“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 there had
nothing been allotted unto them among the tribes of Israel for an inheritance.”
Judges 18 depicts the holy nation’s continued sharp moral decline, a skid that began in Judges
17 with the manufacture of and homage to Micah’s molten image. As for the rationale behind
their unconscionable conduct, it wasn’t hard to figure out: “In those days there was no king in
Israel…” What is harder to figure out is this chapter’s storyline. Abravanel smooths over the
rough patches, some of which are addressed presently.
- Why does the verse teach that Danites hadn’t been allotted an inheritance in the Holy
Land? Patently false. Joshua 19 writes explicitly: “The seventh lot came out for the tribe
of the Children of Dan… And the border of their inheritance was Zorah, and Eshtaol, and
Ir-shemesh…” - Furthermore, no less than three times in our chapter, we read that the Danites stole
Micah’s molten images. Why rehash it?
Following are Abravanel’s answers, albeit in shorthand. Of course, Danites had been allocated a
portion of the Holy Land, no differently than the other tribes. Still, Danites desired a bigger
chunk. In efforts to expand, they spied out places with potential. According to Abravanel, they
followed Moses’ playbook. That is, just as Moses had sent out twelve spies, corresponding to
the twelve tribes, so too Danites. That particular tribe comprised five families or clans, thus that
number of sleuths set out on a secret mission. As for a motivation to expand, Abravanel posits
that their portion left them isolated, and so they wanted to occupy territory that allowed them
greater security. Still and all, the Danites’ conduct as depicted in our chapter cannot be
condoned. More preferable options availed themselves, however “in those days there was no
king in Israel” and Danites soiled their reputation by their adventurism and impetuosity.
When the Danites pilfered Micah’s molten images, an event thrice-repeated here, red lights
flashed, so heinous was the wrongdoing. Abravanel offers this. En route to conquer new lands,
Danite troops – six hundred to be precise – took a detour. “And the six hundred men girt with
their weapons of war, who were of the Children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate. 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 by the
entrance of the gate with the six hundred men girt with weapons of war.”
What were Danites possibly thinking? One thing is certain. As bad as their deed had been, they
had not stooped so low as to attribute inherent, divine power to Micah’s tinny trinkets. Instead,
Danites believed that when Micah’s molten image was patched together, it somehow inspired
the practicing or participating priest to use it for purposes of harnessing divine intervention,
rendering it an intermediary. The future, then, could be determined in advance. Just to be clear,
Danites believed that God, through a middleman and molten image, would disclose tomorrow’s
events.