Judges 18:19
in Judges 18“Be quiet,” they told him. “Put your hand over your mouth and come with us and be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest for the house of one person or a priest for a tribe and family in Israel?”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thy hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be priest unto the house of one man, or to be priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?
KJV
And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?
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This verse in Judges 18
Commentary
7 notes on this verseLay thine hand upon thy mouth - This was the token of silence. The god of silence, Harpocrates, is represented on ancient statues with his finger pressed on his lips.
This site's exposition
took the graven image
on Judges 18:18-20
The priest asks what they are doing as his shrine goes out the door, and the answer is an offer. Micah had hired him at 17:10 in the same words, and Dan repeats them, “be a father and a priest to us”, counting a tribe instead of coin. The priest was glad and went in the middle of the company, which Clarke reads as hiding from his old master.
This site's exposition
Put your hand over your mouth
Putting a hand over the mouth was the sign for silence, and Clarke compares statues of Harpocrates, god of silence, with a finger on his lips. Henry spells out the offer, a priest for a tribe with more worshippers and more sacrifices. The priest needed little persuading.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Lay thy hand - That is, be silent. A family - Namely, a tribe, that is, a family.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:81%@v14-19
And they said unto him, hold thy peace,....
Let him go with them, and he shall have more dependants on him, more sacrifices brought to his altar, and more fees for consulting his teraphim, than he had here. A little persuasion served: His heart was glad,
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
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.
The words behind it
25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּאמְרוּ֩ | vaiyomeru | and they said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| ל֨וֹ | lo | to <the> him | ||
| הַחֲרֵ֜שׁ | hacharesh | keep quiet | H2790 → | 74 times |
| שִֽׂים־ | sim- | put | H7760 → | 584 times |
| יָדְךָ֤ | yadekha | hand your | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | over | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| פִּ֙יךָ֙ | pikha | mouth your | H6310 → | 498 times |
| וְלֵ֣ךְ | velekh | and come | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| עִמָּ֔נוּ | ʾimanu | with us | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| וֶֽהְיֵה־ | vehyeh- | and become | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| לָ֖נוּ | lanu | of us | ||
| לְאָ֣ב | leav | <into> a father | H1 → | 1212 times |
| וּלְכֹהֵ֑ן | ulekhohen | and <into> a priest | H3548 → | 750 times |
| הֲט֣וֹב׀ | hatov | ¿ good | H2896 → | 538 times |
| הֱיוֹתְךָ֣ | heyotkha | [is] being you | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| כֹהֵ֗ן | khohen | a priest | H3548 → | 750 times |
| לְבֵית֙ | leveit | of [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| אִ֣ישׁ | ʾish | a man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| אֶחָ֔ד | ʾechad | one | H259 → | 971 times |
| א֚וֹ | ʾo | or? | H176 → | 321 times |
| הֱיוֹתְךָ֣ | heyotkha | being you | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| כֹהֵ֔ן | khohen | a priest | H3548 → | 750 times |
| לְשֵׁ֥בֶט | leshevet | of a tribe | H7626 → | 190 times |
| וּלְמִשְׁפָּחָ֖ה | ulemishpachah | and of a clan | H4940 → | 303 times |
| בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ | beyisrael | in Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
וַיֹּאמְרוּ֩and they said
vaiyomeruH559 →5305 times
ל֨וֹto <the> him
lo
הַחֲרֵ֜שׁkeep quiet
hachareshH2790 →74 times
שִֽׂים־put
sim-H7760 →584 times
יָדְךָ֤hand your
yadekhaH3027 →1618 times
עַל־over
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
פִּ֙יךָ֙mouth your
pikhaH6310 →498 times
וְלֵ֣ךְand come
velekhH1980 →1546 times
עִמָּ֔נוּwith us
ʾimanuH5973 →1050 times
וֶֽהְיֵה־and become
vehyeh-H1961 →3559 times
לָ֖נוּof us
lanu
לְאָ֣ב<into> a father
leavH1 →1212 times
וּלְכֹהֵ֑ןand <into> a priest
ulekhohenH3548 →750 times
הֲט֣וֹב׀¿ good
hatovH2896 →538 times
הֱיוֹתְךָ֣[is] being you
heyotkhaH1961 →3559 times
כֹהֵ֗ןa priest
khohenH3548 →750 times
לְבֵית֙of [the] house of
leveitH1004 →2046 times
אִ֣ישׁa man
ʾishH376 →1663 times
אֶחָ֔דone
ʾechadH259 →971 times
א֚וֹor?
ʾoH176 →321 times
הֱיוֹתְךָ֣being you
heyotkhaH1961 →3559 times
כֹהֵ֔ןa priest
khohenH3548 →750 times
לְשֵׁ֥בֶטof a tribe
leshevetH7626 →190 times
וּלְמִשְׁפָּחָ֖הand of a clan
ulemishpachahH4940 →303 times
בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃in Israel
beyisraelH3478 →2507 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
Job 21:5Look at me and be appalled; put your hand over your mouth.
it leads to
- Job 40:4
“Behold, I am insignificant. How can I reply to You? I place my hand over my mouth.
Reached by 4 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 30:32
If you have foolishly exalted yourself or if you have plotted evil, put your hand over your mouth.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Job 29:9
The princes refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands.
- Job 40:4
Through
Job 29:9The princes refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands.
it leads to
- Job 21:5
Look at me and be appalled; put your hand over your mouth.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 10:19
When words are many, sin is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.
- Job 21:5
Through
Micah 7:16Nations will see and be ashamed, deprived of all their might. They will put their hands over their mouths, and their ears will become deaf.
it leads to
- Isaiah 26:11
O LORD, Your hand is upraised, but they do not see it. They will see Your zeal for Your people and be put to shame. The fire set for Your enemies will consume them!
- Isaiah 52:15
so He will sprinkle many nations. Kings will shut their mouths because of Him. For they will see what they have not been told, and they will understand what they have not heard.
- Isaiah 26:11
Through
Judges 17:10“Stay with me,” Micah said to him, “and be my father and priest, and I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your provisions.” So the Levite…
it leads to
- 1 Peter 5:2
Be shepherds of God’s flock that is among you, watching over them not out of compulsion, but because it is God’s will; not out of greed, but out of eagerness;
- 1 Peter 5:2
About Judges

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; 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 and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
