Judges 18:19

Judges 18:19 in other versions

• King James Version (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?
• New International Version (NIV)They answered him, “Be quiet! Don’t say a word. Come with us, and be our father and priest. Isn’t it better that you serve a tribe and clan in Israel as priest rather than just one man’s household?”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And they said to him, "Keep quiet; put your hand on your mouth and come with us and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and clan in Israel?"
• New King James Version (NKJV)And they said to him, “Be quiet, put your hand over your mouth, and come with us; be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest to the household of one man, or that you be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?”

Context of Judges 18:19

17And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in there, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war. 18And these went into Micah’s house, and brought the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest to them, What do ye? And they said to 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 a priest to the house of one man, or that thou shouldest be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel? 20And the priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people. 21So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the possessions before them.

Judges 18:19 word by word

וַיֹּאמְרוּ֩ ל֨וֹ הַחֲרֵ֜שׁ שִֽׂים־יָדְךָ֤ עַל־פִּ֙יךָ֙ וְלֵ֣ךְ עִמָּ֔נוּ וֶֽהְיֵה־לָ֖נוּ לְאָ֣ב וּלְכֹהֵ֑ן הֲט֣וֹב׀ הֱיוֹתְךָ֣ כֹהֵ֗ן לְבֵית֙ אִ֣ישׁ אֶחָ֔ד א֚וֹ הֱיוֹתְךָ֣ כֹהֵ֔ן לְשֵׁ֥בֶט וּלְמִשְׁפָּחָ֖ה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Read the interlinear

• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• peaceחָרֵשׁchârash · be quietH2790
• layשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: putH7760
• handיָדyâd · handH3027
• mouthפֶּהpeh · lipH6310
• goיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
• usהָיָהhâyâh · to beH1961
• fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1
• priestכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
• betterטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
• houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
• oneאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
• manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• tribeשֵׁ֫בֶטshêbeţ · tribeH7626
• familyמִשְׁפָּחָהmishpâchâh · familyH4940
• Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478

Cross-references for Judges 18:19

• Job 21:5Mark me, and be astonished, and lay your hand upon your mouth.
• Job 29:9The princes stopped talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.
• Job 40:5Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.
• Proverbs 30:32If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thy hand upon thy mouth.
• Micah 7:16The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.
• Judges 17:10And Micah said to him, Dwell with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy sustenance. So the Levite went in.
• 2 Kings 6:21And the king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them ? shall I smite them ?
• 2 Kings 8:8And the king said to Hazael, Take a present in thy hand, and go, meet the man of God, and enquire of the LORD by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?
• 2 Kings 13:14Now Elisha had fallen sick of his disease of which he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and its horsemen.
• Matthew 23:9And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, who is in heaven.

Commentaries on Judges 18:19

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 19Lay 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.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19Using Micah's words to be a father and priest (Judges 17:10), but without his kindness, the Danites' question was pointless with 600 men at the door.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 11-2111-21. there went from thence of the family of the Danites ... six hundred men--This was the collective number of the men who were equipped with arms to carry out this expeditionary enterprise, without including the families and furniture of the emigrants (Jud 18:21). 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."…Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 18:19

• Dishonesty
• Jonathan
• Teraphim
• Theft and Thieves

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Ask
• Father
• Micah
• Quiet
• Teraphim
• Dan (1); Dan, Tribe of
• Dan (2)
• God
• Intercession

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