Judges 18:15 kjv
And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him.
Judges 18:15 nkjv
So they turned aside there, and came to the house of the young Levite man?to the house of Micah?and greeted him.
Judges 18:15 niv
So they turned in there and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah's place and greeted him.
Judges 18:15 esv
And they turned aside there and came to the house of the young Levite, at the home of Micah, and asked him about his welfare.
Judges 18:15 nlt
Then the five men turned off the road and went over to Micah's house, where the young Levite lived, and greeted him kindly.
Judges 18 15 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Num 13:17-20 | And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan... see what the land is, and whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak... | Spying missions by scouts, a biblical motif. |
| Josh 2:1 | And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly... | Spying before conquest. |
| Judg 18:1-2 | In those days there was no king in Israel... And the people of the tribe of Dan sought for themselves an inheritance to dwell in... sent five men... | Context: Danite scouting mission for territory. |
| Judg 18:3 | When they were by the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young man, the Levite... | Prior encounter and recognition of the Levite's presence. |
| Judg 18:14 | Then the five men who had gone to spy out the country of Laish said to their brethren, “Do you know that there are in these houses an ephod, and household idols...?” | Revelation of idolatry and intent to steal it. |
| Gen 18:2 | So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground... | Greeting and hospitality. |
| Gen 29:6 | Then he said to them, “Is he well?” And they said, “He is well. And there is Rachel his daughter, coming with the sheep.” | Traditional greeting, asking of welfare ("Is he well?" = shalom). |
| 1 Sam 25:5-6 | So David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, go to Nabal, and greet him in my name. And thus you shall say to him: ‘Peace be with you...’" | Standard polite greeting. |
| Prov 27:6 | Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. | Ironic "peace" greeting masking evil intentions. |
| Jer 9:8 | “Their tongue is an arrow shot out; It speaks deceit; One speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, But in his heart he lies in wait.” | Deceitful speech and feigned peace. |
| Exod 20:3-5 | “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image... You shall not bow down to them nor serve them..." | Direct violation of God's command against idolatry. |
| Deut 12:2-4 | You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations which you shall dispossess served their gods... you shall destroy their altars, and break their sacred pillars... | Israel commanded to eradicate idolatry, not embrace it. |
| Deut 18:6-8 | “If a Levite comes from any of your towns... he may minister in the name of the Lord his God, as all his brethren the Levites do... they shall have equal portions..." | Proper role and provision for a Levite, in contrast to Micah's private setup. |
| Judg 17:1-6 | Now there was a man from the mountains of Ephraim, whose name was Micah... who had an image, an ephod, and household idols. | Immediate context: Micah's idolatrous setup. |
| Judg 17:7-13 | There was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah; he was a Levite... who said, “My house is with Micah..." | Background of the Levite priest's establishment with Micah. |
| Judg 18:27-31 | So they took the things Micah had made... and the priest who was his... They set up Micah’s carved image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh. | Fulfillment of their intentions: stealing the items and the priest. |
| Judg 21:25 | In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. | Theme of moral decline and anarchy in the book of Judges. |
| Ps 106:34-40 | They did not destroy the peoples, Concerning whom the Lord had commanded them, But they mingled with the Gentiles and learned their works; They served their idols... | Israel's persistent failure to eliminate idolatry. |
| Hos 4:12 | My people ask counsel from their wooden idols, And their staff informs them. For the spirit of harlotry has led them astray... | Seeking divination from false sources. |
| Isa 44:19-20 | No one considers in his heart... Is there not a lie in my right hand?” He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside... | Folly and self-deception of idolatry. |
| Rom 1:21-23 | because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God... their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image... | The spiritual blindness and folly of those who turn from God to idols. |
| Phil 4:6-7 | Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts... | True "peace" is from God, contrasted with false security and worldly means. |
Judges 18 verses
Judges 18 15 Meaning
Judges 18:15 describes a pivotal moment where the five Danite scouts, having previously encountered and interrogated Micah's Levite priest (Judg 18:3-5), purposefully detour from their journey back to their tribe. They enter the house associated with this particular Levite and engage in a customary greeting, inquiring about his well-being or "peace," thereby concealing their true predatory intentions. This seemingly polite interaction sets the stage for their planned theft of Micah's idol and the coerced abduction of the Levite to serve their own newly established religious site.
Judges 18 15 Context
Judges chapter 18, along with chapter 17, narrates an illustrative episode highlighting the deep moral and religious degradation in Israel during the period of the Judges, marked by the refrain, "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judg 17:6; 18:1; 21:25). The Danite tribe, failing to secure its allotted inheritance (Judg 1:34; Josh 19:40-48), dispatched five men to scout for new territory. In their journey, these spies chanced upon Micah's idolatrous shrine, where he had appointed a rogue Levite as his private priest. Having already conversed with this Levite earlier (Judg 18:3-4) and consulted him for divine guidance (which confirmed their mission's success), the five Danite spies, upon their return, decided to exploit Micah's religious setup. Verse 15 details their specific and deliberate return to Micah's house, engaging the Levite in a polite, yet deceptive, "peace" greeting, a pretense to execute their plan to appropriate Micah's religious objects and abduct the Levite for their new settlement in Laish. The scene reveals their cynical pragmatism over divine law and covenant fidelity.
Judges 18 15 Word analysis
- And they turned aside there: Hebrew: וַיָּסֻרוּ שָׁם (vayyasuru sham). The verb "turned aside" (סוּר - sur) implies a deliberate deviation from their main path or intention. It's not a casual encounter but a calculated redirect, indicating their specific target was Micah's house, not just passing by. This highlights their intentionality to engage with the situation.
- and came: Hebrew: וַיָּבֹאוּ (vayyavo'u). Simple verb indicating entry. Following "turned aside," it specifies the culmination of their deviation – arrival at the specific destination.
- to the house of the young man the Levite: Hebrew: אֶל־בֵּית הַלֵּוִי הַלְזֶה (el-beit hallewi hallezeh). The phrasing "house of the young man the Levite," rather than "Micah's house," emphasizes that their interest and primary interaction were with the Levite himself, whom they had recognized earlier (Judg 18:3). It also highlights the Levite's status and significance in their scheme. This particular Levite had established himself as a personal priest for Micah, illustrating the deviation from the tabernacle worship.
- and asked him concerning his welfare: Hebrew: וַיִּשְׁאֲלוּ לְשָׁלוֹם לוֹ (vayyish'alu leshalom lo). Literally, "and they asked to him for peace." "Shalom" (שָׁלוֹם) is a comprehensive Hebrew term meaning peace, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, health, and welfare. This was a common and polite Hebrew greeting. However, in this context, the gesture is profoundly ironic and hypocritical. The Danites approach with feigned courtesy, while their true intention is to steal Micah's idols and coerce the Levite into serving them. This deceptive "peace" underscores the moral bankruptcy prevalent in the era.
- Words-group Analysis:
- "They turned aside... to the house of the young man the Levite": This sequence reveals a deliberate, premeditated action. Their goal was specifically to engage with the religious setup orchestrated by the Levite, implying they viewed him and his sacred objects as valuable assets to appropriate for their own ends, rather than observing or destroying them according to God's law.
- "and asked him concerning his welfare": This phrase functions as a veil of politeness covering their sinister intentions. It represents a surface-level act of courtesy that stands in stark contrast to their actual plan to strip Micah and the Levite of their possessions and independence. It exemplifies how outward conformity can mask profound internal corruption and deceit, reflecting the overall moral disarray of the period.
Judges 18 15 Bonus section
The scene of the Danites feigning goodwill through a "shalom" greeting mirrors other instances in the Bible where seemingly benevolent or ordinary acts mask sinister intent (e.g., Joab's greeting to Amasa before assassinating him in 2 Sam 20:9-10). This deliberate use of social custom for deception is a repeated biblical theme exposing hypocrisy. Furthermore, the Danites, who had a clear inheritance (Josh 19:40-46), abandoned it for ease (Judg 1:34) and chose conquest based on pragmatic opportunism rather than God's guidance. Their decision to adopt and transport the idolatrous setup highlights the ease with which Israel fell into syncretism, seeing such religious practices as means to their own ends rather than an abomination to YHWH. The Levite, a descendant of Aaron called to service Yahweh, instead serves as a private priest for pay (Judg 17:10) and then for status (Judg 18:19), showing a pervasive spiritual decay even within the priestly class.
Judges 18 15 Commentary
Judges 18:15 encapsulates the pervasive spiritual and moral decline of Israel during the Judges period. The Danites' act of "asking concerning his welfare" for the Levite, though outwardly polite, is a mask for their premeditated theft and abduction. This deceitful greeting underscores the prevailing disregard for covenantal integrity, illustrating how even basic social graces were manipulated for selfish gain. It reflects a society where pragmatic self-interest trumped ethical behavior and divine commands, where God's will was "inquired" through unauthorized means (the rogue Levite and idols), leading to deeper syncretism rather than true worship. This superficial seeking of "peace" from an individual directly preceding an act of violation is a stark commentary on the era where "every man did what was right in his own eyes."