Judges 18:14
in Judges 18Then 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.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do.
KJV
Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do.
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This verse in Judges 18
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
In these houses - This agrees with what we saw at Jdg 18:2-3 that the “house of God” and Jonathan’s house were detached from Micah’s. There were other houses besides Jdg 18:22. The whole settlement was probably called Beth-Micah, contained in one court, and entered by one gate Jdg 18:16.
This site's exposition
the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish
on Judges 18:14-17
The four objects are the ones made at 17:3-5, a graven image and a molten idol from the mother's silver, with an ephod and household idols. The Hebrew word for these idols names the ones Rachel stole at Genesis 31:19, where the King James renders it images. The scouts carry them out while “six hundred Danites stood at the entrance of the gate”, one walled compound in Barnes's reading.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Answered - That is, spake, the word answering being often used in scripture of the first speaker. These houses - That is, in one of these houses. What to do - Whether it be not expedient to take them for your farther use.
Then they answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish,....
Being determined to take these gods along with them, we are here told how they stole the images, cajoled the priest, and frightened Micah from attempting to rescue them.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Their journey led them through the territory of Judah, and their first halting place was "behind," that is, on the west of Kirjath-jearim, on a spot called afterwards "the camp of Dan." Prosecuting the northern route, they skirted the base of the Ephraimite hills.
Consider what ye have to do - They probably had formed the design to carry off the priest and his sacred utensils.
The words behind it
24 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַֽיַּעֲנ֞וּ | vaiyaanu | and they answered | H6030 → | 331 times |
| חֲמֵ֣שֶׁת | chameshet | [the] five | H2568 → | 343 times |
| הָאֲנָשִׁ֗ים | haanashim | the men | H582 → | 566 times |
| הַהֹלְכִים֮ | haholekhim | who had gone | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| לְרַגֵּל֮ | leragel | to spy out | H7270 → | 25 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הָאָ֣רֶץ | haaretz | the land | H776 → | 2504 times |
| לַיִשׁ֒ | layish | Laish | H3919 → | 7 times |
| וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ | vaiyomeru | and they said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אֲחֵיהֶ֔ם | ʾacheihem | brothers their | H251 → | 630 times |
| הַיְדַעְתֶּ֗ם | hayda'tem | ¿ do you know | H3045 → | 945 times |
| כִּ֠י | ki | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| יֵ֣שׁ | yesh | there | H3426 → | 140 times |
| בַּבָּתִּ֤ים | babatim | in the houses | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| הָאֵ֙לֶּה֙ | haeleh | <the> these | H428 → | 746 times |
| אֵפ֣וֹד | ʾefod | [are] an ephod | H646 → | 49 times |
| וּתְרָפִ֔ים | uterafim | and teraphim | H8655 → | 15 times |
| וּפֶ֖סֶל | ufesel | and a carved image | H6459 → | 31 times |
| וּמַסֵּכָ֑ה | umasekhah | and a molten image | H4541 → | 28 times |
| וְעַתָּ֖ה | veatah | and therefore | H6258 → | 433 times |
| דְּע֥וּ | deu | consider | H3045 → | 945 times |
| מַֽה־ | mah- | what? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| תַּעֲשֽׂוּ׃ | taasu | will you do | H6213 → | 2628 times |
וַֽיַּעֲנ֞וּand they answered
vaiyaanuH6030 →331 times
חֲמֵ֣שֶׁת[the] five
chameshetH2568 →343 times
הָאֲנָשִׁ֗יםthe men
haanashimH582 →566 times
הַהֹלְכִים֮who had gone
haholekhimH1980 →1546 times
לְרַגֵּל֮to spy out
leragelH7270 →25 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הָאָ֣רֶץthe land
haaretzH776 →2504 times
לַיִשׁ֒Laish
layishH3919 →7 times
וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙and they said
vaiyomeruH559 →5305 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
אֲחֵיהֶ֔םbrothers their
ʾacheihemH251 →630 times
הַיְדַעְתֶּ֗ם¿ do you know
hayda'temH3045 →945 times
כִּ֠יthat
kiH3588 →4482 times
יֵ֣שׁthere
yeshH3426 →140 times
בַּבָּתִּ֤יםin the houses
babatimH1004 →2046 times
הָאֵ֙לֶּה֙<the> these
haelehH428 →746 times
אֵפ֣וֹד[are] an ephod
ʾefodH646 →49 times
וּתְרָפִ֔יםand teraphim
uterafimH8655 →15 times
וּפֶ֖סֶלand a carved image
ufeselH6459 →31 times
וּמַסֵּכָ֑הand a molten image
umasekhahH4541 →28 times
וְעַתָּ֖הand therefore
veatahH6258 →433 times
דְּע֥וּconsider
deuH3045 →945 times
מַֽה־what?
mah-H4100 →752 times
תַּעֲשֽׂוּ׃will you do
taasuH6213 →2628 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 19:27If you cease to hear instruction, my son, you will stray from the words of knowledge.
it leads to
- 1 Timothy 6:3–5
If anyone teaches another doctrine and disagrees with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and with godly teaching,
- Mark 4:24
He went on to say, “Pay attention to what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and even more will be added to you.
- 1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.
- Matthew 7:15
Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
- Proverbs 14:7
Stay away from a foolish man; you will gain no knowledge from his speech.
- 1 Timothy 6:3–5
Through
Judges 17:5Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household idols, and ordained one of his sons as his priest.
it leads to
- Judges 8:27
From all this Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.
- Genesis 31:30
Now you have gone off because you long for your father’s house. But why have you stolen my gods?”
- Genesis 31:19
Now while Laban was out shearing his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household idols.
- Judges 8:27
About Judges

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
