Judges 18:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: As soon as you go, you will come to an unsuspecting people. The land is spacious, for God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the earth.”

NIV: When you get there, you will find an unsuspecting people and a spacious land that God has put into your hands, a land that lacks nothing whatever.'

NASB: When you enter, you will come to an unsuspecting people with a spacious land; for God has handed it over to you, a place where there is no lack of anything that is on the earth.'

CSB: When you get there, you will come to an unsuspecting people and a spacious land, for God has handed it over to you. It is a place where nothing on earth is lacking."

NLT: When you get there, you will find the people living carefree lives. God has given us a spacious and fertile land, lacking in nothing!'

KJV: When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and to a large land: for God hath given it into your hands; a place where there is no want of any thing that is in the earth.

NKJV: When you go, you will come to a secure people and a large land. For God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of anything that is on the earth.”

Five Danite "spies," meaning scouts, were sent in search of fresh territory for their people to live (Judges 18:1). They are now making their report. They are utterly convinced that the Danites can defeat the Sidonians living in the northern town of Laish (Judges 18:8–9). In a strange way, this conversation echoes Israel's experiences when first coming to the Promised Land. Then, spies returned with doubt despite the land being guaranteed by God (Numbers 13:32). Here, the spies are enthusiastic about land to which this tribe has no right (Numbers 3:5–10).

After scolding the people of Dan for hesitating to get going right away, the scouts emphasize the benefits of the move. Of special interest is the fact that the people of Laish are peaceful, unaware of danger, and unprepared for war (Judges 18:7). In short, the scouts from Dan realize these people are not ready to defend themselves. The reason Dan is struggling for territory is their own failure to complete the conquest of their allotted land (Judges 1:34–36). Conquering inhabitants of Laish seems easier than continuing to struggle against the Amorites.

Further, the area is described as spacious: plenty of room for everyone and all the natural resources they could ever need. The scouts insist God has already given that land for their tribe. This probably means to recall the vaguely positive "oracle" given to them by Micah's Levite priest in Ephraim (Judges 18:6). Since that priest was not authentic, the people of Dan are leaving territory given them by the Lord, and seeking land given to the tribe of Manasseh (Joshua 17), there's no reason to believe God blessed their mission. And yet, at least some of the people of Dan will agree to fight for the land up north and move there.

Judges 18:1–13 finds five scouts from the tribe of Dan seeking a new place to live. They stop at Micah's house in Ephraim and get to know his Levite priest (Judges 17:1–5). They continue north and identify Laish as a soft target, as well as a good place to live. Before long, six hundred armed Danite men set out with their families and belongings. The entire company arrives at the home of Micah in Ephraim to camp for the night.

The people of the tribe of Dan want to relocate because they failed to take their allotted territory in the Promised Land. They send five scouts to find land. The men stop at Micah's home (Judges 17:1–5, 13) and meet his priest before continuing north. They find Laish and realize it's a soft, vulnerable, peaceful town. A six hundred-man army and their families stop at Micah's home to steal his house gods and hired priest. When they arrive at Laish, the Danites slaughter the Sidonians living there, burn the city, rebuild it, and move in. Dan becomes a center of false worship.

In the prior chapter, Micah hires a personal cleric for his family religion. Judges 18 describes how he loses all his religious objects and that priest to raiders from the tribe of Dan. That convoy continues north to their target, the town of Laish. This town was selected, in part, for being helpless against attackers. The raiders rename the city "Dan." The people and the priest establish a center for false worship which lasts for centuries. Joshua 19:40–48 describes how Dan moved from their allotted land into this unapproved territory (Joshua 17).

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).