Judges 18:25

The Danites said to him, “Do not raise your voice against us, or angry men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The Danites speak to Micah immediately after he confronts them for stealing his carved idols and hired priest. They deliver the threat at the moment of their departure to prevent him from pursuing or disrupting their mission.

The words — תַּשְׁמַע (tash.ma') = you make heard; קוֹלְ/ךָ֖ (kol./cha) = voice/ your. Together they form the imperative "do not raise your voice," a direct command to cease public protest.

The thread — The dynamic of a threatened party yielding to overwhelming force appears in Judges 18:26, while Job 27:2, 1 Samuel 30:6, and 2 Samuel 17:8 supply parallel accounts of distress, grieving crowds, and descriptions of fierce, dangerous opponents.

Why it lands — The text records a tactical warning that prioritizes survival over justice, forcing the reader to confront how intimidation silences legitimate grievance and how power dictates outcomes.

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

וַיֹּאמְר֤וּva/i.yo.me.Ruand/ they said אֵלָיו֙'e.La/vto/ him בְּנֵי־be.nei-[the] descendants of דָ֔ןDanDan אַל־'al-may not תַּשְׁמַ֥עtash.Ma'you make heard קוֹלְךָ֖kol./Chavoice/ your עִמָּ֑נוּ'i.Ma./nuwith/ us פֶּֽן־pen-lest יִפְגְּע֣וּyif.ge.'Uthey should fallבָכֶ֗םva./Khemon <the>/ youאֲנָשִׁים֙'a.na.Shimmen מָ֣רֵיMa.reibitter of נֶ֔פֶשׁNe.feshappetite וְאָסַפְתָּ֥הve./'a.saf.Tahand/ you will gather נַפְשְׁךָ֖naf.she./Khalife/ your וְנֶ֥פֶשׁve./Ne.feshand/ [the] life of בֵּיתֶֽךָ׃bei.Te./khahousehold/ your

King James Version

And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household.

Cross-references

Job 27:2 “As surely as God lives, who has deprived me of justice—the Almighty, who has embittered my soul—
1 Samuel 30:6 And David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of every man grieved for his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.
2 Samuel 17:8 He continued, “You know your father and his men. They are mighty men, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Moreover, your father is a man of war who will not spend the night with the troops.
Job 3:5 May darkness and gloom reclaim it, and a cloud settle over it; may the blackness of the day overwhelm it.