Judges 18:2

1 In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel.

And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there.

3 When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?

4 And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB
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.
KJV
And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there.
WEB
The children of Dan sent five men of their family from their whole number, men of valor, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to search it. They said to them, “Go, explore the land!” They came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there.
ASV
And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their whole number, men of valor, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land. And they came to the hill-country of Ephraim, unto the house of Micah, and lodged there.
DARBY
And the children of Dan sent of their family five men of their whole number, men of valour, from Zoreah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to examine it; and they said to them, Go, examine the land. And they came to the hill-country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there.
BLB
and the sons of Dan sent from their family five men from their territory, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and search it. And they said to them, “Go, search the land.” And they went to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and they lodged there.
ÅB
Og Dans barn sendte ut fem menn av hele sin slekt, djerve menn fra Sora og Estaol, for å speide og utforske landet, og de sa til dem: Dra avsted og utforsk landet! Og de kom til Efra'im-fjellet, til Mikas hus, og ble der om natten.
OTB
Så sendte danittene fra sin klan fem dyktige menn fra Sora og Esjtaol for å speide ut landet og utforske det. De instruerte dem: "Gå og utforsk landet." Da de nådde fjellandet i Efraim, kom de til huset til Mika og overnattet der.
B1930
Og Dans barn sendte ut fem menn av hele sin ætt, djerve menn fra Sora og Estaol, for å speide og utforske landet, og de sa til dem: Dra avsted og utforsk landet! Og de kom til Efra'im-fjellet, til Mikas hus, og blev der om natten.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

  • Judges 13:25

    And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

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  • Joshua 2:1

    And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there.

    Read in context
  • Judges 18:11

    And there went from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with weapons of war.

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  • Numbers 13:17

    And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain:

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  • Judges 18:8

    And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye?

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  • Judges 13:2

    And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.

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  • Judges 19:18

    And he said unto him, We are passing from Beth-lehem-judah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Beth-lehem-judah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house.

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  • Judges 16:31–17:1

    Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.

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