33 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And they said unto him, hold thy peace,.... Be silent, make no disturbance, be quiet and easy: lay thy hand upon thy mouth; as a token of silence; so the Egyptians used to paint Harpocrates, the god of silence, with his fingers pressing his lips: and go with us; for they wanted him as well as his gods, not knowing well how to make use of them...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the priest's heart was glad,.... He rejoiced that such an opportunity offered; it suited well with his covetous, ambitious, rambling, and unsettled disposition of mind: and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image; and no doubt the molten image also, out of the hands of the five men into his own, agreeing to go with them, and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
So they turned and departed,.... Turned from the gate of the city where Micah dwelt, and marched forward to Laish: and put the little ones, and the cattle, and the carriage, before them; partly for safety from Micah, and his friends and neighbours, and partly that they might not be overdriven: their wives, who doubtless were with them, though not...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And when they were a good way from the house of Micah,.... For it might be some time before Micah knew that his gods were stolen, and his priest was decoyed from him; and it must take up more time still to get his servants and neighbours together to pursue after those that injured him: the men that were in the houses near to Micah's house were...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And they cried unto the children of Dan,.... When they had got pretty near them, and in their hearing, they called to them aloud, and desired they would stop, having something to say to them: and they turned their faces; that is, the Danites turned and looked at them, and stopped to hear what they had to say to them; these were they who were in...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he said, ye have taken away my gods that I made,.... Meaning his graven and molten images, which he had made, or caused to be made, out of the silver his mother gave him, or however had paid for the making of; and though this might be an argument proving his right unto them, it was a very poor one in favour of their deity; and it is...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the children of Dan said unto him, let not thy voice be heard among us,.... Complaining of us as having done an unjust thing, charging and reproaching us with theft and sacrilege, insisting upon a restoration of the things taken, and abusing with odious names and characters: lest angry fellows run upon thee: lest men of bitter and passionate...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the children of Dan went their way,.... Went on their way, would not stay to have any further talk with him, as being an impertinent man, and unworthy of their regard, bidding him defiance, and do his worst, having nothing to fear from him: and when Micah saw they were too strong for him; that he could not prevail upon them by words and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And they took the things which Micah had made,.... The ephod, teraphim, and the two images, the Danites took them, or having taken them kept them, and went on with them: and the priest which he had; him also they took, and who was willing enough to go with them: and came unto Laish, unto a people that were quiet and secure; having no sentinels...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon,.... Under whose government and protection they seem to have been; and that city being at a distance from them, and the Danites coming upon them suddenly, there was no time to send to them for help, or any to come in to their assistance, and save them from their enemies, see Judges 18:7 and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And they called the name of the city Dan,.... The name of their tribe, and to show that though they were at the furthest part of the land northward, and at such a distance from their tribe, which lay to the southwest, yet they belonged to it: after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel; one of the twelve sons of Jacob or Israel:...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the children of Dan set up the graven image,.... In their new city Dan, and very probably had a house built for it, peculiar to it, in the same place where Jeroboam, in later times, set up one of his golden calves. The Danites having succeeded, according to the oracle in Micah's house, they had a very great veneration for the images they...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made,.... Which is repeated for the sake of the time of its continuance next expressed: all the time the house of God was in Shiloh; which, according to some Jewish writers (g), was three hundred and sixty years; that is, so long as the tabernacle was there, which was afterwards removed to Nob....