And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made ,.... Which is repeated for the sake of the time of its continuance next expressed: all the time the house of God was in Shiloh ; which, according to some Jewish writers F7 Maimon. in Misn. Zebachim, c. 14. sect. 6. & Bartenora in ib. sect. 7. , was three hundred and sixty years; that is, so long as the tabernacle was there, which was afterwards removed to Nob. read more
In the Hebrew text the name here rendered Manasseh is written MN)- SH. Without the “N” (nun) suspended over the line, the word may be read: Moses, whose son was Gershom Exodus 2:22, whose son or descendant Jonathan clearly was. The Masoretes, probably grieved that a descendant of Moses should have been implicated in idolatrous worship, adopted this expedient for disguising the fact without absolutely falsifying the text. The Vulgate has “Moses”, the Septuagint “Manasses”.These verses seem to... read more
17:1-21:25 TRIBAL DISORDER WITHIN ISRAELThe writer of the book has now finished his account of the activity of the judges. To this he adds an appendix consisting of two stories (not necessarily placed in their correct chronological position in the book) that illustrate the disorder that existed in Israel during that period. The nation had no central government and people in the various tribes did as they pleased (see 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). The stories record important changes that occurred... read more
the house Of God: i.e. the Tabernacle of Moses, but not recognized as the house of Jehovah, the Covenant God. read more
2. The apostasy of the Danites ch. 18 read more
The establishment of idolatry at Dan 18:27-31The Danites’ defeat of the inhabitants of Laish appears cruel and unjustified (cf. Judges 9:45-49), though Laish was a Canaanite village. The town that seemed so desirable to the spies was really vulnerable and isolated. Its advantages proved to be weaknesses. Since God had adequate territory for the Danites in southern Canaan this whole expedition was displeasing to God in spite of the Levite’s blessing (Judges 18:6). Some of the Danites remained in... read more
The Danites go in Quest of an Inheritance. They rob Micah of his Images, capture and settle in Laish, and set up Idol-Worship there1-10. The Danite Spies.2. From their coasts] RV ’from their whole number.’ For Zorah and Eshtaol see on Judges 13:25. 3. They knew] They recognised him as a Levite from the prayers he was saying.Makest] RV ’doest.’6. Before the lord] i.e. under Jehovah’s care. 7. Laish] In Joshua 19:47 the name appears as Leshem. Later on it was called Dan, from its new inhabitants... read more
(31) And they set them up Micah’s graven image.—Rather, entrusted to them, i.e., to Jonathan’s descendants. The phrase “set them up” can only have been used by inadvertence by our translators in this verse, since the verb used, yasîmo (LXX., etaxan heautois; but Vulg., mansitque apud eos, i.e., there remained with them the descendants of Jonathan), is wholly different from the verb yakîmû, rendered “set up” (LXX., anestésan) in Judges 18:30.All the time that the house of God was in Shiloh—i.e.,... read more
Judges 18:3 'It, is a vain thought,' says Dinah Morris in Adam Bede, 'to flee from the work that God appoints us, for the sake of finding a greater blessing to our own souls, as if we could choose for ourselves where we shall find the fullness of the Divine Presence, instead of seeking it where alone it is to be found, in loving obedience.' Judges 18:7 A man's own safety is a god that sometimes makes very grim demands. George Eliot. Security, as commonly understood, is the state in which one... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 18:27-31
Here is, I. Laish conquered by the Danites. They proceeded on their march, and, because they met with no disaster, perhaps concluded they had not done amiss in robbing Micah. Many justify themselves in their impiety by their prosperity. Observe, 1. What posture they found the people of Laish in, both those of the city and those of the country about. They were quiet and secure, not jealous of the five spies that had been among them to search out the land, nor had they any intelligence of the... read more