John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 1. In those days there was no king in Israel , etc.] No supreme magistrate, no judge, for it was before the time of the judges, after the death of Joshua and before Othniel the first judge; this is observed before, ( Judges 17:6) and here repeated to account for the evil things done by the Danites, their consulting Micah’s oracle, taking away his priest and his gods, and setting up his graven image in Dan, by which means idolatry was spread in Israel, and brought on their servitude to Chushanrishathaim, from which Othniel the first judge was their deliverer: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in ; that is, a family of them, as in the next verse, not the whole tribe; for as a family is sometimes put for a tribe, ( Joshua 7:17) so a tribe for a family, ( Judges 20:12) for unto that day [all their] inheritance had not fallen to them among the tribes of Israel : we rightly supply the words “all their”; for otherwise an inheritance had fallen to them by lot, as the other tribes. ( Joshua 19:40), but that was not only too little for them, ( Joshua 19:47) but all that was allotted to them did not come into their possession, but a part remained unsubdued; and some they had possession of they could not keep, either through the superior strength of the Amorites, or their own sloth and cowardice, or for want of the help of their brethren; (see Judges 1:34,35).
Matthew Henry Commentary
- The Danites seek to enlarge their inheritance, and rob Micah.
--The Danites determined to take Micah's gods with them. Oh the foll of these Danites! How could they imagine those gods should protec them, that could not keep themselves from being stolen! To take the for their own use, was a double crime; it showed they neither feare God, nor regarded man, but were lost both to godliness and honesty What a folly was it for Micah to call those his gods, which he ha made, when He only is to be worshipped by us as God, that made us! Tha is put in God's place, which we are concerned about, as if our all wer bound up in it. If people will walk in the name of their false gods much more should we love and serve the true God _________________________________________________
Original Hebrew בימים3117 ההם1992 אין369 מלך4428 בישׂראל3478 ובימים3117 ההם1992 שׁבט7626 הדני1839 מבקשׁ1245 לו נחלה5159 לשׁבת3427 כי3588 לא3808 נפלה5307 לו עד5704 היום3117 ההוא1931 בתוך8432 שׁבטי7626 ישׂראל3478 בנחלה׃5159
