Treasury of Scripture Knowledge -
JUDGES 18

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  1  The Danites send five men to seek out an inheritance.
 3  At the house of Micah they consult with Jonathan, and are
    encouraged on their way.
 7  They search Laish, and bring back news of good hope.
11  Six hundred men are sent to surprise it.
14  In their way they rob Micah of his priest and his
    consecrated things.
27  They win Laish, and call it Dan.
30  They set up idolatry, wherein Jonathan inherits the
    priesthood.


VERSE 1
- no king.
  The word {mailech,} which generally means a king, is sometimes
  taken for a supreme ruler, governor, or judge (see Ge 36:31.
  De 33:5;) and it is probable it should be so understood here,
  and in the parallel passages.

   * Jud 17:6; 19:1; 21:25
- the tribe.
   * Jos 19:40-48
- for unto.
   * Jud 1:34


VERSE 2 
 - men.  Heb. sons.  Zorah.
   * :8,11; 13:2,25; 16:31 Ge 42:9 Jos 19:41
- to spy.
   * Nu 13:17 Jos 2:1 Pr 20:18 Lu 14:31
- mount.
   * Jud 17:1; 19:1,18 Jos 17:15-18


VERSE 3 
 - they knew.
  They knew by his dialect or mode of pronunciation, that he was
  not an Ephraimite:  see the parallel texts.

   * Jud 12:6 Ge 27:22 Mt 26:73
- and what hast.
   * Isa 22:16


VERSE 4 
 - hired me.
   * Jud 17:10 Pr 28:21 Isa 56:11 Eze 13:19 Ho 4:8,9 Mal 1:10
   * Joh 10:12,13 Ac 8:18-21; 20:33 1Ti 3:3 Tit 1:11 2Pe 2:3,14,15


VERSE 5 
 - Ask counsel.
   * 1Ki 22:5 2Ki 16:15 Isa 30:1 Eze 21:21 Ho 4:12 Ac 8:10
- of God.
   * :14; 17:5,13


VERSE 6 
 - Go in peace.
   * 1Ki 22:6,12,15 Jer 23:21,22,32
- before.
   * De 11:12 Ps 33:18 1Th 3:11
- the Lord.
  As the Levite uses the word Jehovah, and as the Danites
  succeeded according to the oracle delivered by him, some
  learned men are of opinion, that the worship established by
  Micah was not of an idolatrous kind.


VERSE 7 
 - Laish.
   * Jos 19:47
- called Leshem.  how they.
   * :27,28 Re 18:7
- civil officer.  Heb. possessor, or, heir of restraint.
   * 1Sa 3:13 1Ki 1:6 Ro 13:3 1Pe 2:14
- and had no.
  In the most correct copies of the LXX. this clause stands
  thus;  [kai logos ouk en autois meta Syrias;] "and they had no
  transactions with Syria;" evidently reading instead of ['ƒdƒm
  <\\See definition 0120\\> from "Strong's #120h"] {adam,} man,
  ['Arƒm <\\See definition 0758\\> from "Strong's #758h"]
  {aram,} Syria; words so nearly similar that the only
  difference between them is in the [Rˆysh,] {raish,} and
  [Dƒleth,] daleth, which in both MSS. and printed books is
  sometimes indiscernible.  Laish was situated on the frontiers
  of Syria.


VERSE 8 
 - Zorah and Eshtaol.
   * :2,11; 13:2; 16:31


VERSE 9 
 - Arise.
   * Nu 13:30; 14:7-9 Jos 2:23,24
- are ye still.
   * 1Ki 22:23
- be not.
   * Jos 18:3 1Sa 4:9 2Sa 10:12 Joh 6:27 Heb 6:11,12 2Pe 1:10,11


VERSE 10 
 - secure.
   * :7,27
- God hath.
   * De 2:29; 4:1 Jos 6:16
- where there.
   * Ex 3:8 De 8:7-9; 11:11,12 Eze 20:6 1Ti 6:17


VERSE 11 
 - appointed.  Heb. girded.
   * :11


VERSE 12 
 - Kirjath-jearim.
  A city of Judah, on the confines of Benjamin; distant nine
  miles from 'lia or Jerusalem, in going towards Diospolis or
  Lydda, according to Eusebius.

   * Jos 15:60 1Sa 7:1 1Ch 13:5,6 2Ch 1:4
- Mahaneh-dan.
   * Jud 13:25 *marg:


VERSE 13 
 - mount Ephraim.
   * :2,3; 17:1; 19:1 Jos 24:30,33


VERSE 14 
 - Then.
   * 1Sa 14:28
- in these.
   * :3,4; 17:5
- now therefore.
   * Pr 19:27 Isa 8:19,20


VERSE 15 
 - saluted him.  Heb. asked him of peace.
   * Ge 37:14; 43:27 1Sa 17:22 *marg:
   * 2Ki 4:26 Mt 10:12,13 Lu 10:4-6 Joh 14:27


VERSE 16 
 - six hundred.
   * :11


VERSE 17 
 - five men.
   * :2,14
- the graven.
   * Jud 6:31; 17:4,5 Ex 32:20 1Sa 4:11; 6:2-9 2Ki 19:18,19 Isa 46:1,2,7

VERSE 18


VERSE 19 
 - lay thine.
  This was the token of silence.  These men were evidently very
  ignorant; and absurdly concluded that they should, by taking
  Micah's gods, secure the presence and favor of the God of
  Israel, in their expedition and settlement.  They perhaps
  supposed the piety of their motives, and the goodness of their
  end, would justify the means.  But it was a base robbery of
  Micah, aggravated by the Levite's ingratitude, and their
  menaces.

   * Job 21:5; 29:9; 40:4,5 Pr 30:32 Mic 7:16
- a father.
   * Jud 17:10 2Ki 6:21; 8:8,9; 13:14 Mt 23:9


VERSE 20 
 - heart.
   * Jud 17:10 Pr 30:15 Isa 56:11 Eze 13:19 Ho 4:3 Ac 20:33 Php 3:19
   * 2Pe 2:3,15,16
- went.
  He was glad of his preferment among the Danites; and went into
  the crowd, that he might not be discovered by Micah or his
  family.


VERSE 21 
 - and put.
  These men were so confident of success, that they removed
  their whole families, household goods, cattle, and all.

- the carriage.
  {Kevoodah,} from {kavad,} to be heavy, denotes the luggage or
  baggage.

   * :21

VERSE 22


VERSE 23 
 - What aileth.
   * Ge 21:17 1Sa 11:5 2Sa 14:5 2Ki 6:28 Ps 114:5 Isa 22:1
- comest.  Heb. art gathered together.


VERSE 24 
 - what have.
   * Jud 17:13 Ps 115:8 Isa 44:18-20 Jer 50:38; 51:17 Eze 23:5
   * Hab 2:18,19 Ac 19:26 Re 17:2


VERSE 25 
 - angry.  Heb. bitter of soul.
   * 1Sa 30:6 2Sa 17:8 Job 3:5; 27:2 *marg:

VERSE 26


VERSE 27 
 - Laish.
   * :7,10
- they smote.
   * De 33:22 Jos 19:47
- burnt.
   * Jos 11:11


VERSE 28 
 - And there.
   * 2Sa 14:6 *marg:
   * Ps 7:2; 50:22 Da 3:15-17
- far from.
  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 neighbors.  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 that city.

   * :1,7 Jos 11:8 Isa 23:4,12
- Beth-rehob.
   * Nu 13:21
- Rehob.
   * 2Sa 10:6


VERSE 29 
 - Dan.
   * Jud 20:1 Ge 14:14 Jos 19:47 2Sa 17:11 1Ki 12:29,30; 15:20
- who was.
   * Ge 30:6; 32:28
  Laish, or Dan, was situated at the northern extremity of the
  land of Canaan, in a beautiful and fertile plain, at the foot
  of mount Lebanon, on the springs of Jordan, and, according to
  Eusebius, four miles from C'sarea Philippi, or Paneas, now
  Banias, (with which some have confounded it,) towards Tyre.
  Burckhardt says, that the source of the river El Dhan, or
  Jordan, is at an hour's distance from Banias, which agrees
  with Eusebius.


VERSE 30 
 - set up.
   * Ex 20:4 Le 26:1 De 17:2-7; 27:15; 31:16,29 Jos 19:40-48
   * Ps 78:58-61
  God had graciously performed his promise, in putting these
  Danites in possession of that which fell to their lot,
  obliging them thereby to be faithful to him who had been so to
  them; they inherited the labor of the people, that they might
  observe his statues.  Ps 105:44, 45.  But the first thing they
  do after they are settled is to break his laws, by setting up
  the graven image, attributing their success to that idol,
  which, if God had not been infinitely patient, would have been
  their ruin.  Thus a prosperous idolater goes on to offend,
  imputing this his power unto his God.  Instead of Manasseh,
  some would read Moses; as it is found in some MSS., in the
  Vulgate and in the concessions of the most intelligent Jews.
  But Bp. Patrick takes this to be an idle conceit of the
  Rabbins, and supposes this Jonathan to be of some other family
  of the Levites.  Yet Kimchi acknowledges, that the Jews,
  deeply concerned for the honor of their lawgiver, to whom
  they thought it would be a great dishonor to have a grandson
  who was an idolater, suspended the letter, [N-wn,] {noon,}
  over the word [M"sheh <\\See definition 04872 & 04873\\> from
  "Strong's #'s 4872h & 4873h"] Moses, thus [Menashsheh <\\See\\
  \\definition 04519\\> from "Strong's #4519h",] as it is found
  in the Hebrew Bibles; which, by means of the points, they have
  changed into Manasseh.

- until.
   * Jud 13:1 1Sa 4:2,3,10,11 Ps 78:60-62
- the land.
  Houbigant contends, that, instead of {ha„retz,} "the land," we
  should read {ha„ron,} "the ark;" for the [Vƒv,] {wav,} and
  [N-wn, {noon final,} might easily be mistaken for [Tsƒdˆy,]
  {tzadday final;} which is the only difference between the two
  words.  This conjecture is the more likely, as the next verse
  tells us, that Micah's graven image continued at Dan "all the
  time that the house of God was at Shiloh;" which was till the
  ark was taken by the Philistines.


VERSE 31 
 - all the time.
   * Jud 19:18; 21:21 Jos 18:1 1Sa 1:3; 4:4 Jer 7:12



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