ed, ; "mi So they turned and departed,and pur the little ones,
and the catrel, and the carriage before them .
2 For theis greater ſecurity, if M:caþ ſhould purſue them.
22 4 And when they were a good way from the houſe of Micah the men that were in the houſes near to M1- cahs houſe, were gathered together, and overtock the
ildren of Dan.
— And they cried unto thechildren of Dan:and they
turned their faces, and ſaid unto Micah, What ails thee,
+ that thou comeſt with fuch a company ? S 24 And heſaid,Ye have taken away my gods, which
gather- T made », and the prieſt, and ye are gone away: and ea rogerbere i, hit have ] more 0?
and what # this that ye fay unto
e, What aileth thee ? ks far was he beſotted with Superſtition and Idolatry, that he eſtecmed thoſe gods, which were Man's work» But he could oo be ſo ſtupid, as to think theſe were 1nleed the Grear FEHOYAH that maie H-aven and Earth ; but only a lower ſort of gods, by whom, as Mcdiaters, he off:red his worth-p unro the true GOD, as 1t1s man. felt. divers of the Heathens did. # 1 value nothing I have In c mpariſo of what you have taken away. Which zeal for ons triſh may ſhame mujtirudes rhat call themſclves Chriſtians, io yer appareirly value their worldly Conveniencies more than all the Concerns even of the rrue Religion, and of their own Salvation.
25 © Ard the children of Dan faid unto him, oo not thy voice p be heard among us: leſt + angry tel- lows q run upon thee, and thou loſe thy life 7, with che.
lives of thy :10uſhold. . 2 Thy liars and Reproaches. 9q The Soldiers who are in themſelves ſha;p and fierce, and wiil ſoon be enflamed by thy _ voking words. r Which, no: withſtan.4ing all thy Pretences, ! ”y d:f value m re than thy Images, as indeed appeared from his tol- lowing praCtice- +1 : py
26 And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah ſaw that they were too ſtrong for him, he eurned, ar:d went back unto his houſe.
27 And thef took zhe rbings which Micah had made, and the prieſt which he had, and came unto Laith, unto a peopie that were at quiet, and lecure, and they {mote them with the edge of the ſword, and burnt the city wich fire /. |
{ Nor who'ly, but in great meaſure, to ſtrike the greater terror *nto the Inhabitants, and to make their Conquelt of the Place more
caſte. . R f 28 And there was no deliverer, becauſe it was far from
" Zidon, and they had no buſineſs with any man : and it
was in the valley that /i&th by Beth-rehob z, and they
buiit a city, and dwelt thereins q r A place near Libanus and Hamath; of which ſee Numb: 13: 21. oſþ 19: 28 and 21+ 31+» Jucges Is 3l . p 29 And they called the name of the * city Dan, af- ter the name of Dan their father «, who was born un-
to Iſrael » howbeit, the name of the city was Laiſh at the firft.
u that it might be manifeſt, that they belonged to the Tribe of Dan, though they were ſeated at a great diſtance from them,even in the moſt Northeriy part of rhe Land : whereas the Lot of theic Tribe was in the Southern part of Cans an.
'20 © And the children of Dan fet them up the graven image * : and Jonathan the ſon of Gerihom, the ſon of Manaſleh, he, and his ſons were priefts to
the tribe of Dan, until the day of the captivicy of the
and y. | . Xx Having ſucceeded in their Expedition according to the predi- Qion which, as thy ſuppoſed, they had from this Image, they had 2 great veneration for its y Either 1. When the Ark and the 1/ra- elites were taken Captives by the Philiftmes, 1 Sams 4: 10, IIs Though there is no mention of any who were then taken Captives, or that the Philiſtines did purſue the Victory, and Conquer the Land at that time, for their Victory was quickly damped, and rurned to Mourn- ingy 1 $4 5: Or, 2. Afrer that time, when the Phil:ftines flew Saul and Jonathan and diſcomfired the whole Hoſt of Jrae!, and made the reſt of the People flec out of their Cites, and took Poſſcl-
= = 3 ſion of their Cities and Land. Or, 3. When the whole Land of the
ten Tribes, whereof Dan was one, was Conquered, and the People carried Captive by the 4ſjrian, 2 Kings 17,6, 23. which is called by way of Eminency, the Captivity, x Chron. 5. 22. But againſt this it :s objetted, That it 1s not probable that this Idolatry ſhou!d con- tinue ſo long in ſuch a publick place and manner * or that Day: 7 and Solomon would ſuffer is 4}. It is not ſaid, that the graven 7 mage was there 1o long, for that is reſtrained to a ſhorter date, even to the continuance of the Ark in Shiloh, v. 31. which was removed thence, 1 $2». 4. But only that Jonathan's Poſterity were Priefts to this Tribe or Family of Dan, which they might be under all the changes, even till the 4ſjrian Captivity, ſometimes more openly and allowedly, ſometimes more cunningly, ſometimes more ſecretly, ſometimes in one way of Superſticion or Idolatry, and ſometimes in another ; and, in and after Jer:boaw's time, in the Worſhip of the Cilves, for which ſervice, though he did make Prieſts cf the mean- eſt of the People, 1 Kings 128 31+ yet that was not by choice, but our of necefſity, becauſe the Prieſts and Levites generally forſook him, 2 Chron: 11: 13, I4+ and therefore when he could engage any of the Prieſts or Levites in that ſervice, he was doubt'eſs very glad of them to gain Reputation to his impious and abſurd Device.
31 And they ſet up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time that the houſe of God was in Shiloh,
CHAP. XX
A Levite's Coneubine runs from him to her Father's Houſe at Bethlehcm : He goeti to fetch her back # Is kindly entertained by her Father : He depart; and comes to Gibeah of Benjamin : Ani his Concubine with him, 1j=—=—=14. an old man of Mount Ephraim entertains them, x5 ==2xr. The men of the Ci y encompaſs the Houſe : to Debauch the Levite, who through ncceſſi: y delivers unto them his Concubine, m hows th:y Abuſe to Death, 22==28. He carrieth her Boay home : Divideth it into twelve Parts: Smaeth them into all the Coats of Iſrael, 29, 30.
AN it came to paſs in thoſe days a * , when there
was no king in Ifrael, that there was a certain Levite ſojourning on the fide þ of mount Ephraim, who rock to him F a cencubine c ouc of Bethlehem-Ju- dah.
a Of which ſee on Judges 17. r: the ſides, as Verſe 18. c Heb. @ Wife, a Comcubine, i. e. ſuch a Con- Cubine as was alſo his Wife, as appears from we 3. 4, 5, 7, 9, 26, 27. and Judges 20; 4. See of theſe Gen? 223 24. and 25: 10