Bible Strands
Judges 18:17
And the five men who had gone to spy out the land went inside and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, while the priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred armed men.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The five scouts enter Micah’s house to seize religious objects while the priest stands at the gate entrance beside six hundred armed Danites. This action follows the scouts' successful reconnaissance and the main force taking position outside.
The words — The phrase הַ/הֹלְכִים לְ/רַגֵּל (ha./ho.le.Khim le./ra.Gel) literally means "those going to spy out," defining the scouts' assigned task. The verb בָּ֣אוּ (Ba.'u) records their completed movement into the house to carry out that task.
The thread — The operation begins in Judges 18:2 when the Danites dispatch five men to explore, and the scouts' report in Judges 18:14 directly precipitates this raid. The seized objects originate from the silver and craftsmanship described in Judges 17:4.
Why it lands — The verse records a coordinated seizure of cultic items, showing scouts, a priest, and warriors acting together. It requires the reader to observe how military action directly enables the theft and displacement of religious authority.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war.
Cross-references
- Judges 18:14 Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish said to their brothers, “Did you know that one of these houses has an ephod, household gods, a graven image, and a molten idol? Now think about what you should do.”
- Judges 17:4 So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into a graven image and a molten idol. And they were placed in the house of Micah.
- Judges 18:2 So the Danites sent out five men from their clans, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. “Go and explore the land,” they told them. The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night.
- Genesis 31:19 Now while Laban was out shearing his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household idols.
- Exodus 32:20 Then he took the calf they had made, burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, and scattered the powder over the face of the water. Then he forced the Israelites to drink it.
- Judges 6:31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Are you contending for Baal? Are you trying to save him? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If Baal is a god, let him contend for himself with the one who has torn down his altar.”
- 1 Samuel 4:11 The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
- 1 Samuel 6:2 the Philistines summoned the priests and diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how to send it back to its place.”
- 2 Kings 19:18 They have cast their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods, but only wood and stone—the work of human hands.
- Isaiah 46:1 Bel crouches; Nebo cowers. Their idols weigh down beasts and cattle. The images you carry are burdensome, a load to the weary animal.