# Judges 18 📖: The Danites Migrate [[📚 Explore the Bible Books]] [[-Judges Overview]] | [[Judges 17]] | [[Judges 19]] > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] > [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]] > [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] > [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]] > [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]] > [[#💬 Discussion Questions]] > [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference]] > [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] > [[#📂 Internal Notes]] ## 📜 Scripture Text (NET) (The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005) ### The Tribe of Dan Finds an Inheritance [[#Verse 01.]] In those days Israel had no king. And in those days the Danite tribe was looking for a place to settle, because at that time they did not yet have a place to call their own among the tribes of Israel.  [[#Verse 02.]] The Danites sent out from their whole tribe five representatives, capable men from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. They said to them, “Go, explore the land.” They came to the Ephraimite hill country and spent the night at Micah’s house.  [[#Verse 03.]] As they approached Micah’s house, they recognized the accent of the young Levite. So they stopped there and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here?” [[#Verse 04.]] He told them what Micah had done for him, saying, “He hired me, and I became his priest.”  [[#Verse 05.]] They said to him, “Seek a divine oracle for us, so we can know if we will be successful on our mission.”  [[#Verse 06.]] The priest said to them, “Go with confidence. The Lord will be with you on your mission.” [[#Verse 07.]] So the five men journeyed on and arrived in Laish. They noticed that the people there were living securely, like the Sidonians do, undisturbed and unsuspecting. No conqueror was troubling them in any way. They lived far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone. [[#Verse 08.]] When the Danites returned to their tribe in Zorah and Eshtaol, their kinsmen asked them, “How did it go?”  [[#Verse 09.]] They said, “Come on, let’s attack them, for we saw their land and it is very good. You seem lethargic, but don’t hesitate to invade and conquer the land.  [[#Verse 10.]] When you invade, you will encounter unsuspecting people. The land is wide! God is handing it over to you—a place that lacks nothing on earth!” [[#Verse 11.]] So 600 Danites, fully armed, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol.  [[#Verse 12.]] They went up and camped in Kiriath Jearim in Judah. (To this day that place is called Camp of Dan. It is west of Kiriath Jearim.)  [[#Verse 13.]] From there they traveled through the Ephraimite hill country and arrived at Micah’s house. [[#Verse 14.]] The five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish said to their kinsmen, “Do you realize that inside these houses are an ephod, some personal idols, a carved image, and a metal image? Decide now what you want to do.” [[#Verse 15.]] They stopped there, went inside the young Levite’s house (which belonged to Micah), and asked him how he was doing.  [[#Verse 16.]] Meanwhile the 600 Danites, fully armed, stood at the entrance to the gate.  [[#Verse 17.]] The five men who had gone to spy out the land broke in and stole the carved image, the ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, while the priest was standing at the entrance to the gate with the 600 fully armed men.  [[#Verse 18.]] When these men broke into Micah’s house and stole the carved image, the ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”  [[#Verse 19.]] They said to him, “Shut up! Put your hand over your mouth and come with us! You can be our adviser and priest. Wouldn’t it be better to be a priest for a whole Israelite tribe than for just one man’s family?”  [[#Verse 20.]] The priest was happy. He took the ephod, the personal idols, and the carved image and joined the group. [[#Verse 21.]] They turned and went on their way, but they walked behind the children, the cattle, and their possessions.  [[#Verse 22.]] After they had gone a good distance from Micah’s house, Micah’s neighbors gathered together and caught up with the Danites.  [[#Verse 23.]] When they called out to the Danites, the Danites turned around and said to Micah, “Why have you gathered together?”  [[#Verse 24.]] He said, “You stole my gods that I made, as well as this priest, and then went away. What do I have left? How can you have the audacity to say to me, ‘What do you want?’”  [[#Verse 25.]] The Danites said to him, “Don’t say another word to us, or some very angry men will attack you, and you and your family will die.” [[#Verse 26.]] The Danites went on their way; when Micah realized they were too strong to resist, he turned around and went home. [[#Verse 27.]] Now the Danites took what Micah had made, as well as his priest, and came to Laish, where the people were undisturbed and unsuspecting. They struck them down with the sword and burned the city.  [[#Verse 28.]] No one came to the rescue because the city was far from Sidon and they had no dealings with anyone. The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob. The Danites rebuilt the city and occupied it.  [[#Verse 29.]] They named it Dan after their ancestor, who was one of Israel’s sons. But the city’s name used to be Laish.  [[#Verse 30.]] The Danites worshiped the carved image. Jonathan, descendant of Gershom, son of Moses, and his descendants served as priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the exile.  [[#Verse 31.]] They worshiped Micah’s carved image the whole time God’s authorized shrine was in Shiloh. ## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary ###### Overall. ###### Verse 01. ###### Verse 02. ###### Verse 03. ###### Verse 04. ###### Verse 05. ###### Verse 06. ###### Verse 07. ###### Verse 08. ###### Verse 09. ###### Verse 10. ###### Verse 11. ###### Verse 12. ###### Verse 13. ###### Verse 14. ###### Verse 15. ###### Verse 16. ###### Verse 17. ###### Verse 18. ###### Verse 19. ###### Verse 20. ###### Verse 21. ###### Verse 22. ###### Verse 23. ###### Verse 24 ###### Verse 25. ###### Verse 26. ###### Verse 27. ###### Verse 28. ###### Verse 29. ###### Verse 30. ###### Verse 31. ## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights 1. Dan had been assigned land near the coast but could not take it (1:34; Joshua 19:40-48). 2. The Danites sent out five spies (18:2), echoing the spies in Numbers 13 and Joshua 2. 3. Laish (18:7) was renamed Dan (18:29) and became the northernmost city of Israel. 4. "From Dan to Beersheba" became a common way to describe all of Israel from north to south (20:1). 5. Laish was quiet, unsuspecting, and had no allies to help it (18:7, 28). 6. Ancient evidence points to Moses' name in 18:30. Many Hebrew copies add a raised letter to read "Manasseh," likely to protect Moses' reputation. 7. The Levite who became Dan's priest was Jonathan, a descendant of Gershom (18:30). 8. Archaeologists at Tel Dan uncovered a large sacred platform from the later kingdom period, often linked with Jeroboam's golden calf (1 Kings 12:29). 9. The sanctuary at Shiloh (18:31) held the tabernacle in the time of the judges. 10. The Danites sent 600 armed men (18:11). ## 🧠 Chapter Summary > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter Christ is the true Shepherd who cannot be bought. Micah's Levite left for a better offer (18:19-20), but Jesus, the Good Shepherd, lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11-13). ## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 💬 Discussion Questions 1. The Levite was happy to trade one household for a whole tribe (18:19-20). How can ministry become about status instead of faithfulness? 2. Micah protested that they took the gods he made (18:24). What does this show about the weakness of idols? 3. Dan's idol worship lasted for generations (18:30-31). What spiritual habits are we passing down? ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember - 📖 verse 1: The tribe of Dan seeks territory because it has not received its inheritance. - 📖 verse 24: Micah protests that they took the gods he made. - 📖 verses 30-31: Dan sets up Micah's idol, and it remains as long as God's house is at Shiloh. ## 🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference - 🔗 [[John 10#Verse 11.|John 10:11-13]] - The Good Shepherd and the hired hand. - 🔗 [[Joshua 19#Verse 47.|Joshua 19:47]] - Dan captures Leshem. - 🔗 [[1 Kings 12#Verse 28.|1 Kings 12:28-30]] - Jeroboam sets up a calf at Dan. - 🔗 [[Isaiah 44#Verse 17.|Isaiah 44:17]] - Idols made by human hands. - 🔗 [[Psalm 115#Verse 04.|Psalm 115:4-8]] - Idols cannot save. ## 🙏 Devotional Reflection 📝 SOAP: [[Judges 18 - SOAP|What Are You Setting Up to Last?]] ## 📂 Internal Notes