Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, Judges · Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII.
Verſ. 1. IN thoſe dayes there was no King in Iſrael.] See the note, chap. 17. verſ. 6.
For unto that day, all their inheritance had not fallen unto them, among the tribes of Iſrael.] By reaſon of the Amorites, who cooped them up in the mountains, chap. 1.34. And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain; for they would not ſuffer them to come into the valley.
Verſ. 3. When they were by the houſe of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man, the Levite.] The Danites had part of their inheritance in that part of Canaan, which was at firſt aſſigned to the tribe of Judah, & therefore it is not unlikely, that ſome of theſe ſpies were formerly acquainted with this Levite, whilſt he ſojourned in Bethlehem-Judah, and ſo now knew his voice. However by the different dialect, or manner of ſpeech and pronunciation, which the men of Judah uſed, from that which was uſed by the inhabitants of mount Ephraim, they might know him to belong to Judah, though he now ſojourned in Ephraim; as we may ſee in that inſtance, chap. 12.6 where the men of Ephraim ſaid Sibboleth in ſtead of Shibboleth. And beſides, if they heard him ſpeak concerning the employments of his calling, by that they might know he was a Levite.
Verſ. 5. And they ſaid unto him, Ask counſel we pray thee of God, &c.] Hearing from the Levite, that Micah had there a chappel of gods, and amongſt the reſt, an Ephod and Teraphim, which were the Oracles, whereby in thoſe idolatrous times they were wont to enquire of God; and that he was hired to be Micahs prieſt, they deſired him that he would enquire of God, concerning the ſucceſſe of that great buſineſſe they were going about.
Verſ. 6. Go in peace; before the Lord is your way wherein ye go.] That is, the eye of the Lord it upon your way to remove all difficulties, and to make your journey proſperous; he will go out before you, and take care of your journey. Now this anſwer he might return of his own head, flatteringly, as falſe Prophets are wont to do. But yet God might permit Satan, by his Teraphim, or ſome ſuch Oracle, to foretell this concerning the ſucceſſe of their journey, Deut. 13.1, 2, 3. If there ariſe among you a prophet or a dreames of dreams, and giveth thee a ſigne, or a wonder, and the ſigne, or the wonder come to paſſe whereof he spake unto thee, ſaying, Let us go after other gods (which thou haſt not known) and let us ſerve them; thou ſhalt not hearken unto the words of that Prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: For the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your ſoul. And this ſeems the more probable, becauſe his anſwer, as the devils Oracles had wont to be may be interpreted two ſeverall wayes; either that God ſaw what they were going about, or that God would proſper them in their journey. But the event anſwering that promiſe or prediction of ſucceſſe which he had given them, this made them highly eſteem both the prieſt and his idols.
Verſ. 7. Then the five men departed, and came to Laiſh, &c.] Or Leſhem. Joſh. 19.47. which afterwards by theſe Danites, when they had deſtroyed the inhabitants, and taken it for themſelves to dwell in, was called Dan, verſ. 29. And they called the name of the citie Dan: foure particulars are here mentioned, which the ſpies of Dan noted, and whereby they concluded, that they ſhould eaſily take this place; the firſt is, that the people dwelt careleſſely, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and ſecure. The Sidonians, in regard of the ſtrength of their citie, and their exceſſive wealth, lived ſecurely and voluptuouſly, without feare of any enemie that ſhould invade them; the rather, becauſe neither the Iſraelites, ſince their entring the land of Canaan, nor any other of the neighbouring nations, had ever attempted any thing againſt them; and after the ſame manner lived the inhabitants of Laiſh; yea, and it may well be as ſome think, that in this their careleſſe ſecuritie, they are compared to the Sidonians rather then to any other people; becauſe that having ſome relation to the Sidonians, either by ſome ſtrict league that was between them, or rather ſome dependance they had upon them, as their lords in chief; (which ſeems alſo to be the reaſon, why they had no magiſtrates of their own) hence it was, that they lived ſo careleſſely and ſecurely; not onelyonly in confidence of their aid, but as being infected by their example, and ſo brought to live in ſuch a kind of ſenſuall, voluptuous, ſecure courſe of life, as they obſerved in them. The ſecond is, that there was no magiſtrate in the land, that might put them to ſhame in any thing. For where there is no magiſtrates (who are called the ſhields of the earth, Pſal. 47.9.) either to reſtrain the people from that looſeneſſe, and manifold wickedneſſe they are ready to run into, or to provide for their defence, they muſt needs lie naked and open to all manner of miſchief; and the magiſtrates puniſhing offenders, is here called a putting them to ſhame; becauſe the ſhame doth more curb men from evil, then the ſmart of puniſhments. The third is, that they were farre from the Sidonians, and therefore could not on a ſudden have any aid from them; and yet they were the onelyonly people from whom they were like to have help, as is before noted: And the fourth is, that there was neither league nor commerce between them and their neighbours; either of which might have wonne their neighbours to help them.
Verſ. 10. For God hath given it into your hands.] This they grounded, partly upon that which they had obſerved in Laiſh, and partly from the encouragement which Micahs prieſt had given them, verſ 6. And the prieſt ſaid unto them, Go in peace: before the Lord is your way wherein ye go.
Verſ. 12. And they went up and pitched in Kiriath-jearim, in Judah; wherefore they call that place Mahaneh-Dan, &c.] Mahaneh-Dan, that is, the camp of Dan, ſee chap. 13.25. it may well be, that this was the place where Samſons parents dwelt; for Kiriath-jearim ſtood in the very confines of Judah, Dan, and Benjamin.
Verſ. 14. Do ye know that there is in theſe houſes an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore conſider what ye have to do.] That is bethink your ſelves whether theſe things will not be a good booty for us; by them we enquired of the Lord, when we went to ſpie out the land, and received an anſwer that our journey ſhould be proſperous, and doubtleſſe we may carry the buſineſſe ſo, as to make them our own; and therefore conſider whether it will not be our beſt way to take them with us, that we may make the ſame uſe of them in future times.
Verſ. 15. And they turned thitherward and came to the houſe of the young man the Levite, &c.] Micahs houſe may be here called the Levites houſe, becauſe he dwelt there, but beſides though he was of Micahs family, yet he might dwell apart by himſelf, to wit, in that part of the houſe which joyned to the chappell, where theſe idols were, and with reſpect to that it may be ſaid, that they came to the houſe of the young man the Levite.
Verſ. 17. And the five men that went to spy out the land, went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, &c.] Firſt, no doubt they brought out the prieſt to their brethren the Danites that ſtood at the gate, with whom whilſt the prieſt ſtaid, happely ſaluting ſome of the chief of them, wiſhing them good ſucceſſe in the enterpriſe they were going about, or otherwiſe ſhewing them ſuch courteſie, as to ſtrangers is wont to be afforded; in the interim the five men went back into his houſe, and fetched away the images, &c. and therefore it is added in the following words, that the prieſt ſtood in the entering of the gate, with the ſix hundred men that were appointed with weapons of warre.
Verſ. 18. And theſe went into Micahs houſe, &c.] That is, the five men mentioned before, verſ. 17. ſee the former note.
Verſ. 20. And he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midſt of the people.] For all the reſpect that Micah had ſhown him, now he hoped to have a place of more advantage, away he goes: as for his going in the midſt with his idolatrous traſh, he did it either for the better defence both of them and his perſon, or in a kind of apiſh imitation of the arks being carried in the midſt of the tribes.
Verſ. 21. So they turned and departed, and put the little ones, and the cattell, and the carriages before them.] The bringing of their wives, little ones, and cattell with them, ſhews with what aſſurance of ſucceſſe they went againſt Laiſh; and theſe going away from Micahs houſe, they place before their army, as not fearing any enemy before them, but ſuſpecting that Micah with all the ſtrength he could raiſe, would purſue after them, as indeed he did.
Verſ. 24. And he ſaid, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the prieſt, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? &c.] As if he ſhould have ſaid, that he eſteemed all that they had left him as nothing, now his gods were gone.
Verſ. 27. And they ſmote them with the edge of the ſword, and burnt the city with fire.] This is mentioned before, Joſh. 19.47. concerning which, ſee the note there. It may ſeem ſtrange why the Danites ſhould burn this city, ſeeing they ſurprized it purpoſely that they might dwell in it, and it muſt needs be a great work, and of great charge to rebuild it again; but this we muſt conſider is uſuall when cities are ſtormed and taken, partly through the fury of the ſouldiers in the heat of the aſſault, and partly that they may the more eaſily deſtroy the inhabitants, whilſt they are forced to buſie themſelves in quenching the fire: cities are ſeldome taken by force, but that ſome part of them is burnt with fire.
Verſ. 28. And there was no deliverer, becauſe it was farre from Sydon, &c.] See the note above, verſ. 7.
And it was in the valley that lyeth by Beth-Rehob, &c.] Rehob was a city in the utmoſt north part of the land, near unto mount Libanus, and Hamath, Num. 13.21. So they went up and ſearched the land from the wilderneſſe of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath: it was within the portion aſſigned to Aſher. Joſh. 19 28. and appointed for the Levites in that tribe, Joſh. 21.31. but is reckoned amongſt thoſe cities, whoſe inhabitants the Aſherites did not drive out, Judg. 1.31. who are called Syrians of Beth-Rehob, 2. Sam. 10.6. It is evident therefore that Laiſh, which was alſo now in the poſſeſſion of the Canaanites or Syrians, and was nigh Rehob, ſtood alſo in the utmoſt north parts of the land, near to the fountain of Dan, one of the heads of that river which was therefore called Jordan, whence was that proverbiall ſpeech, from Dan even to Beerſheba.
Verſ. 29. And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, &c.] Becauſe the Danites that ſeated themſelves here, ſo farre off from the reſt of their brethren, might fear leſt in future times their reference to their brethren ſhould be queſtioned, they named their city Dan, which was before called Laiſh, that it might be known to what tribe they belonged; yet withall it is probable they ſo named their city too in honour of their father the Patriarch, of whom they were deſcended; but in the mean time they were idolaters and robbers, and this their father Dan did not do, as Chriſt ſpeaks in a like caſe, John 8.40. But now ye ſeek, to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
Verſ. 30. And the children of Dan ſet up the graven image, &c.] The good ſucceſſe which they had in their attempt upon Laiſh, according to the anſwer which they had received from this Oracle, made them highly eſteem both this prieſt and his images, and accordingly they eſtabliſhed this idolatrous worſhip of their falſe gods amongſt them; and ſo this Levite Jonathan the ſonne of Gerſhom, &c. and his poſteritie, were prieſts unto theſe idolatrous Danites, untill the captivitie of the land. The moſt of Expoſitours underſtand this of that captivitie, when the ark was taken and carried away by the Philiſtines, 1. Sam. 4.10, 11. And the Philiſtines fought, and Iſrael was ſmitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great ſlaughter; for there fell of Iſrael thirty thouſand footmen. And the Ark of God was taken, and the two ſonnes of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas were ſlain; for then we ſee there was a great ſlaughter amongſt the Iſraelites, and no doubt, many of them were carried away captive, together with the ark; and all this befell them, becauſe of the idolatrie that was then in the land, Pſal. 78.58, 59. They provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealouſie with their graven images. When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Iſrael. So that he forſook the Tabernacle of Shiloh; the tent which he placed among men, &c. Beſides, Micahs graven image, upon which depended the ſervice of this idolatrous prieſt, and his ſucceſſours, ſtood up onelyonly till the remove of the Tabernacle from Shiloh, verſ. 31. And they ſet them up Micahs graven image which he made, all the time that the houſe of God was in Shiloh; which was doubtleſſe about that time, when the Ark was taken by the Philiſtines; ſo that hence it may ſeem very probable, that the prieſthood of theſe men continued no longer; and that this is the captivitie here ſpoken of. Beſides, if it be underſtood of that captivitie, when the ten tribes were carried away captives into Aſſyria, by Shalmaneſer, 2. Kings 17. it may be judged very unlikely, that theſe idolatrous prieſts ſhould in Samuels time be ſuffered, eſpecially in Davids, who was ſo holy, and potent a King. But yet, becauſe the captivieie of the land, cannot well be underſtood, otherwiſe then of a generall captivitie, I ſee not why it ſhould not be underſtood of that captivitie when the people were carried away into Aſſyria by Shalmaneſer. It is indeed manifeſt by the following verſe, that Micahs image was pulled down, not long after the Tabernacle was removed from Shiloh; and in Sauls time, it is manifeſt, that the Tabernacle was in Nob, 1. Sam. 21. But yet, though the idol was ſuppreſt, theſe idolatrous prieſts might (in ſecret eſpecially, though not openly) continue to do this impious ſervice for the Danites, unto the time of Jeroboam; and then might be employed as prieſts for his golden calf, which was erected in this citie Dan, 1. Kings, 12.29. He ſet the one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan: for though he made prieſts of the loweſt of the people that were not Levites, verſ. 31. yet that doth not hinder but that theſe idolaters, though Levites, might be of the number of his prieſts too: and ſo they might continue till that generall captivitie of the ten tribes.