Christian Standard Bible
Judges 18:30
30The Danites set up the carved image for themselves. Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the Danite tribe until the time of the exile from the land.
Judges 18:30 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.
- New International Version (NIV)There the Danites set up for themselves the idol, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And the people of Dan set up the carved image for themselves, and Jonathan the son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.
Context of Judges 18:30
28There was no one to rescue them because it was far from Sidon and they had no alliance with anyone. It was in a valley that belonged to Beth-rehob. They rebuilt the city and lived in it. 29They named the city Dan, after the name of their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel. The city was formerly named Laish. The Danites set up the carved image for themselves. Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the Danite tribe until the time of the exile from the land. 31So they set up for themselves Micah’s carved image that he had made, and it was there as long as the house of God was in Shiloh.
Read all of Judges 18Judges 18:30 word by word
וַיָּקִ֧ימוּ לָהֶ֛ם בְּנֵי־דָ֖ן אֶת־הַפָּ֑סֶל וִ֠יהוֹנָתָן בֶּן־גֵּרְשֹׁ֨ם בֶּן־מְנַשֶּׁ֜ה ה֣וּא וּבָנָ֗יו הָי֤וּ כֹהֲנִים֙ לְשֵׁ֣בֶט הַדָּנִ֔י עַד־י֖וֹם גְּל֥וֹת הָאָֽרֶץ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
- of Danדָּןdân · DanH1835
- set upקוּםqûm · to arise: establishH6965
- the graven imageפֶּ֫סֶלpesel · idolH6459
- and Jonathanיְהוֹנָתָןyehônâthân · JonathanH3083
- the sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- of Gershomגֵּרְשֹׁםgêreshôm · GershomH1647
- of Manassehמְנַשֶּׁהmenashsheh · MosesH4519
- were priestsכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
- to the tribeשֵׁ֫בֶטshêbeţ · tribeH7626
- of Danדָּנִיdânîy · DaniteH1839
- until the dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- of the captivityגָּלָהgâlâh · to reveal: removeH1540
- of the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
Cross-references for Judges 18:30
- Exodus 20:4Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth.
- Leviticus 26:1“Do not make worthless idols for yourselves, set up a carved image or sacred pillar for yourselves, or place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the Lord your God.
- Deuteronomy 17:2“If a man or woman among you in one of your towns that the Lord your God will give you is discovered doing evil in the sight of the Lord your God and violating his covenant
- Deuteronomy 27:15‘The person who makes a carved idol or cast image, which is detestable to the Lord, the work of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret is cursed.’ And all the people will reply, ‘Amen!’
- Deuteronomy 31:16The Lord said to Moses, “You are about to rest with your ancestors, and these people will soon prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will abandon me and break the covenant I have made with them.
- Psalms 105:44He gave them the lands of the nations, and they inherited what other peoples had worked for.
- Judges 13:1The Israelites again did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines forty years.
- 1 Samuel 4:2The Philistines lined up in battle formation against Israel, and as the battle intensified, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who struck down about four thousand men on the battlefield.
- Psalms 78:60He abandoned the tabernacle at Shiloh, the tent where he resided among mankind.
Commentaries on Judges 18:30
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 30The children of Dan set up the graven image - They erected a chapel, or temple, among themselves, as Micah had done before; having the same implements and the same priest. And Jonathan the son of Gershom - Either this was the name of the young Levite; or they had turned him off, and got this Jonathan in his place. The son Manasseh - Who this Manasseh was, none can tell; nor does the reading appear to be genuine. He could not be Manasseh the son of Joseph…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 30In the Hebrew text the name here rendered Manasseh is written MN)- SH. Without the “N” (nun) suspended over the line, the word may be read: Moses, whose son was Gershom Exodus 2:22, whose son or descendant Jonathan clearly was. The Masoretes, probably grieved that a descendant of Moses should have been implicated in idolatrous worship, adopted this expedient for disguising the fact without absolutely falsifying the text. The Vulgate has “Moses”, the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 30The wandering Levite is now called Jonathan. He was a descendant of Moses through Gershom (Exodus 2:21–22). The exile traditionally began with the fall of the northern kingdom in 722 BC. Considering the reference to Shiloh (Judges 18:31), the exile of the Ark from Shiloh (1 Samuel 4–6) might be relevant.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 30-3130-31. the children of Dan set up the graven image--Their distance secluded them from the rest of the Israelites, and doubtless this, which was their apology for not going to Shiloh, was the cause of perpetuating idolatry among them for many generations.Read the comment
Topics related to Judges 18:30
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Judges 18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- Darby Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
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