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FOILS OF FAITHFULNESS: THE SPIES OF JUDGES 18:7-10
Taylor Gilbert
Box 126 A
OT635: Exegesis in Judges
Dr. Gordon Hugenberger
June 2019
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Text translation:
7 Then the five men went and entered Laish and they saw the people who lived in security in the
midst of it, after the judgment1 of the Sidonians, quiet and trusting, not humiliated in any matter
in the land, and they were far from the Sidonians and they did not have dealings with anyone in
the land.
8 And they came to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol and their brothers said to them, “What do
you?”2
9 And they said, “Arise and let us go up against them because we have seen the land and behold,
it is very good. And you are still, do not be slow to go to enter and possess the land.
10 As you go, you will enter to a trusting people. The land is wide of hand, because God has
given it into your hand, a place of where there is nothing lacking of all which is in the earth.
1
‫כמשפט צדנים‬
Hebrew ‫מה אתם‬, context implies the question intended to inquire about the state of the land. Conversely
the LXX adds κάθησθε implying the spies are the the subject of the inquiry and are asking, “Why do you
sit here?”
2
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To the reader familiar with the Old Testament narratives surrounding the conquests of
Canaan, the pericope of Judges 18:7-10 is a familiar story. The recurring theme of spies sent out
into promised land occurs twice prior to Judges, once under the direction of Moses in Numbers
13 and the other in Joshua 2. Both passages underline themes of promised inheritance under the
positive leadership of Moses and Joshua. Judges 18 strikes a discordant note with these passages,
depicting the Danite possession of Laish as a rouge operation under no extraordinary leadership.
This connection is well attested in scholarship, with the contrasts between the narratives treated
well. Even so, the extent to which the passage is paralleled elsewhere in the book of Judges is
often understated, and is not yet fully expounded. This paper aims to strengthen the parallels
between the spies in 18:7-10 and the narratives elsewhere in the Old Testament and Judges.
There is little doubt that the narrative of Judges 18 is meant to recall to mind the earlier
spying expeditions of Moses and Joshua into the land of Canaan. Each case begins with a
commissioning of the spies under the assurance of success, an expedition to the targeted area,
and a final report of the spies back to their respective tribes. Yet in each of these aspects the
narratives commissioned by Moses and Joshua are obviously divergent from the narrative of
Judges 18. Numbers 13:1 begins with the commissioning of the spying expedition by Yahweh
himself, where he commands Moses to “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan”. Joshua 2
recounts a similar commissioning, yet not by the hand of Yahweh. Rather Joshua’s
commissioning of spies relies on the events of Numbers 13 as justification. Joshua recalls the
promise of land inheritance (1:13), and is fully supported by the tribes who state explicitly “Just
as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with
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you, as he was with Moses!”. In both cases the spying expeditions were firmly rooted in God’s
commissioning, either directly or indirectly through the leadership of Moses and Joshua.
In contrast, the commissioning of the spies in Judges 18:6 is suspicious. Geographically,
the whole of Dan’s conquest is outside of the original boundaries allotted to each of the tribes in
Joshua 19. Joshua 19:41-45 records the cities allotted to Dan as,
Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh, Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, Elon, Timnah, Ekron, Eltekeh,
Gibbethon, Baalath, Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon, and Me-jarkon and Rakkon
with the territory over against Joppa.
All of the cities mentioned in this list are found in the west-central portion of Canaan, situated
between Ephriam to the north, Benjamin to the east, and Judah to the south. Yet Judges 1 records
the failure of Dan to possess these cities, stating, “The Amorites pressed the people of Dan back
into the hill country”. Judges 2 elaborates that Dan’s failure to drive out the Amorites is a direct
result of their idolatry and an absence a judge to deliver them. It seems that Judges 18 acts as a
continuation of this overarching negative theme of failure and idolatry. Laish was located north
of the tribal allotments given to Naphtali and Asher, and thus fell outside of the bounds of any
tribal allotment. It seems that although the text does not make explicit moral judgments
concerning the actions of Dan, Laish fell outside of the bounds of acceptable conquerable
territory. 3
Already in a compromising position, the spies request from the Levite priest confirmation
that their expedition is from God. The priest responds in the affirmative stating, "the journey on
which you go is under the eye of the LORD” (18:6). Such a determination would not be
3
Butler 395
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surprising except for the jarring departure it takes from both Numbers 13 and Joshua 2. The
priest in question is hired as a personal servant of Micah, a somewhat obscure character living in
the hill country of Ephraim. His very obscurity is a departure from the lineage of significant
figures who participate in the commissioning of spies. Prior references to Ephriam in Judges
shows a significant lineage of positive judging in the region, including Ehud, Deborah, and Tola.
Yet over time a moral decline can be observed, the culmination of which is seen in this narrative
with the introduction of Micah and his idols. As part of this downward spiral builds for himself
household gods, a carved image, and hires the Levite for the purposes of operating his shrine, all
negative counts of idolatry and violations of the covenant. Judges 18 replaces the commission
from God apparent in the structure of previous spying expeditions with a commission from this
Levite, a servant of carved images, the epitome of Israel’s downward spiral into gross moral
unfaithfulness.
Verse 7 continues the incongruous dissonance with the arrival of the spies at Laish and
their reporting on the city. In the case of both Moses and Joshua, the spies both encounter and
report significant opposition4. Numbers 13 recounts the spies report, saying the “people who
dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large”. Similarly in the Joshua
narrative, the spies, while responding with a positive report, are chased away from Jericho by
military forces. These military oppositions are significant, as it is in the face of opposition that it
becomes most apparent that Yahweh is winning the victory. The victories won by Joshua in the
promised land are highly improbable in terms of pure military strength, yet are won as indicators
4
Webb 452
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that Yahweh is with Israel5. In contrast, the Danite spies report a people group who are ‫ לבטח‬and
‫ובטח‬, reflecting the secure and trusting nature of inhabitants of Laish. Further, the text states that
the city had no dealings with anyone, with some commentators suggesting this referred to
military alliances6. Laish then, was alone and vulnerable without support from other cities in the
surrounding region, giving a sense of innocence and peacefulness uncharacteristic of Israel’s
enemies. In contrast, the enemies of Yahweh in Canaan are depicted various committing
atrocities and are thus justly condemned and deserving of God’s justice by means of his people.
Again, Laish does not fit into the mold of the enemies of Israel, adding to the negative
appearance of the Danites and their continuing moral failure.
Verse 8 and 9 record the urgency with which the spies insist the Danites inherit Laish.
They report that the land is ‫טוֹבה מ ְ֑א ֹד‬,
but do no elaborate in what ways the land is “very good” as
ָ֖
is indicated in Numbers 13. Susan Niditch comments upon the use of this phrase as a recall to the
Genesis narrative, displaying the city of Laish as “a kind of paradise”7 that is violated by the
desire of the Danites. It is upon this assurance and the echo of the priest’s words in v.10, “God
has given it into your hands”, that increase the urgency of inheritance for the spies. It remains a
difficulty that the text does not indicate any kind of moral judgment upon the Danites here, as
they are able to conquer the land and inherit Laish with relative ease, as if the land was indeed
given into their hands. Helpfully, Boling writes on the issue that the writer likely would have
been aware of coming events in Israel’s history, including the kingship of Saul and the judgement
5
Hugenberger, Exegesis of Judges
6
Bulter 394
7
Niditch 183
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that his reign would bring upon Israel. Therefore an explicit condemnation becomes unnecessary,
as the results of Israel’s evil would become apparent in a short time.8
One textual difficulty lies within the text of v.7, and provides some difference in
translation. In describing the city of Laish the MT reads ‫שׁ ַ֨פּט צִד ִֹ֜נים‬
ְ ‫ ְכּ ִמ‬which can be translated
woodenly as “as the judgement of the Sidonians”. The ESV translates it as “after the manner of
the Sidonians”, giving ‫ שׁפּט‬the sense of lifestyle or practice rather than an explicit judgement.
Boling translates the text as “the Sidonian’s rule”, which suggests that Sidon had actual control
over the function of the city. However this translation seems doubtful considering the reminder
of the verse outlines the isolation of the people of Laish in saying, “they were far from the
Sidonians”. If the people of Laish were distanced from the Sidonians it seems unlikely that the
term was used to intend “rule” but might constitute “custom” as some commentators have
suggested9. Even so, in the greater context of the book as a cohesive whole the term cannot be
ignored. Boling points out briefly that the word is likely a double entendre, meaning the term is
an ethical and ironic contrast to the Danites whose actions were not just in any sense of the word.
The first prologue’s assertion that, “the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand
of those who plundered them”, stands in stark contrast to the implication in chapter 18. It is not
the Danites who are led by the judgments of the LORD, but those being conquered who exhibit
judgement. Such shows the pitiful state of Israel and the Danite tribe at the moment of this
conquest.
8
Boling 267
9
Boling 263
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A second critical difficulty arises with the failure of commentators to associate the
narrative of Samson, occurring in chapters 13-16, with the narrative of the Danite migration.
Upon the assumption that Samson is a basically good force for Israel and acted within the bounds
of a judge of Israel 10, Samson himself becomes a foil against the Danites alongside Moses and
Joshua. Gordon Hugenberger gives eight possible parallels between the narrative of Judges
16:1-3 and the spies of Joshua 2, arguing that the intent of Judges 16 was partly to associate
Samson with the spies in Joshua11. Upon this view it becomes clear that the text of Judges 18 is
strategically placed to illustrate the contrast between the positive force of Israel’s Judges against
the idolatrous nature of the people of Israel. The contrasts between Judges 16 and 18 are the most
unmistakable when a series of parallels between the passages is considered.
First, the birth narrative of Samson records that he was born in Zorah from the tribe of
Dan (13:2). This note creates a clear connection between the entirety of the narrative of Samson
and the later chapters of the book of Judges. Boling’s outline of the book of Judges is contrary to
this perspective, with chapters 13-15 associated with the original edition of the book and
chapters 16-18 associated with a later Deuteronomic editor. Boling’s analysis, while noting that
the narrative of the spies in Judges 18 is “reminiscent of Jericho”12 fails to note that it is also
reminiscent of Samson. As the narrative of Samson progresses, the significant geographical
locations mentioned including Zorah, Eshtaol, and Timnah, are geographical locations allotted to
Dan in the original land grants. In these cities Samson largely acts as a deliverer from Philistine
control, though he does so conspicuously without the support of the rest of the Danites. The spies
10
Hugenberger, Exegesis of Judges
11
Hugenberger 70-71
12
Boling 266
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being sent out into territory far to the north thus strikes an ironic note. Just prior to the migration
a deliverer sent by Yahweh had dispossessed the Philisitines from the cities given to them, and
yet here the Danites explore a land far from their own, inhabited by an innocent and
unsuspecting people.
It seems best to view the narrative of the spies in Judges 18:7-10 as an example of the
downward spiral of Israel based on the prior spying narratives in the Old Testament as well as the
book of Judges itself. Any reader familiar with the Old Testament would have recognized the
patterns inherent in the narratives, and the ways that the Danite migration deviated severely from
the faithful examples provided elsewhere. Though they were given a deliverer in Samson, the
Danites chose idolatry instead and “did what was right in their own eyes.” Though the
consequences of these actions are not immediately obvious, the whole of Israel’s coming
downfall proves to be a sufficient punishment for Dan’s rebellion.
Spying
Expeditions
Numbers 13
Joshua 2
Judges 16
Judges 18
Commission
From the LORD
From Joshua, as
part of the lineage
of Moses
Implied by the land
grants given to
Judah, within
Samson’s right to
disposess
The Levite of
Micah, whose
shrine consists of
idols
Expedition
Reports of fortified
cities, formidable
enemies
Under threat of
Jericho, have to
escape in secret
from enemies
Gazites set an
ambush, plan to
kill Samson
No threats, Laish
is unsuspecting
and peaceful
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Report
Despite the
enemies in
Canaan, the LORD
has given the land
to Israel
Enemies melt
away before Israel
after hearing of the
Exodus, Rehab is
an example of this
Result
Israel possesses
the land where
they trust the
LORD
Jericho is
defeated, walls fall
down
On the basis of the
Levite’s
assurance, God
has given Laish
into the Danite’s
hands
The gates of the
city are removed,
symbolic of
vulnerability and
defeat
Danites defeat
Laish, fall into
idolatry
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Works Cited
A Ralph, ed., Septuaginta (Stuttgart: Privileg. Württ. Bibelanstalt, 1935).
Block, Daniel Isaac. Judges, Ruth. Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999.
Boling, Robert G. Judges (Yale University Press, 2005)
Butler, Trent C. Word Biblical Commentary: Judges (Thomas Nelson, 2009).
Hugenberger, Gordon. Bulletin for Biblical Research, vol. 27, no. 2, 2017, pp. 63–79. JSTOR.
Niditch, Susan. Judges: a Commentary. Westminster John Knox Press, 2011.
Webb, Barry G. The Book of Judges. Eerdmans, 2012.