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וילכו1980 חמשׁת2568 האנשׁים376 ויבאו935 לישׁה3919 ויראו7200 את853 העם5971 אשׁר834 בקרבה7130 יושׁבת3427 לבטח983 כמשׁפט4941 צדנים6722 שׁקט8252 ובטח982 ואין369 מכלים3637 דבר1697 בארץ776 יורשׁ3423 עצר6114 ורחקים7350 המה1992 מצדנים6722 ודבר1697 אין369 להם  עם5973  אדם׃120  

Jos 19:47

Verse 7. After the manner of the Zidonians] Probably the people of Laish or Leshem were originally a colony of the Sidonians, who, it appears, were an opulent people; and, being in possession of a strong city, lived in a state of security, not being afraid of their neighbours. In this the Leshemites imitated them, though the sequel proves they had not the same reason for their confidence.

They were far from the Zidonians] Being, as above supposed, a Sidonian colony, they might naturally expect help from their countrymen; but, as they dwelt a considerable distance from Sidon, the Danites saw that they could strike the blow before the news of invasion could reach Sidon; and, consequently, before the people of Laish could receive any succours from that city.

And had no business with any man.] In the most correct copies of the Septuagint, this clause is thus translated: kai logov ouk hn autoiv meta suriav; and they had no transactions with SYRIA. Now it is most evident that, instead of µda adam, MAN, they read µra aram, SYRIA; words which are so nearly similar that the difference which exists is only between the r resh and d daleth, and this, both in MSS. and printed books, is often indiscernible. This reading is found in the Codex Alexandrinus, in the Complutensian Polyglot, in the Spanish Polyglot, and in the edition of the Septuagint published by Aldus. It may be proper to observe, that Laish was on the frontiers of Syria; but as they had no intercourse with the Syrians, from whom they might have received the promptest assistance, this was an additional reason why the Danites might expect success.

Ver. 7. And the five men departed , etc.] From Mount Ephraim, and Micah’s house there: and came to Laish ; which, according to Bunting f376 , was one hundred and four miles from Mount Ephraim, and so many he makes it to be from Jerusalem; it lay at the furthest northern border of the land of Canaan, at the foot of Mount Lebanon, near the fountain of Jordan; it was four miles from Paneas, as Jerom says f377 , as you go to Tyre; it is the Caesarea Philippi of the New Testament, and the same that is called Leshem, (see Gill on “ Joshua 19:47”), and saw the people that were therein ; went into the city, and made their observations on the inhabitants of it, their number, strength, and manner of living: how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure ; the inhabitants of Zidon, whose customs they might imitate, whose laws they might use, and might be under their government, since they are said to have no magistrate within themselves; and their carelessness and confidence might arise from their strong fortresses; or rather because they thought their city, and the land adjacent to it, did not belong to the land of Israel, and did not know that the Israelites made any pretensions to it, and therefore were quite easy, and in no fear of them; had no watchmen to guard their city, and did not take care to furnish themselves with weapons of war for their defence, even as the Zidonians; who, besides their city being a strong and fortified one, were in no fear of the Israelites, because their city was not in the land of Canaan, only the border of it reached to it: and there was no magistrate in the land that might put them to shame in anything ; to restrain them from vice, and punish them for it, or even to reprove and correct them, and so put them to shame; or put any mark of infamy and disgrace upon them in a public manner, that might shame them; hence they lived in a disorderly and dissolute manner, whereby they became the more easy prey to others: or the sense is, there was no king, nor an heir of the kingdom, as Kimchi interprets it, so that there were none to contest his right to the government of the place, or to accuse another, and put him to shame for taking it away from him. Jarchi takes the sense to be, that none needed to turn back his neighbour empty, when he asked anything of him for his relief, since there was no want of anything in the land, as after observed; but the first sense seems best: and they were far from the Zidonians ; who were the only people that could help them, being in friendship with them; and it may be they were under their government, as before observed; they are said to be about eleven miles from them; Josephus says, a day’s journey: and had no business with any man ; no trade or commerce, but lived independent of others, and within themselves, their land affording them everything sufficient for them. Some understand it of their not being in any league or alliance with any other people, and so had none to call in to their assistance in case of any attack upon them.

--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 _________________________________________________

וילכו1980 חמשׁת2568 האנשׁים376 ויבאו935 לישׁה3919 ויראו7200 את853 העם5971 אשׁר834 בקרבה7130 יושׁבת3427 לבטח983 כמשׁפט4941 צדנים6722 שׁקט8252 ובטח982 ואין369 מכלים3637 דבר1697 בארץ776 יורשׁ3423 עצר6114 ורחקים7350 המה1992 מצדנים6722 ודבר1697 אין369 להם  עם5973  אדם׃120