What does Judges 18:14 mean?
The tribe of Dan—or at least a portion of it—is migrating in a large group from their former homeland (Judges 18:11–13). Their destination is a town called Laish, in the northern part of the Promised Land. The five men who first scouted out the new home have led the people to the home of Micah, where they had stopped previously (Judges 17:1–5, 13; 18:1–5).What's presented here is an example of a "loaded question." This is when someone asks with the intent of getting a specific response, and not because they really want the information. These people from Dan were convinced to make their journey because Laish is said to be defenseless. They are marching to attack a peaceful people, unprovoked, and take their land. The same men who recommended that plan are asking about the riches kept in Micah's home.
There's no question what the five scouts have in mind. Their "question" is something like saying, "How many of you six hundred armed men know about the rich man's home full of expensive goods over there?" Their obvious intent is for the Danite warriors to begin their conquest early—by robing Micah of his wealth. The tribe is in a warlike mindset; stealing resources when it would benefit the war effort was part of that attitude. This open act of robbery fits this book's repeated reminder that Israel was lawless and out of control during this era in her history (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25).