Judges 18 27

Judges 18:27 kjv

And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were at quiet and secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire.

Judges 18:27 nkjv

So they took the things Micah had made, and the priest who had belonged to him, and went to Laish, to a people quiet and secure; and they struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire.

Judges 18:27 niv

Then they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and went on to Laish, against a people at peace and secure. They attacked them with the sword and burned down their city.

Judges 18:27 esv

But the people of Dan took what Micah had made, and the priest who belonged to him, and they came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire.

Judges 18:27 nlt

Then, with Micah's idols and his priest, the men of Dan came to the town of Laish, whose people were peaceful and secure. They attacked with swords and burned the town to the ground.

Judges 18 verses

Judges 18 27 Meaning

Judges 18:27 details the culmination of the Danites' destructive expedition. It describes how they, having unlawfully taken Micah's graven image, ephod, and household gods, along with his corrupted priest, proceeded to attack Laish. The verse emphasizes Laish's extreme vulnerability—its inhabitants were peaceful, unsuspecting, isolated, distant from potential allies (Sidonians), and lacked any means of defense or external support. The Danites exploited this vulnerability, launching a ruthless and complete destruction, killing all the inhabitants and burning the city. This act illustrates profound lawlessness and the grave spiritual and moral decline prevalent in Israel during this period.

Judges 18 27 Context

Judges 18:27 is part of a larger narrative within the Book of Judges, specifically Chapters 17 and 18, which serve as an epilogue illustrating the moral and spiritual chaos in Israel. This section (along with Chapters 19-21) demonstrates the deep societal degradation that resulted from the absence of strong, God-appointed leadership and a pervasive spiritual indifference among the people, culminating in the repeated refrain, "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes."

Chapter 17 introduces Micah, an Ephraimite, who constructs a personal shrine with idols (a carved image and a molten image) and an ephod and teraphim, hiring a Levite named Jonathan to serve as his priest. This practice is entirely contrary to the Mosaic Law regarding worship (Deuteronomy 12), illustrating illicit, localized, and idolatrous worship.

Chapter 18 details the Danite tribe's quest for an inheritance. They send five spies to find suitable land, and during their journey, they encounter Micah's shrine. Recognizing the Levite from their previous acquaintance in Bethlehem Judah, they inquire of the Lord through him. Upon the spies' favorable report about the defenseless city of Laish, the 600 armed Danite men proceed. En route, they revisit Micah's house, not only taking his idols, ephod, and teraphim but also persuading the Levite priest to join them, offering him a higher status within a tribe rather than just a household. Judges 18:27 directly follows this theft and betrayal, narrating the Danites' arrival at Laish and their brutal conquest of a city described as utterly unprepared and isolated, solidifying their newly acquired land and their illicit religious practices. The act is not a divinely commanded conquest like those in Joshua, but a self-serving act of covetousness, theft, and violent usurpation.

Judges 18 27 Word analysis

• And they took: The action word emphasizing direct physical seizure. This taking is unlawful, implying robbery and theft of religious objects. It highlights the Danites' brazen disregard for the seventh (theft) and tenth (coveting) commandments.
• what Micah had made: Refers to the graven image (pesel - a carved or cultic image) and other cultic objects, implying Micah's personal creation and not Yahweh's instruction. The act of "making" points to human invention rather than divine command, which is at the heart of the critique of idolatry.
• and the priest he had: This phrase emphasizes the Danites' usurpation of Micah's cultic authority figure, further validating their ill-gotten religious apparatus. The priest, a Levite (Jonathan, the grandson of Moses according to some traditions), was already complicit in illegitimate worship (Jdg 17:10) but willingly abandoned Micah for a "better" offer. This shows the pervasive moral corruption, even among the Levitical priesthood.
• and came to Laish: Specifies the geographical target. Laish (later renamed Dan, v. 29) was in the far north of Canaan. Its remoteness is key to its vulnerability.
• to a people quiet: Hebrew: shaqedh (שָׁקֵט) - meaning "quiet," "tranquil," "at rest," "peaceful." It implies they were unsuspecting, not aggressive, and perhaps lacked military preparedness. Their peaceful disposition ironically made them targets.
• and unsuspecting: Hebrew: betakh (בֶּטַח) - meaning "security," "confidence," "trust." In this context, it implies they were living in a state of naive confidence or security, perhaps due to their isolation, without anticipating an attack. This state made them entirely vulnerable to external aggression.
• who were living without anyone to deliver them: Signifies a complete lack of protection, military forces, or local alliances. This emphasizes their utter isolation and lack of defense, which the Danites meticulously noted (v. 7). This stark vulnerability provided the Danites with an easy target.
• and far from the Sidonians: Geographically explains their isolation. Sidonians were a powerful maritime people (Phoenicians) known for their wealth, trade, and often their military might in the ancient Near East. Their distance meant Laish had no immediate allies or protectors, nor a connection to a powerful economic hub that might facilitate alliances. This geographical isolation deprived them of military or diplomatic support.
• and had no dealings with anyone: Hebrew: davar (דָּבָר) and adam (אָדָם). Lo'-davhar l-o-vadam means "no word/dealings with man." This phrase further amplifies their extreme isolation. It suggests a lack of political treaties, trade relationships, or military alliances with surrounding peoples, leaving them entirely exposed. This deep isolation contrasted sharply with the covenant expectation of Israel dwelling among nations as a light.
• They struck them with the edge of the sword: A direct and violent act of military conquest, implying total slaughter of the inhabitants. This reflects the brutality common in ancient warfare but stands in contrast to specific God-given instructions for Israelite warfare that sometimes allowed for sparing certain groups. This act was driven by covetousness, not divine command.
• and burned the city with fire: Indicates complete destruction of Laish. This action cleared the land for the Danites' new settlement. Such scorched-earth tactics were typical for decisive conquest and erasing a previous identity to establish a new one. This also contrasts with how God commanded them to sometimes spare and subdue cities, not always to utterly destroy all their infrastructure, showing a difference in motivations.

Judges 18 27 Bonus section

The account of the Danites conquering Laish and establishing their illicit cult center there in Judges 18 foreshadows and sets the stage for the deep-seated idolatry in the northern kingdom of Israel centuries later. King Jeroboam I, after the division of the kingdom, chooses Dan (and Bethel) as sites for his golden calf cult, establishing high places and illicit priesthoods (1 Kin 12:28-30). This shows the lasting spiritual scar and rebellious trajectory initiated by the Danites' actions. The event at Laish demonstrates a severe deviation from Israel's covenant responsibilities and the purity of Yahweh worship, cementing idolatry in a region that would later become a major center for apostasy. It highlights that the lack of proper leadership in Judges not only led to moral chaos but laid groundwork for institutionalized sin in subsequent periods of Israelite history.

Judges 18 27 Commentary

Judges 18:27 encapsulates the dire state of Israel in the time of the Judges. It paints a chilling picture of a nation steeped in self-interest, covetousness, and spiritual depravity. The Danites, a tribe struggling to secure their inheritance, act not out of faith or divine mandate, but out of lawless greed and violent pragmatism. They compound their initial tribal weakness with blatant theft of sacred (albeit illegitimate) cultic items from Micah and morally compromise a Levite to join their venture. Their reconnaissance report and subsequent actions highlight a key theme: opportunism driven by the vulnerable state of others. Laish's people are presented as innocently peaceful and completely unprotected due to their geographic isolation and lack of alliances—a sharp contrast to the expectation of mutual defense and divine protection within God's covenant people. The Danites exploit this weakness to commit an act of genocide and utter destruction, clearing the way for their own illicit settlement and worship, complete with stolen idols and a co-opted priest. This tragic event directly contributes to the overarching theme of Judges: without a central authority and genuine fidelity to Yahweh's laws, Israel descended into anarchy where "everyone did what was right in his own eyes," leading to spiritual compromise, moral decay, and inter-tribal violence. The ease of their conquest further underscores the tragedy of Laish and the ethical bankruptcy of Dan.