter "nun" in his name so that "Manasseh" was read instead…In the consonantal text the difference between Moses-- mosheh (mosheh)--and "Manasseh"-- menasheh (menashsheh)--is only the one letter. The nun (n) was raised above the line to show that it was a later editorial insertion… Their intention was doubtless to remove any taint of idolatry from Moses' revered name, but one only has to read about the golden calf of his brother Aaron to realize the family's potential for idolatry! Dan and Bethel were selected by Jeroboam I as sites for his golden-calf worship for the northern kingdom (1 Kings 12:28–29). He may simply have continued the idolatrous tradition introduced at the founding of Dan." (Judges, Ruth in The Expositor's Bible Commentary)) He and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land - I personally believe this a reference to 722 BC the final Assyrian defeat and exile of the Northern Kingdom. It is however possible that this is a reference to the earlier deportation by Tiglath-Pileser III (or Wikipedia) of Assyria in 733-732 (2Ki 15:29). John