Judges Chapter 18

Dan seeks new territory

18:1 In those days [there was] no king in Israelבְּיִשְׂרָאֵל
Transliteration: bᵊyiśrā’ēl The name Israel (Septuagint Ancient Greek: Ἰσραήλ, Israēl, “El (God) persists/rules” or “God prevails”) refers to the patriarch Jacob who, according to the Hebrew Bible, was given the name after he successfully wrestled with the Angel of the Lord. The earliest known archaeological artifact to mention the word Israel as a collective is the Merneptah Stele of ancient Egypt (dated to the late-13th century BCE) for more info click here and in those days the tribe of the Danitesהַדָּנִי
hadānî, “judge” a Danite (often collectively) or descendants (or inhabitants) of Dan son of Jacob – For more info click here sought an inheritance for them to live in; because to that day [all their] inheritance hadn’t fallen to them among the tribes of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵל
Transliteration: yiśrā’ēl The name Israel (Septuagint Ancient Greek: Ἰσραήλ, Israēl, “El (God) persists/rules” or “God prevails”) refers to the patriarch Jacob who, according to the Hebrew Bible, was given the name after he successfully wrestled with the Angel of the Lord. The earliest known archaeological artifact to mention the word Israel as a collective is the Merneptah Stele of ancient Egypt (dated to the late-13th century BCE) for more info click here.

18:2 And the children of Danדָּן
Dān, “judgment” or “he judged”) was the first of the two sons of Jacob and Bilhah (Jacob’s fifth son). His mother, Bilhah, was Rachel’s handmaid, who becomes one of Jacob’s concubines, the tribe descended from Dan – a city in Dan, the most northern landmark of Palestine – For more info click here sent five men from their tribes from their coasts, men of valor, from Zorah (or Zareah or Zoreah), and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to investigate it. They said to them, Go, investigate the land. They arrived at Mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah (or Micaiah or Michah), they stayed there.
18:3 When they [were] in Micah’s (meaning who is like God) house, they recognized the voice of the young man the Leviteהַלֵּוִי
Transliteration: hallēvî Hebrew Noun: Gentilic Masculine Singular Absolute Meaning “joined to” – the descendants of Levi, the 3rd son of Jacob by Leah – the tribe descended from Levi specially set aside by God for His service
For more info click here and they approached him and said, Who brought you here? What are you doing here? What is there for you here ?
18:4 And he said to them, Micah did this and that for me, he hired me, and I became a priestלְכֹהֵן
lᵊḵōhēn’ Kohen = priest, principal officer or chief ruler For more info click here for him.
18:5 And they said to him, Inquire of Elohimבֵאלֹהִים
Transliteration: ḇē’lōhîm, the plural ofאֱלוֹהַּ‎ (ʾĔlōah), is a Hebrew word meaning “gods”. Although the word is plural, in the Hebrew Bible it most often takes singular verbal or pronominal agreement and refers to a single deity particularly the God of Israel In other verses it refers to the singular gods of other nations or to deities in the plural A name for GOD — God The Creator. For more info click here, please, so that we may know if our journeyדַּרְכֵּנוּ‎
Transliteration: darkēnû – our way, our road, our path, our route, our distance, our journey, our manner For more info click here on which we go will be successful.
18:6 And the priestהַכֹּהֵן
hakōhēn, ko-hane’ the Kohen = the priest,the principal officer or the chief ruler For more info click here said to them, Go in peaceלְשָׁלוֹם‎
Transliteration lᵊšālôm – shalom – completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, well being, wholeness, prosperity For more info click here; your journeyדַּרְכְּכֶם‎
Transliteration: darkᵊḵem – your way, your road, your path, your route, your distance, your journey, your manner For more info click here which y’all go is under the eye of YAHWEH יְהֹוָה‎
Hebrew Yəhōwā, one vocalization of the Tetragrammaton יהוה‎ (YHWH), the proper name of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. It is considered one of the seven names of God in Judaism and a form of God’s name in Christianity. Covenant making covenant keeping GOD. For more info click here.
18:7 So the five men left, and arrived at Laish (meaning lion), and saw the people who [were] in it were living securely, according to the customs of the  Sidonians, quiet and secure ; No issue in the land, that might cause [them] shame in any respect; and there was no heir to the dynasty; they were far from the Sidonians and had no alliance with [any] manאָדָם‎
Transliteration: ‘āḏām Pronunciation: aw-dam’ man, human being
man, mankind (much more frequently intended sense in OT) Adam, first man city in Jordan valley For more info click here* The people of Laish had on enemies, no conflicts and no dynasty to fight to retake the city if it fell. Furthermore, they were too isolated to summon help and had no allies to defend them. – From the Artscroll English Tanach.
18:8 And they went back to their kinsmen to Zorah and Eshtaol and their kinsmen said to them, What do y’all [say]?
18:9 And they said, Get up, let’s attack them because we have seen the land, and, look, it’s very good yet ya’ll remain still! Don’t be too lazy to go, to enter and inherit the land.
18:10 When ya’ll arrive, ya’ll will come to a trusting people, and to a large land because Elohimאֱלֹהִים
romanized: ʾĔlōhīm: [(ʔ)eloˈ(h)im]), the plural ofאֱלוֹהַּ‎ (ʾĔlōah), is a Hebrew word meaning “gods”. Although the word is plural, in the Hebrew Bible it most often takes singular verbal or pronominal agreement and refers to a single deity particularly the God of Israel In other verses it refers to the singular gods of other nations or to deities in the plural A name for GOD — God The Creator. For more info click here has delivered it into your hands; It’s a place where [there is] no shortage of anything on the earth.
18:11 So they journeyed from there from the family of the Danitesהַדָּנִי
hadānî, “judge” a Danite (often collectively) or descendants (or inhabitants) of Dan son of Jacob – For more info click here, out of Zorah (meaning hornet) and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men girded with weapons of war.
18:12 And they went up, and camped in Kirjathjearim, in Judahבִּיהוּדָה‎
Transliteration: bîhûḏâa, literally “thanksgiving” or “praise,” is the noun form of the root Y-D-H (ידה), “to thank” or “to praise. The fourth of the six sons of Jacob and Leah. Also referring to the tribe of Judah or The Kingdom of Judah later referred to as Judea – For more info click here (For this reason they called that place “the camp of Dan” to this day, see, [it’s] west of Kirjathjearim).
18:13 And they passed on from there to Mount Ephraim, and came to Micah‘s (Meaning who is like God) house.

Micah’s images and priest taken away

18:14 The five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said to their kinsmen, Do ya’ll know that in these buildings there are an ephodאֵפוֹד ‎
Transliteration: ‘ēp̄ôḏ, noun (in ancient Israel) a sleeveless garment worn by Jewish priests — ORIGIN late Middle English: from Hebrew ‘ēp̱ōḏ – For more info click here, and teraphimוּתְרָפִים
Transliteration: ûṯrāp̄îm – idolatry, idols, image(s), teraphim, family idol a kind of idol used in household shrine or worship For more info click here, and a carved image, and a molten image? Now y’all know what ya’ll should do.
18:15 And they turned there and came to the house of the young man the Leviteהַלֵּוִי
Transliteration:lᵊvî Pronunciation:lay-vee-ee’ Hebrew Noun: Gentilic Masculine Singular Absolute Meaning “joined to” – the descendants of Levi, the 3rd son of Jacob by Leah – the tribe descended from Levi specially set aside by God for His service
For more info click here, at the house of Micah, asked him about his welfare.
18:16 And the six hundred men, the tribe of Danדָּן
Dān, “judgment” or “he judged”) was the first of the two sons of Jacob and Bilhah (Jacob’s fifth son). His mother, Bilhah, was Rachel’s handmaid, who becomes one of Jacob’s concubines, the tribe descended from Dan – a city in Dan, the most northern landmark of Palestine – For more info click here, girded with their weapons of war, were standing by the entrance of the gate.
18:17 And the five men that had went to spy out the land arrived there, They took the carved image, and the ephodהָאֵפוֹד ‎
Transliteration: hā’ēp̄ôḏ, noun (in ancient Israel) a sleeveless garment worn by Jewish priests — ORIGIN late Middle English: from Hebrew ‘ēp̱ōḏ For more info click here, and the teraphimהַתְּרָפִים
Transliteration: hatrāp̄îm – idolatry, idols, image(s), teraphim, family idol a kind of idol used in household shrine or worship For more info click here, and the molten image and the priestוְהַכֹּהֵן
vᵊhakōhēn, the Kohen = the priest,the principal officer or the chief ruler For more info click here was standing in the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men girded with weapons of war.
18:18 And these went into Micah’s house, and took the carved image, the ephodהָאֵפוֹד ‎
Transliteration: hā’ēp̄ôḏ, noun (in ancient Israel) a sleeveless garment worn by Jewish priests — ORIGIN late Middle English: from Hebrew ‘ēp̱ōḏ For more info click here, and the teraphimהַתְּרָפִים
Transliteration: hatrāp̄îm – idolatry, idols, image(s), teraphim, family idol a kind of idol used in household shrine or worship For more info click here, and the molten image. Then the priestהַכֹּהֵן
hakōhēn, ko-hane’ the Kohen = the priest,the principal officer or the chief ruler For more info click here said to them, What are y’all doing?
18:19 And they said to him, Be quiet, put your hand over your mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priestכֹּהֵן
kôhên, ko-hane’ Kohen = priest, principal officer or chief ruler For more info click here for us. Is it better for you to be a priest to the house of one man, or that you be a priestכֹּהֵן
kôhên, ko-hane’ Kohen = priest, principal officer or chief ruler For more info click here to a tribe and a family in Israelבְּיִשְׂרָאֵל
Transliteration: bᵊyiśrā’ēl The name Israel (Septuagint Ancient Greek: Ἰσραήλ, Israēl, “El (God) persists/rules” or “God prevails”) refers to the patriarch Jacob who, according to the Hebrew Bible, was given the name after he successfully wrestled with the Angel of the Lord. The earliest known archaeological artifact to mention the word Israel as a collective is the Merneptah Stele of ancient Egypt (dated to the late-13th century BCE) for more info click here?
18:20 And the priest’sהַכֹּהֵן
hakōhēn, ko-hane’ the Kohen = the priest,the principal officer or the chief ruler For more info click here heart was glad, and he took the ephodהָאֵפוֹד ‎
Transliteration: hā’ēp̄ôḏ, noun (in ancient Israel) a sleeveless garment worn by Jewish priests — ORIGIN late Middle English: from Hebrew ‘ēp̱ōḏ For more info click here, and the teraphimהַתְּרָפִים
Transliteration: hatrāp̄îm – idolatry, idols, image(s), teraphim, family idol a kind of idol used in household shrine or worship For more info click here, and the carved image, and went in among the people.
18:21 So they turned away and left, and put the little ones and the livestock and the possessions going ahead of them.
18:22 [And] when they were a good distance from Micah’s house , the men that [were] in the houses near Micah’s house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Danדָּן
Dān, “judgment” or “he judged”) was the first of the two sons of Jacob and Bilhah (Jacob’s fifth son). His mother, Bilhah, was Rachel’s handmaid, who becomes one of Jacob’s concubines, the tribe descended from Dan – a city in Dan, the most northern landmark of Palestine – For more info click here.
18:23 And they shouted to the children of Danדָּן
Dān, “judgment” or “he judged”) was the first of the two sons of Jacob and Bilhah (Jacob’s fifth son). His mother, Bilhah, was Rachel’s handmaid, who becomes one of Jacob’s concubines, the tribe descended from Dan – a city in Dan, the most northern landmark of Palestine – For more info click here who turned to face them, and said to Micah, What’s wrong with you , that you come with such an assembly?
18:24 And he said, ya’ll have taken away my godsאֱלֹהָי
Pronounced:’ĕlōhê In Hebrew grammatical construct is a way of connecting noun-noun pairs. In english, we use “of”, but in Hebrew there are quite a few ways of doing this. של is usually used in place of “of” in Hebrew, but in this case, we modify the first word, with the suffix “ey” (which is what we do for plural words, which God’s name is in Torah), i.e. God of Abraham becomes Elohei Avraham. also can be of his, my or their – See Elohim for more info click here that I made, and ya’ll have taken off with the priestהַכֹּהֵן
hakōhēn, ko-hane’ the Kohen = the priest,the principal officer or the chief ruler For more info click here, what more have I got? and this [is] what ya’ll say to me, What’s wrong with you?
18:25 And the children of Danדָּן
Dān, “judgment” or “he judged”) was the first of the two sons of Jacob and Bilhah (Jacob’s fifth son). His mother, Bilhah, was Rachel’s handmaid, who becomes one of Jacob’s concubines, the tribe descended from Dan – a city in Dan, the most northern landmark of Palestine – For more info click here said to him, Don’t let your voice be heard among us, because some of us might get angry and attack you , and you lose your life, and your household.
18:26 And the children of Danדָּן
Dān, “judgment” or “he judged”) was the first of the two sons of Jacob and Bilhah (Jacob’s fifth son). His mother, Bilhah, was Rachel’s handmaid, who becomes one of Jacob’s concubines, the tribe descended from Dan – a city in Dan, the most northern landmark of Palestine – For more info click here went their wayלְדַרְכָּם‎
Transliteration: lᵊḏarkām – their way, their road, their path, their route, their distance, their journey, their manner, their custom – For more info click here and when Micah saw that they [were] strong than him, he turned and went back to his house.

Laish conquered

18:27 And they took what Micah had made, and the priestהַכֹּהֵן
hakōhēn, ko-hane’ the Kohen = the priest,the principal officer or the chief ruler For more info click here who had been his. They came on Laish, to a quiet and secure people and they struck them down with the edge of the sword, and burned the city down.
18:28 And no one came to rescue, because it [was] far from Zidon, and they had no alliance with [any] man ; and it was in the valley that is near Bethrehob (meaning house of the street). Then they rebuilt the city, and lived in it.
18:29 They called the name of the city Danדָּן
Dān, “judgment” or “he judged”) was the first of the two sons of Jacob and Bilhah (Jacob’s fifth son). His mother, Bilhah, was Rachel’s handmaid, who becomes one of Jacob’s concubines, the tribe descended from Dan – a city in Dan, the most northern landmark of Palestine – For more info click here, after the name Danדָּן
Dān, “judgment” or “he judged”) was the first of the two sons of Jacob and Bilhah (Jacob’s fifth son). His mother, Bilhah, was Rachel’s handmaid, who becomes one of Jacob’s concubines, the tribe descended from Dan – a city in Dan, the most northern landmark of Palestine – For more info click here their forefather, who was born to Israelלְיִשְׂרָאֵל
Transliteration: lᵊyiśrā’ēl The name Israel (Septuagint Ancient Greek: Ἰσραήλ, Israēl, “El (God) persists/rules” or “God prevails”) refers to the patriarch Jacob who, according to the Hebrew Bible, was given the name after he successfully wrestled with the Angel of the Lord. The earliest known archaeological artifact to mention the word Israel as a collective is the Merneptah Stele of ancient Egypt (dated to the late-13th century BCE) for more info click here however Laish [was] the name of the city at the first.
18:30 And the children of Danדָּן
Dān, “judgment” or “he judged”) was the first of the two sons of Jacob and Bilhah (Jacob’s fifth son). His mother, Bilhah, was Rachel’s handmaid, who becomes one of Jacob’s concubines, the tribe descended from Dan – a city in Dan, the most northern landmark of Palestine – For more info click here set up the carved image and Jonathan (or Jehonathan), the son of Gershom (meaning foreigner), the son of Manassehמְנַשֶּׁה
/məˈnæsə/; Mənaššé, “Forgetter”; Greek: Μανασσῆς Manasses; The eldest son of Joseph and progenitor of the tribe of Manasseh, the tribe descended from Manasseh, the territory occupied by the tribe of Manasseh, son of king Hezekiah of Judah and himself king of Judah; he was the immediate and direct cause for the exile, a descendant of Pahath-moab who put away a foreign wife in the time of Ezra, a descendant of Hashum who put away a foreign wife in the time of Ezra. For more info click here, he and his sons were priestsכֹּהֲנִים
kôhêneem, ko-hane’ Kohenim = priests, Plural principal officers or chief rulers For more info click here to the tribe of Danדָּן
Dān, “judgment” or “he judged”) was the first of the two sons of Jacob and Bilhah (Jacob’s fifth son). His mother, Bilhah, was Rachel’s handmaid, who becomes one of Jacob’s concubines, the tribe descended from Dan – a city in Dan, the most northern landmark of Palestine – For more info click here until the day of the captivity of the land.
18:31 They accepted on themselves Micah’s carved image that he made, all the days that the House of Elohimבֵּית־הָאֱלֹהִים
Hebrew Noun: Common Masculine Plural Construct for more info on the word Elohim click here, was in Shilohבְּשִׁלֹה 
Transliteration: bᵊšilô – Meaning “place of rest” was an ancient city and sanctuary in Samaria. According to the Hebrew Bible, Shiloh was one of the main centers of Israelite worship during the pre-monarchic period, before the First Temple in Jerusalem was built. A city in Ephraim and temporary home of the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle, the place where Samuel grew up See Jos 18:1 For more on Shiloh info click here.