In those days there was no king in Israel, and in those days the tribe of Dan was seeking a territory in which to settle; for to that day no territory had fallen to their lot among the tribes of Israel.
The Danites sent out five of their number, from their clan seat at Zorah and Eshtaol—valiant men—to spy out the land and explore it. “Go,” they told them, “and explore the land.” When they had advanced into the hill country of Ephraim as far as the house of Micah, they stopped there for the night.
While in the vicinity of Micah’s house, they recognized the speechaspeech Lit. “voice.” The Danites could tell by his dialect that he came from Judah and was therefore a former neighbor of theirs; cf. vv. 11–12. of the young Levite, so they went over and asked him, “Who brought you to these parts? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here?”
Word-by-Word Analysis
המה
50
עםבית
522
מיכה
75
והמה
56
הכירו
241
אתקול
537
הנער
325
הלוי
51
ויסורו
288
שם
340
ויאמרו
263
לו
36
מיהביאך
88
הלם
75
ומהאתה
457
עשה
375
בזה
14
ומהלך
101
פה
85
Judges 18:4
Gematria: 1652
ויאמראלהםכזהוכזהעשהלימיכהוישכרניואהילולכהן
He replied, “Thus and thus Micah did for me—he hired me and I became his priest.”
The five men went on and came to Laish. They observed the people in it dwelling carefree, after the manner of the Sidonians, a tranquil and unsuspecting people, with no one in the land to molest them and with no hereditary ruler.bwith no hereditary ruler Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Moreover, they were distant from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anybody.
Word-by-Word Analysis
וילכו
72
חמשת
748
האנשים
406
ויבאו
25
לישה
345
ויראו
223
אתהעם
516
אשרבקרבה
810
יושבתלבטח
767
כמשפט
449
צדנים
194
שקט
409
ובטח
25
ואיןמכלים
207
דבר
206
בארץ
293
יורש
516
עצר
360
ורחוקים
370
המה
50
מצידנים
244
ודבר
212
איןלהם
136
עםאדם
155
Judges 18:8
Gematria: 2111
ויבאואלאחיהםצרעהואשתאלויאמרולהםאחיהםמהאתם
When [the spies] came back to their clans at Zorah and Eshtaol, their fellows asked them, “How did you fare?”
They replied, “Let us go at once and attack them! For we found that the land was very good, and you are sitting idle! Don’t delay; go and invade the land and take possession of it,
for God has delivered it into your hand. When you come, you will come to an unsuspecting people; and the land is spacious and nothing on earth is lacking there.”
Here the five men who had gone to spy out the Laish region remarked to their clans, “Do you know, there is an ephod in these houses, and oracle idols,coracle idols See note at 17.5. and a sculptured image and a molten image? Now you know what you have to do.”
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויענו
142
חמשת
748
האנשים
406
ההלכים
110
לרגל
263
אתהארץ
697
ליש
340
ויאמרו
263
אלאחיהם
95
הידעתם
529
כי
30
יש
310
בבתים
454
האלה
41
אפוד
91
ותרפים
736
ופסל
176
ומסכה
131
ועתה
481
דעו
80
מהתעשו
821
Judges 18:15
Gematria: 2759
ויסורושמהויבאואלביתהנערהלויביתמיכהוישאלולולשלום
So they turned off there and entered the home of the young Levite at Micah’s house and greeted him.
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויסורו
288
שמה
345
ויבאו
25
אלביתהנער
768
הלוי
51
בית
412
מיכה
75
וישאלולו
389
לשלום
406
Judges 18:16
Gematria: 4161
וששמאותאישחגוריםכלימלחמתםנצביםפתחהשעראשרמבנידן
The six hundred Danites, girt with their weapons of war, stood at the entrance of the gate,
while the five who had gone to spy out the land went inside and took the sculptured image, the ephod, the oracle idols, and the molten image. The priest was standing at the entrance of the gate, and the six hundred men girt with their weapons of war,
while the others entered Micah’s house and took the sculptured image, the molten image, the ephod, and the oracle idols.dthe sculptured image, the molten image, the ephod, and the oracle idols Lit. “the sculptured image of the ephod, and the oracle idols, and the molten image.” The priest said to them, “What are you doing?”
But they said to him, “Be quiet; put your hand on your mouth! Come with us and be our father and priest. Would you rather be priest to one man’s household, or be priest to a tribe and clan in Israel?”
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויאמרו
263
לו
36
החרש
513
שיםידך
384
עלפיך
210
ולך
56
עמנו
166
והיהלנו
112
לאב
33
ולכהן
111
הטוב
22
היותך
441
כהן
75
לבית
442
איש
311
אחד
13
או
7
היותך
441
כהן
75
לשבט
341
ולמשפחה
469
בישראל
543
Judges 18:20
Gematria: 2932
וייטבלבהכהןויקחאתהאפודואתהתרפיםואתהפסלויבאבקרבהעם
The priest was delighted. He took the ephod, the oracle idols, and the sculptured image, and he joined the people.
Word-by-Word Analysis
וייטב
37
לב
32
הכהן
80
ויקח
124
אתהאפוד
497
ואתהתרפים
1142
ואתהפסל
582
ויבא
19
בקרב
304
העם
115
Judges 18:21
Gematria: 2362
ויפנווילכווישימואתהטףואתהמקנהואתהכבודהלפניהם
They set out again, placing the children, the cattle, and their household goods in front.
taking the things Micah had made and the priest he had acquired. They proceeded to Laish, a people tranquil and unsuspecting, and they put them to the sword and burned down the town.
There was none to come to the rescue, for it was distant from Sidon and they had no dealings with anyone; it lay in the valley of Beth-rehob.They rebuilt the town and settled there,
The Danites set up the sculptured image for themselves; and Jonathan son of Gershom son of Manasseh,eManasseh Heb. מנשה with נ suspended, indicating an earlier reading “Moses”; cf. Exod. 2.22. and his descendants, served as priests to the Danite tribe until the land went into exile.
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויקימו
172
להם
75
בנידן
116
אתהפסל
576
ויהונתן
527
בןגרשם
595
בןמנשה
447
הוא
12
ובניו
74
היו
21
כהנים
125
לשבט
341
הדני
69
עדיום
130
גלות
439
הארץ
296
Judges 18:31
Gematria: 3420
וישימולהםאתפסלמיכהאשרעשהכלימיהיותביתהאלהיםבשלהפ
They maintainedfmaintained Meaning of Heb. uncertain. the sculptured image that Micah had made throughout the time that the House of God stood at Shiloh.