A Verse by Verse Study in the Book of Judges, (ESV) with Irv Risch, Chapter 18

What does Judges Chapter 18 mean?

This chapter completes the story of Micah and his hired family priest (Judges 17:13).

The people of the tribe of Dan don’t have enough space in their allotted territory (Joshua 19:40–46). This is because of their failure to follow God’s command to take it from the depraved nations living there (Judges 1:34–36). They’ve been forced to live in the hill country between the territories of the tribes of Judah and Ephraim. So, the Danites decide to find a new place to live. They send five scouts to search for land they can conquer and claim (Judges 18:1–2).

Those five “spies” set out north, stopping for the night at Micah’s estate. While there, they recognize the voice of Micah’s priest. This probably means they hear his accent and identify him as someone from Judea. They ask if their mission will be successful, implying they want to know what God thinks. The priest quickly tells them that the Lord will have His eye on their journey. This doesn’t mean anything, really, but the five spies take it as a positive sign (Judges 18:3–6).

Next, the Danite scouts travel to the far north of the Promised Land. They find a town called Laish, 100 miles, or 160 kilometers, from their current home and beyond the northern end of the Sea of Galilee. They return home with their report: the Sidonian inhabitants of Laish are easy targets. They realize the town is too far from neighbors to call for help, the people are peaceable, and have no idea they are in danger. The Danite spies insist this land is their destiny, eventually convincing their kinsmen to agree. This is a tragic mirror image of Israel’s failure at the borders of the Promised Land (Numbers 13—14). There, most of the Israelite scouts claimed they could not defeat the Canaanites, though God guaranteed them victory. Here, the Danite scouts plead to attack a territory which God has not given to them. So, six hundred warriors take their families and possessions and begin to migrate (Judges 18:7–11).

As the caravan moves, the five scouts lead it to Micah’s estate. When they arrive, they quickly find and greet the priest, only to steal Micah’s religious objects from his personal shrine. This includes the household gods, the carved and metal images, and the ceremonial ephod. The young Levite priest protests, at first. The men of Dan tell him to shut up, yet also offer to take him with them. They say he’d be better off as priest to an entire tribe of Israel. The Levite is thrilled at this prospect and helps the men take Micah’s cultic worship objects (Judges 18:12–20).

The Danites break camp and continue their journey north. The armed warriors remain at the back of the procession; civilians and livestock are in front. Micah realizes what they have taken, gathers some neighbors, and chases after the Danites. When he catches up to them, he complains that he’s lost everything. The Danites tell Micah they will kill him and his family if he doesn’t leave. This is exactly why they arranged their forces in the rear, to make it clear Micah has no hope of stopping them. Rather than risk total annihilation, Micah gives up and goes home. It’s not likely he sees the mercy God extends him in this moment, or that he repents of his idolatry. As far as Scripture is concerned, this is the end of his story (Judges 18:21–26).

The people of Dan arrive in Laish. As hoped, the people there are helpless and unprepared for war. So, Dan’s warriors slaughter the Sidonians living there and burn the city. Then they rebuild and occupy the town. They change the name of the place to Dan, after their ancestor, the son of Jacob, and the same name given to their tribe (Genesis 30:5–6). Finally, they establish a center of false worship with a focus on Micah’s carved image. Tragically, the spiritually bankrupt young Levite man is revealed to be the grandson of Moses (Exodus 2:22). He and his sons serve as the first false priests in a pattern lasting until Dan’s invasion by the Assyrians centuries later (Judges 18:27–31).

Chapter Context
In the prior chapter, Micah hires a personal cleric for his family religion. Judges 18 describes how he loses all his religious objects and that priest to raiders from the tribe of Dan. That convoy continues north to their target, the town of Laish. This town was selected, in part, for being helpless against attackers. The raiders rename the city “Dan.” The people and the priest establish a center for false worship which lasts for centuries. Joshua 19:40–48 describes how Dan moved from their allotted land into this unapproved territory (Joshua 17).

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the people of Dan was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in, for until then no inheritance among the tribes of Israel had fallen to them.

The writer of Judges once more states that there was no king in Israel during this era. Some commentators speculate the writer is suggesting Israel needed a king to stop the kind of lawlessness described in these stories. More likely, this is a statement of political fact: Israel had neither a central government, nor a monarchy. Further, the repeated mention of the idea (Judges 17:6; 19:1; 21:25) seems to express Israel’s overall spiritual anarchy. The people’s primary flaw was rebellion against their Creator King—the One True God, which directly led to the awful incidents of these last chapters.

The Lord’s intention for Israel during this period was that He would be their king (Exodus 6:7). Yet the people repeatedly set Him aside in their pursuit of false gods, taken from the Canaanites and the surrounding nations (Deuteronomy 12:29–32). They neither honored Yahweh as king nor served Him faithfully, which is why they underwent cycles of oppression and freedom (Judges 2:16–19).

This chapter begins a new plot which quickly intersects with the story of Micah told in the previous chapter (Judges 17:1–5, 13). There is trouble amongst the tribe of Dan. Samson, the final judge described in the previous chapters (Judges 13:1–5), was from Dan. He was raised around the Danite cities of Zorah and Eshtaol under the rule of the Philistines. The story in this chapter seems to have taken place earlier in Israel’s history.

The tribe of Dan never fully secured the land allotted to them during the time of Joshua (Joshua 19:40–46). The territory given them was located between Judah to the south and Ephraim to the north, stretching in an arc from the center of the nation to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. When the people of Dan first tried to drive out the inhabitants of their territory, the Amorites were too strong for them and pushed them back up into the hill country (Judges 1:34–36). Dan occupied the region around Zorah and Eshtaol for many years, but never fully controlled it. It was theirs, by right, but it had not “fallen” to their control.

Now the Danites have decided they need more room for their people. They are ready to take more land for themselves even if it means taking it from another tribe’s apportioned territory.

Context Summary
Judges 18:1–13 finds five scouts from the tribe of Dan seeking a new place to live. They stop at Micah’s house in Ephraim and get to know his Levite priest (Judges 17:1–5). They continue north and identify Laish as a soft target, as well as a good place to live. Before long, six hundred armed Danite men set out with their families and belongings. The entire company arrives at the home of Micah in Ephraim to camp for the night.

Verse 2. So the people of Dan sent five able men from the whole number of their tribe, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to explore it. And they said to them, “Go and explore the land.” And they came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there.

The tribe of Dan has decided to expand their territory. Their current settlements lay around the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol. For years, they have existed in the hill country of the lot apportioned for their tribe (Joshua 19:40–46). This has been an uneasy, contentious time because they failed to remove the original pagan nations living there (Judges 1:34–36). The Amorites, in particular, held considerable power in that area.

Before moving, the people of Dan must identify a good region into which they can expand. They identify five strong men to serve as scouts. They will seek good, usable locations which can be taken by force. It’s clear they are willing to take land designated for other tribes as their own since they have failed to claim their own allotment (Judges 18:1).

The scouts travel north into Ephraim and eventually come to the home of Micah (Judges 17:1–5). It’s possible Micah ran a kind of lodging house for travelers. That would explain how both the young Levite man (Judges 17:7–13) and these five Danite scouts ended up staying with him.

Verse 3. When they were by the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite. And they turned aside and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here?”

Five spies—meaning “scouts”—from the tribe of Dan are on a mission. They seek a region where they can take more land for their own tribe. They are even willing to take it from a territory originally designated for another of Israel’s twelve tribes. This mission brings them from the region near Zorah and Eshtaol to the hill country of Ephraim and, along the way, to the house of Micah (Judges 17:1–5). This was the man described in the prior chapter who’d hired a Levite as the priest of his own customized religion (Judges 17:7–13).

Now comes a plot twist. The spies recognize the voice of the young man Micah hired and ordained as his personal priest. Commentators differ about what, exactly, that means. Some believe these Danite men knew the Levite from his former wandering. What’s much more likely is that they recognized his accent; other stories in the book of Judges show that regional pronunciations were notably different (Judges 12:6). The scouts realize the young man is originally from Judea and not the territory of Ephraim.

The men are curious about why this travelling Levite priest is living with Micah. They ask who brought him there, what he is doing there, and what his business is there. That they are so surprised and curious shows how unusual Micah’s arrangement was.

Verse 4. And he said to them, “This is how Micah dealt with me: he has hired me, and I have become his priest.”

The Levite priest (Judges 17:13) in Micah’s home (Judges 17:1–5) is under rapid-fire questioning. His interrogators are five strong Danite scouts. Their mission is to find a new region for their people to occupy, taking them through the hill country of Ephraim (Judges 18:1–3). It’s possible Micah ran a kind of lodging house for travelers.

The Danites recognized the Levite man’s voice. While that might mean they knew him from previous travels, it’s far more likely they recognize his accent. This clearly identifies him as being from Judah and not Ephraim. They pepper him with questions about what he is doing there. The Levite tells them the story. Micah hired him to serve as a personal priest to the family, as part of a personalized family religion.

Everyone involved in the conversation is an Israelite who should have cared about following God’s law. Every detail of this scenario ought to have generated concern. There was no room in God’s commands for a personal priest to serve just one family in that family’s home (Numbers 3:5–10). Even more alarming, Micah had a shrine with other gods in it (Exodus 20:1–6). As for the Danites, they are in Ephraim instead of their own territory (Joshua 19:40–46), seeking other lands to conquer.

This spiritual anarchy is likely the reason the book of Judges often repeats that Israel had no king during this era (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). They were without government leadership, but far more dangerously, they were not living in submission to their Lord (Exodus 6:7).

Here, all the Danites see is an opportunity. Like Micah, they seem to think that the Levite man’s heritage automatically makes him a conduit to the voice of God (Judges 17:13). They take their chance to ask if their quest—one blatantly in defiance of God’s commands—is blessed.

Verse 5. And they said to him, “Inquire of God, please, that we may know whether the journey on which we are setting out will succeed.”

Both Micah (Judges 17:13) and the Danite spies see opportunity in coming across a Levite in the middle of Ephraim (Judges 18:1–4). Even among those who did not follow the Lord faithfully, many believed Levites had a special connection to God. After all, they were part of the priestly tribe (Numbers 3:5–10). Their job was to represent God to His people, and the people to the Lord.

The men should have asked this Levite “priest” how being Micah’s personal family cleric could possibly fit with God’s calling. Instead, they want the Levite to ask the Lord if their mission will be successful. They wonder if they will find new territory for the tribe of Dan, by taking it from another tribe of Israel. This, also, is a question which never should have been asked. Dan was allotted territory in the Promised Land (Joshua 19:40–46) but didn’t accomplish their task of taking it from the enemies living there (Judges 1:34–36).

It’s the wrong question, asked of the wrong person, and for the wrong reasons. Yet the Levite will not only answer, but he will also presume to speak on behalf of God (Judges 18:6).

Verse 6. And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. The journey on which you go is under the eye of the Lord.”

These five scouts from the tribe of Dan have been sent to find additional territory for their people to occupy (Judges 18:1–5). They are willing to take land from another tribe’s allotted territory without their permission. They are grossly violating God’s revealed will for their people (Joshua 19:40–46) and choosing to do things their own way instead (Judges 17:6; 19:1; 21:25).

After recognizing his accent, the men asked the Levite serving as Micah’s personal cleric (Judges 17:1–5, 13) about God’s opinion of their quest. They want to know if they will be successful in their mission. However, as far as Scripture tells us, they have not explained their task to the Levite. His reaction to the situation later (Judges 18:18) further suggests that he doesn’t really know what’s happening. Yet this young man is also choosing to do things his own way instead of following God’s will (Numbers 3:5–10). Acting entirely outside of the requirements of the law, he has become a cleric for hire, serving the family of a man who has a shrine to other gods (Exodus 20:1–6).

Part of reading Scripture carefully is noting what’s not written and realizing that not every detail will be recorded. We’re not told every word of the conversation between these men. However, the flow of the text suggests the answer from the priest wasn’t the result of extensive prayer or inquiry. He seems to answer both quickly and vaguely, telling the men what they want to hear without really saying anything at all.

After telling them to go in peace, he adds that their journey is under the eye of God. It sounds at first like he is saying they will be successful; at least, that’s easily how someone could interpret those words if that was their preference. In truth he only announces that Yahweh is watching them. That could be good or bad. The Levite seems careful to protect his own interests (Judges 17:10, 18:19–20), but doesn’t demonstrate a genuine connection to the Lord God.

Verse 7. Then the five men departed and came to Laish and saw the people who were there, how they lived in security, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting, lacking nothing that is in the earth and possessing wealth, and how they were far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone.

Scouts sent from the tribe of Dan leave Micah’s house in Ephraim (Judges 18:1–6). They head north continuing to look for a place for their people to settle. Rather than being content with their own allotted region (Joshua 19:40–46) or completing their conquest of it (Judges 1:34–36), the tribe of Dan is looking to move somewhere else. The scouts travel several days to the north, to the town of Laish. This was about a day’s journey beyond the northern end of the Sea of Galilee.

Laish was in the territory allotted to the tribe of Manasseh (Joshua 17), but no Israelite settlements had been established that far north in the Promised Land. Instead, the town and the area around it were occupied by a group of Sidonian settlers. The Sidonians were a mostly peaceful people from the north and west. They spread everywhere as traders, sailors, and fine craftsmen. This town was peaceful and isolated, so they apparently feared no threat from anyone. They lived in security, and the land around them was well watered. They had everything they needed.

The five Danite scouts will return to report on this ideal location. Unfortunately, natural resources are not all that makes it appealing. The people living there are oblivious to the need for protection: they are an easy, soft target for raiders and conquerors (Judges 18:10). The Danites are confident they can overpower and defeat these Sidonians.

Verse 8. And when they came to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers said to them, “What do you report?”

The five “spies,” meaning scouts, of the tribe of Dan had been sent to find a new home territory. They no longer fit into the space they occupied around Zorah and Eshtaol in central Israel. Depending on when this is taking place, they may have been under pressure from the Amorites or the Philistines. This was their own fault, having failed (Judges 1:34–36) to complete their takeover of the land allotted them by God (Numbers 3:5–10). Their tribe was living right up against the border of Ephraim. They wanted to migrate to somewhere new.

Now their advance scouts have returned after a journey (Judges 18:1–7) well to the north and back. The people are eager to hear their report. As it happens, they have found a place which is not only rich in resources, but it’s also populated by peaceful people oblivious to the danger around them. As the tribe of Dan will see it, this is an easy target (Judges 18:10).

Verse 9. 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 do nothing? Do not be slow to go, to enter in and possess the land.

Dan, one of the tribes that was allotted land in Canaan (Numbers 3:5–10), is feeling cramped. This is because they failed to fully control their assigned territory (Judges 1:34–36). Rather than complete that conquest, they send advance scouts to look for other territory they can take. That leads the “spies” to an area called Laish, occupied by a peaceful group of Sidonians and rich in natural resources. These people are repeatedly referred to as “unsuspecting” (Judges 18:7, 10). This means they are unprepared for war and would be seen as an easy target.

Perhaps some of the Danites hearing this report objected to moving so far away. The location in question would have been several days’ journey, even for scouts. It’s not a nearby territory. Yet the five scouts are insistent. They say it’s time for their tribe to get up, go, and attack. They know the land is good and beautiful. The scouts see no reason to hesitate. Now is the best time to act.

The scenario is a perverse echo of the days when the Israelites first came to the Promised Land. They too sent spies in to scout the territory. Those spies also returned with reports that the land was good. In that case, though, most of the scouts said Israel could never defeat the people of Canaan (Numbers 13:25—14:10). They were wrong, since God had given that land to His people and would bless their efforts to take it. Perhaps the memory of that story motivated these spies to be especially positive about the opportunity to possess a new land. And yet, the tribe of Dan is now enthusiastic about taking land they have not been given, which is not meant to be theirs, at all.

Verse 10. As soon as you go, you will come to an unsuspecting people. The land is spacious, for God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the earth.”

When Israel came into the Promised Land, the tribe of Dan was allotted territory (Numbers 3:5–10). However, they failed to complete their conquest (Judges 1:34–36). During the era of the judges (Judges 2:16–19), the tribe has come to feel overcrowded (Judges 18:1). They have sent scouts—five “spies”— to find a new homeland. Those men returned and made their report. Their strong and urgent recommendation to the people was to migrate north 100 miles, or about 160 kilometers. They could obtain land by attacking a group of peaceful, unprepared Sidonians living in a town called Laish.

The spies have pushed hard to convince the entire tribe that defeating the inhabitants would be easy and the land was perfect for them. Yet only a portion of the people appear willing to go. A group of six hundred men, armed for battle, set out along with their families. They leave the struggling Danite towns of Zorah and Eshtaol to begin the migration. Laish is in the far northern edge of the Promised Land, beyond the northern end of the Sea of Galilee, at the foot of Mount Hermon.

Verse 11. So 600 men of the tribe of Dan, armed with weapons of war, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol,

Verse 12. and went up and encamped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. On this account that place is called Mahaneh-dan to this day; behold, it is west of Kiriath-jearim.

At least a portion of the tribe of Dan, one of the twelve tribes of the people of Israel, has left behind their allotted territory (Numbers 3:5–10). They plan to move far north and take land from the territory of Manasseh (Joshua 17), though no Israelite settlements are yet in the area. Instead, they plan to defeat some peaceful, oblivious Sidonians living in a town called Laish.

The trip begins at the struggling Danite hometowns of Zorah and Eshtaol. Six hundred men and their families set out. They set up camp along the way just to the west of a place in Judah called Kiriath-jearim. Nothing is reported to have happened there in this verse, but the occasion of the tribe of Dan passing through was apparently unusual enough to result in renaming the place to Mahaneh-dan, which means “camp of Dan.”

Verse 13. And they passed on from there to the hill country of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.

The migration of the tribe of Dan (Judges 18:1–2, 7) from their allotted territory in central Israel (Numbers 3:5–10) to the north continues. The six hundred armed men and their families camped first in Judah (Judges 18:11–12). They arrive at a house visited earlier by the five scouts sent to search out suitable territory (Judges 18:3–6).

Based on what happens next, the five Danite spies remember Micah’s house. They also recall the extensive collection of valuable idols, totems, and sacred objects. Even more importantly, they recall Micah’s personal Levite priest. They have plans for all of them (Judges 18:19–20).

Verse 14. Then the five men who had gone to scout out the country of Laish said to their brothers, “Do you know that in these houses there are an ephod, household gods, a carved image, and a metal image? Now therefore consider what you will do.”

The tribe of Dan—or at least a portion of it—is migrating in a large group from their former homeland (Judges 18:11–13). Their destination is a town called Laish, in the northern part of the Promised Land. The five men who first scouted out the new home have led the people to the home of Micah, where they had stopped previously (Judges 17:1–5, 13; 18:1–5).

What’s presented here is an example of a “loaded question.” This is when someone asks with the intent of getting a specific response, and not because they really want the information. These people from Dan were convinced to make their journey because Laish is said to be defenseless. They are marching to attack a peaceful people, unprovoked, and take their land. The same men who recommended that plan are asking about the riches kept in Micah’s home.

There’s no question what the five scouts have in mind. Their “question” is something like saying, “How many of you six hundred armed men know about the rich man’s home full of expensive goods over there?” Their obvious intent is for the Danite warriors to begin their conquest early—by robing Micah of his wealth. The tribe is in a warlike mindset; stealing resources when it would benefit the war effort was part of that attitude. This open act of robbery fits this book’s repeated reminder that Israel was lawless and out of control during this era in her history (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25).

Context Summary
Judges 18:14–31 describes how the migrating people of the tribe of Dan steal from Micah (Judges 18:1–5). They take his collection of expensive idols and religious totems. His hired Levite priest accepts the Danites’ invitation to come along with the raiders. Micah and his neighbors desperately chase, but the Danite forces are too large to risk attacking. The Danites arrive at Laish, in the north, and slaughter its peaceful, unprepared Sidonian occupants. They take possession of the town, rename it Dan, and establish a nexus of false worship.

Verse 15. And they turned aside there and came to the house of the young Levite, at the home of Micah, and asked him about his welfare.

The five scouts from Dan somehow identified the Levite priest who served in Micah’s household (Judges 17:1–5) even before their first visit there (Judges 18:3). During that visit, they asked him many questions about how he came to live there. They also asked him to ask the Lord if their mission would be successful. They took his response as a positive sign they should keep going (Judges 18:4–6).

Now they have returned to Micah’s home. Given Micah’s family wealth, this was probably a homestead with multiple buildings. This time, however, the men from Dan come as part of a six-hundred-man army (Judges 18:11–13) on its way to slaughter the residents of a northern town (Judges 18:7–10). The Danites enter the house of the young Levite priest and treat him with apparent respect, asking about his welfare, as if they are old friends.

Verse 16. Now the 600 men of the Danites, armed with their weapons of war, stood by the entrance of the gate.

Scouts sent from the tribe of Dan had passed through Micah’s home (Judges 17:1–5, 13) on a previous occasion (Judges 18:1–6). Then, they were on their way to find territory for their tribe in northern Israel. They found an unsuspecting group of Sidonians in a perfect spot for small tribe of Israelites looking for a home. They are now on their way to attack those people and take their town (Judges 18:11–13).

As they make their way back, the five Danites are not alone. They come as part of a small army: six hundred armed warriors who now stand outside the gates of Micah’s property. This is a deliberate show of force. Not long before, the five men had made not-at-all subtle references to Micah’s wealth in the form of his religious artifacts (Judges 18:14–15). It’s clear these men have come to take what they want from Micah before continuing north.

Verse 17. And the five men who had gone to scout out the land went up and entered and took the carved image, the ephod, the household gods, and the metal image, while the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the 600 men armed with weapons of war.

With a small army of armed warriors standing at the gate to Micah’s property (Judges 17:1–5; 18:16), the five scouts from Dan (Judges 18:1–6) do what they have come to do. On their first visit, they stopped here before investigating the northern town of Laish. Before arriving there, they noted Micah’s extensive collection of expensive religious objects (Judges 18:14–15). Now they have returned to scoop up these items to take for their own.

The book of Judges notes often that Israel was without a king at this time (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). That was literally true; there was no central government or monarchy yet. Yet it also echoed Israel’s deep spiritual anarchy. They rejected the will of their One True God, and depravity was the result. In this case, the army coming from Dan is committing theft (Exodus 20:15), but the theft is motivated by an even worse impulse: idolatry. That was among the main reasons God to repeatedly handed Israel over to subjection under their enemies (Judges 2:16–19).

Both Micah and the Danite spies believed these physical objects offered spiritual power to whomever possessed and worshipped them. In some cases, they believed that power to come from Yahweh: the God of Israel. For others, the power was believed to come from the other deities worshipped by the local nations (Deuteronomy 12:29–32). They had enough generic belief to accept the reality of supernatural power helping humanity in some way. They did not have true, submissive, faith leading them to trust the Lord. They did not remember or obey the commands He had given to them through Moses.

If these people respected any aspect of Yahweh’s revelation, they would have known His command not to make religious images for use in worship, even for worshiping Him (Exodus 20:4–5). They would have remembered how seriously the Lord condemned even the suggestion of serving other gods (Deuteronomy 13:6). Instead, the army marching from Dan is more than happy to steal from Micah. They will take objects and idols, and soon a priest (Judges 18:18–20), since they believe these will bring them supernatural help.

Verse 18. And when these went into Micah ‘s house and took the carved image, the ephod, the household gods, and the metal image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”

The five spies sent from the tribe of Dan (Judges 18:1–6) are looting Micah’s house shrine. They remember the expensive religious artifacts he has there (Judges 17:1–5). With an army waiting at the homestead’s gates (Judges 18:16–17), they prepare to leave with all the carved and metal images, household gods, and the ephod. An ephod was a priestly breastplate, used in religious ceremonies. During this time, ornamentally decorated ephods had become objects of worship themselves. Gideon even made one and put it on display in his hometown, where it was said that it became a trap for his family (Judges 8:27).

Finally, the young Levite priest speaks up (Judges 17:7–13). He had been hired and ordained by Micah to be a personal priest to the family. He’d become like one of the family, almost a son to Micah (Judges 17:11). He had been content to accept Micah’s salary and friendship without ever challenging Micah’s idol worship or misunderstandings about how to please the Lord.

Now the priest offers a weak objection to the men stealing Micah’s sacred objects. They will not reply kindly this time (Judges 18:19).

Verse 19. And they said to him, “Keep quiet; put your hand on your mouth and come with us and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and clan in Israel?”

With a small army of reinforcements outside (Judges 18:16–17), the five scouts of the tribe of Dan are looting Micah’s house shrine (Judges 17:1–5). They are taking all his religious artifacts, wrongly believing those objects will give them some supernatural advantage in their quest for a new homeland (Judges 18:1).

Micah’s hired family cleric has finally questioned them, asking what they are doing (Judges 18:18). The Danites respond harshly, saying something like the modern English expression “shut up!” or “keep your mouth shut!” They might be trying to make the robbery quick and quiet.

Their response doesn’t end there, however. The Danites also tell the Levite (Judges 17:13) to come with them. They want him to be their spiritual leader and the priest of their tribe. From their perspective, it’s more prestigious to be the priest of an entire clan, instead of just one family. These opportunistic scouts are excited about this young Levite man for the same reasons as Micah. They superstitiously believe Levites had a special connection to the Lord. Surely, they thought, the God of Israel would bless a family who employed a Levite priest to see to all their religious needs.

It’s true that God designated the tribe of Levi as the only suitable priests (Numbers 3:5–10). Yet this did not mean every Levite, by mere virtue of birth, had supernatural access to the Lord’s endorsement. This was especially the case for those who had obviously stopped obeying the Lord’s commands. This Levite had been all too happy to receive money and a home (Judges 17:7–12) for helping a family commit crass idol worship (Exodus 20:1–5). Rather than steering them towards truth, he cynically took their money and told them what they wanted to hear.

Many centuries later, Jesus would pronounce a series of “woes” against Israel’s religious leaders. In Matthew 23, He called them hypocrites and blind guides. This was a well-deserved condemnation for all the ways they served themselves and failed to lead God’s people to understand who He was and what He wanted.

Verse 20. And the priest ‘s heart was glad. He took the ephod and the household gods and the carved image and went along with the people.

The five Danite spies (Judges 18:1) who had visited Micah’s house (Judges 18:2) have returned with an army of six hundred warriors and their families (Judges 18:11–13). They are migrating north (Judges 18:7), but first they have stopped to steal Micah’s religious objects and his personal Levite priest. That priest was content to have overseen a shrine with objects dedicated both to Yahweh and numerous false gods.

Now the priest has received an even better job offer. The Levite was content to live in Micah’s household, serving as a paid private cleric. Now the Danites have demanded he come with them, upping his status to being “priest” of an entire tribe of Israel. Proving that he’s nothing but a spiritual mercenary, he is thrilled at this proposition. The idea of going along with a raiding tribe and stealing his former employer’s idols makes him happy. Instead of trying to stop the scouts from robbing a man who had treated him like a son, he helped take the sacred objects from Micah’s house. He then joined the people of Dan as they continued their journey north.

The modern world has plenty of people with the same spirit as this fraudulent Levite “priest.” He is a perfect example of a religious leader happy to accept status and security (Judges 17:7–12) without representing God in any meaningful way (Exodus 20:3–17). If he knew the commands of the Lord, he did not correct the wrong beliefs and misunderstandings of those he served. Like many modern religious leaders, he was unwilling to risk worldly security to confront those who employed him. Then and now, there are false teachers willing to pretend to represent God so they can enjoy the respect of a titled position (Matthew 23).

Verse 21. So they turned and departed, putting the little ones and the livestock and the goods in front of them.

The convoy from the tribe of Dan (Judges 18:11–15) had waited outside of Micah’s property (Judges 18:16). They have secured Micah’s cultic religious objects (Judges 17:1–5) and his Levite priest (Judges 18:16–20). This young man was overjoyed at the chance to betray his former employer (Judges 17:7–13) and become the false “priest” of an entire tribe. Every person involved in the story is guilty of violating God’s commands, which is one reason the book of Judges so often notes that Israel had no king during this era (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25).

As they resume moving north (Judges 18:7–10) the six hundred armed warriors position themselves at the back of the group. They send the noncombatants and livestock ahead of them. This is for strategic reasons: if Micah sends warriors to retrieve his stolen gods, he will have to deal with the soldiers first, and they are prepared for battle. Micah will make such an attempt, only to realize the enemy is too strong for him to overcome (Judges 18:26).

Verse 22. When they had gone a distance from the home of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah ‘s house were called out, and they overtook the people of Dan.

At some point, Micah (Judges 17:1–5) realizes what has happened. The five scouts from the tribe of Dan who had previously visited his home (Judges 18:1–5) had returned. They came this time with an army of six hundred soldiers, their wives, their children, and all their belongings. They had camped outside of his property, likely with his blessing (Judges 18:11–14).

Then, when Micah was not around, they went into his family’s private shrine to steal the expensive cultic objects. The metal image and carved image his mother had made for him were gone. The ceremonial ephod was gone. The household gods—small statues of various deities—were gone. Worst of all, his own personal Levite priest was gone (Judges 17:13). The Danites had taken everything related to Micah’s false, custom-built religion. They’ve robbed him of tremendous wealth, not to mention objects which Micah believed were providing blessing and prosperity for his household.

Micah sends messages to neighbors. They assemble a fighting force and take off after the Danites, hoping to retrieve Micah’s religious belongings. The people from Dan had a head start, but they could not move quickly with their livestock and children. Soon, Micah and his neighbors catch up, only to find Dan’s warriors are prepared (Judges 18:21).

Verse 23. And they shouted to the people of Dan, who turned around and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you, that you come with such a company?”

Micah has gathered a group to chase down the men who had robbed him (Judges 18:14–20). Among the stolen goods was Micah’s enormous collection of expensive religious artifacts (Judges 17:1–5). Micah also wants his priest back, probably not realizing the young Levite (Judges 17:7–13) was more than happy to leave with the raiders and even helped them in their theft.

The men of Dan anticipated Micah would come after them. That’s why all the soldiers were in the back of the group with the precious cultic items and the children in the front (Judges 18:21). When Micah arrives shouting for the men of Dan to stop, they turn around and ask him why he has come with so many people. The warriors of Dan act surprised to see this collection of neighbors chasing them from behind. This is probably just that—an act, meant to intimidate—like the cliché of a tough man asking someone “what are you looking at?” Their sarcastic teasing, even asking “what’s the matter with you?” will not last long.

Verse 24. And he said, “You take my gods that I made and the priest, and go away, and what have I left? How then do you ask me, ‘What is the matter with you?’”

A traveling convoy from the tribe of Dan has stolen all the supposedly sacred items from Micah’s house (Judges 18:14–20), along with his Levite priest (Judges 17:7–13). The Danites know Micah understands they are responsible. With a group of his neighbors, Micah has chased them down as they journey north and has now caught up to them (Judges 18:21–23). The Danites asked why Micah has aggressively approach with so many men. With a sarcastic sort of intimidation, they have asked “what is the matter with you?”

Micah can’t believe they are pretending not to know why he has come. The desperate response reveals how deeply he has been trusting in his homemade religion. He seems genuinely surprised that his false idols and hired cleric could not protect him from harm and bring him blessing. His belief is real, in a sense, but incredibly foolish. He has been worshipping something he created and expecting it to take care of him (Isaiah 2:8). Centuries later, the silversmiths of Ephesus will complain that Paul is ruining their idol-making business by teaching everyone that “gods made with hands are not gods” (Acts 19:26). Micah would have known this truth already if he had paid attention to the commands of the Lord or if his priest had told him about them (Exodus 20:3–17).

Verse 25. And the people of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall upon you, and you lose your life with the lives of your household.”

Micah (Judges 17:1–5, 13) has brought neighbors to help confront the migrating people of Dan (Judges 18:1, 11–13). The convoy of six hundred warriors and their families have stolen his household idols and other sacred objects, along with his hired priest (Judges 18:14–20). Micah’s group has chased the Danites down and made their complaint. The Danite warriors first pretended—probably in sarcasm—not to know why Micah was so upset. Here, they simply point out that they don’t care.

In essence, they just tell Micah to go away. His group of neighbors are obviously no match for their six-hundred-man army. Their command to him is like a modern person saying, “shut up and leave if you know what’s good for you.” They make a point of threatening not just Micah, and those he’s brought with him, but his entire family back home. There’s nothing Micah can do to stop them, and they know this.

Realizing this, Micah will turn back without any of his stolen goods (Judges 18:26). The caravan from the tribe of Dan will continue to Laish (Judges 18:7–10), where they will encounter another group of people unprepared for war. This is deliberate, and the men from Dan will annihilate the peaceful Sidonians there, taking their land (Judges 18:27–28).

Verse 26. Then the people of Dan went their way. And when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his home.

The religious objects and hand-made gods Micah trusted to protect him have been stolen (Judges 18:14–20). The migrating people of the tribe of Dan stopped by his homestead in Ephraim and walked off with them on their way north (Judges 18:7–13). Micah chased them down, but when he and his neighbors caught up with them it became clear they were no match for the armed Danite soldiers (Judges 18:21–25). Even his own hired priest was thrilled to accept the robbers’ offer of a better job.

Micah returns home in pathetic despair, yet his story ends with a sense of justice and irony. He was introduced in chapter 17 as he admitted stealing a huge sum of money from his own mother. He likely only confessed to avoid her curse. His mother used the stolen silver to make a profane object of worship to Yahweh (Judges 17:1–5). Now that precious metal has been stolen again, still in the form of a God-insulting idol (Exodus 20:4–5). Having armed men march into his home and steal his house gods while threatening to kill him and his family could be seen as the Lord’s judgment against Micah. It could have been much worse: God’s law commanded Israelites to stone to death any other Israelite who tried to entice them to serve other gods (Deuteronomy 13:6).

Still, instead of a final judgment, Micah now has an opportunity to repent. He can learn from this hard lesson and decide to truly put his faith in Yahweh alone. Having false, worthless, ineffective gods ripped from his hands was truly an act of mercy, allowing Micah to realize his need for true salvation. When God tears away worldly things, idols, and betraying false teachers, it makes room for true faith, for those ready to receive it. Of course, it’s unlikely Micah ever came to see it this way. The book of Judges mentions Micah as an example of Israel’s deep spiritual ignorance and anarchy (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25).

Verse 27. But the people of Dan took what Micah had made, and the priest who belonged to him, and they came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire.

The writer of Judges makes no effort to sympathize with this group of people from the tribe of Dan. Unlike other groups of nomads seeking a home, they are entirely unlikable. They were introduced in search of more territory for their people (Judges 18:1). At first glance, their action might seem to fit with the Lord’s previous commands to Israel. That directive included wiping out the depraved inhabitants of the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5).

However, the people of Dan had been given their inheritance in the central and western areas of the Promised Land (Joshua 19:40–46. They failed to trust God enough to finish driving the inhabitants from their specific borders (Judges 1:34–36). As did other tribes in Israel, Dan repeatedly participated in the worship of false gods (Judges 2:16–19). This group robbed a man of his idols and his hired family priest (Judges 18:14–20).

That robbery was merely a short stop on their way to their ultimate target: the city of Laish. Earlier, five scouts identified it (Judges 18:2) as a lush, prosperous area. They also noted that the inhabitants were peaceful and completely unprepared to defend themselves from attack (Judges 18:7, 13).

Dan’s convoy arrives at Laish and accomplishes their goal. They butcher the undisturbed, oblivious Sidonians who live there and burn their city. While this might yet have been part of God’s judgment on the nations of the territory (Deuteronomy 9:4–6), the tribe of Dan is not acting in dependence on Yahweh. They act without Him and take what they want from territory allotted to another tribe (Joshua 17).

Verse 28. And there was no deliverer because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone. It was in the valley that belongs to Beth-rehob. Then they rebuilt the city and lived in it.

The misguided mission of people from the tribe of Dan has been accomplished. They have successfully relocated from the territory given to them by the Lord (Joshua 19:40–46) to a new place far to the north (Judges 18:7–13). This is now identified as the valley of Beth-rehob, placing it near the northern border of the Promised Land in a deeply isolated area. The Danites targeted this area for its resources, as well as for its unsuspecting, unaware people who were sure to be defenseless. This group of Sidonians were caught off guard, and their closest neighbors in Sidon were too far away to send forces to defend them.

The people of Dan rebuild the city after burning it and move in. There is no indication they relied on the Lord for any of this, but He has not stopped it from happening. At least some of the tribe of Dan, if not all, now live in the far north part of the land. This new home will exist as a regional center for idolatry for centuries (Judges 18:30).

Verse 29. And they named the city Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor, who was born to Israel; but the name of the city was Laish at the first.

The people of the tribe of Dan had a self-caused problem. They failed to conquer their allotted territory in Israel (Joshua 19:40–46; Judges 1:34–36). This forced them to live in limited space in the hill country of their territory, squeezed between foreign oppressors and territories occupied by Ephraim and Judah. Some portion of the small tribe—perhaps even all of them, eventually—decided to seek out a new home (Judges 18:1–7).

After robbing a man of his household idols and priest (Judges 18:14–20), the raiding party from Dan succeeded in migrating far to the north, beyond the northern end of the Sea of Galilee. They selected Laish, in part, because it was a soft target: unsuspecting, quiet, far from help, and peaceful (Judges 18:8–13). On arrival, the Danites slaughtered the Sidonian population and took it as their new hometown (Judges 18:27–28).

Now they rename the place after themselves, calling the town “Dan.” This was the name of their ancestor, after whom their tribe was named. Dan (Genesis 30:5–6) was one of the twelve sons of Jacob, also called Israel (Genesis 35:10).

Verse 30. And the people of Dan set up the carved image for themselves, and Jonathan the son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land.

Dan, a tribe of Israel meant to live in a central area of the Promised Land (Joshua 19:40–46), failed to conquer their territory (Judges 1:34–36). Feeling cramped, they sought new land (Judges 18:1–2), found an unsuspecting town of peaceful inhabitants (Judges 18:7), and butchered all of them (Judges 18:27–28). This town was formerly known as Laish, in the far north of Israel. The conquerors have changed the name of the town to Dan. What was described in the prior verses gives more detail to the summary presented in the book of Joshua (Joshua 19:47–48).

After brutally taking territory meant for another tribe (Joshua 17), they create their own system of religion. This is entirely opposed to the Lord’s own commands about how His people Israel must worship Him. The Danites had stolen an ample collection of religious icons (Judges 18:14–19), including idols of false gods. Even the few items of that haul connected to Yahweh were unspiritual and immoral: the use of any carved image for worshiping God was forbidden (Exodus 20:3–5).

Now we learn more about the young Levite man (Judges 17:7–13) who had been hired as a private priest. He gladly came along with the robbers from Dan. He was overjoyed to become priest to their entire tribe and helped them plunder his former employer (Judges 18:20). The writer of Judges identifies the Levite as Jonathan, son of Gershom. This makes this idolatrous priest a grandson of Moses himself (Exodus 2:22). Modern commentators agree there is no reason not to believe this is the case. Moses and Zipporah did have a son named Gershom (Exodus 2:22). It is devastating to see Moses’ own grandson so thoroughly violating the commands of God’s law. Yet this fits with the statement made at the beginning of this book that the generation after Joshua’s death did not know the Lord or the work He had done for Israel (Judges 2:10).

This also helps to place the events of chapters 17 and 18 in a historical framework. If Jonathan, the false priest of Dan, is the grandson of Moses, these events happened long before Samson’s life, as depicted in chapters 13—16. The last chapters of the book of Judges are meant to further explain how far Israel had fallen into depravity (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). The stories of the individual judges (Judges 2:16–19) have already been told.

Jonathan and his sons establish a center of false worship, serving as “priests” in Dan. This violates the commands of Deuteronomy 12:5–6 about where God must be worshiped: “But you shall seek the place that the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall go, and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock.”

The place God had chosen for worship of Himself in Israel was not Dan. At this stage in Israel’s history, it was Shiloh, in the territory of Ephraim in central Israel (Judges 18:31). The false worship in Dan continued until “the day of the captivity of the land.” Some scholars understand this to be a reference to the Assyrian deportation of Israelite people in 734 BC.

Verse 31. So they set up Micah ‘s carved image that he made, as long as the house of God was at Shiloh.

Micah’s carved and metal images, false objects of worship for the Lord, have traveled some distance. He had these made after confessing to stealing silver from his mother (Judges 17:1–5), attempting to protect him from her curse on the thief. Of course, the idea that such an object could protect or bless anyone was nonsense from the start (Isaiah 2:8; Habakkuk 2:19; 1 Corinthians 8:4). Now all his religious artifacts have been stolen (Judges 18:14–20) by Danite raiders. They are now being used as objects of worship by a false priest in a false center of worship at the very northern edge of Israel’s borders. The use of idols directly disobeys the second of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:4–5).

The writer of Judges adds here that the carved image was used in this way while the true house of God was at Shiloh. Deuteronomy 12:5–6 spelled out clearly that God must only be worshipped at the place of His own choosing. During this time in Israel’s history, He had identified Shiloh as that place. That’s where the ark of the covenant rested, perhaps in an actual temple structure called the “house of God.” Dan’s idolatry in this area seems to have lasted until the entire nation was taken captive (Judges 18:30) by the Assyrians in 734 BC.

End of Judges 18

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