Judg 18:7, 9, 27-28, Jer 6:14, Eze 13:10 | JFB | STEP | 7-10. the five men departed, and came to Laish-- or, "Leshem" ( ), supposed to have been peopled by a colony of Zidonians. The place was very secluded--the soil rich in the abundance and variety of its produce, and the inhabitants, following the peaceful pursuits of agriculture, lived in their fertile and sequestered valley, according to the Zidonian style of ease and security, happy among themselves, and maintaining little or no communication with the rest of the world. The discovery of this northern paradise seemed, to the delight of the Danite spies, an accomplishment of the priest's prediction. They hastened back to inform their brethren in the south both of the value of their prize, and how easily it could be made their prey.

‏ Judges 18:7

7-10. the five men departed, and came to Laish--or, "Leshem" (Jos 19:47), supposed to have been peopled by a colony of Zidonians. The place was very secluded--the soil rich in the abundance and variety of its produce, and the inhabitants, following the peaceful pursuits of agriculture, lived in their fertile and sequestered valley, according to the Zidonian style of ease and security, happy among themselves, and maintaining little or no communication with the rest of the world. The discovery of this northern paradise seemed, to the delight of the Danite spies, an accomplishment of the priest's prediction. They hastened back to inform their brethren in the south both of the value of their prize, and how easily it could be made their prey.

‏ Judges 18:9

‏ Judges 18:27-28

Jud 18:27-29. They Win Laish.

27. they ... came unto Laish ... smote them--the inhabitants.

and burnt the city--"We are revolted by this inroad and massacre of a quiet and secure people. Nevertheless, if the original grant of Canaan to the Israelites gave them the warrant of a divine commission and command for this enterprise, that sanctifies all and legalizes all" [Chalmers]. This place seems to have been a dependency of Zidon, the distance of which, however, rendered it impossible to obtain aid thence in the sudden emergency.

28-29. they built a city, and ... call the name of that city Dan--It was in the northern extremity of the land, and hence the origin of the phrase, "from Dan to Beer-sheba."

Jud 18:30, 31. They Set Up Idolatry.

‏ Jeremiah 6:14

14. hurt--the spiritual wound.

slightly--as if it were but a slight wound; or, in a slight manner, pronouncing all sound where there is no soundness.

saying--namely, the prophets and priests (Jr 6:13). Whereas they ought to warn the people of impending judgments and the need of repentance, they say there is nothing to fear.

peace--including soundness. All is sound in the nation's moral state, so all will be peace as to its political state (Jr 4:10; 8:11; 14:13; 23:17; Eze 13:5, 10; 22:28).

‏ Ezekiel 13:10

10. Because, even because--The repetition heightens the emphasis.

Peace--safety to the nation. Ezekiel confirms Jr 6:14; 8:11.

one--literally, "this one"; said contemptuously, as in 2Ch 28:22.

a wall--rather, "a loose wall." Ezekiel had said that the false prophets did not "go up into the gaps, or make up the breaches" (Eze 13:5), as good architects do; now he adds that they make a bustling show of anxiety about repairing the wall; but it is without right mortar, and therefore of no use.

one ... others--besides individual effort, they jointly co-operated to delude the people.

daubed ... with untempered mortar--as sand without lime, mud without straw [Grotius]. Fairbairn translates, "plaster it with whitewash." But besides the hypocrisy of merely outwardly "daubing" to make the wall look fair (Mt 23:27, 29; Ac 23:3), there is implied the unsoundness of the wall from the absence of true uniting cement; the "untempered cement" answering to the lie of the prophets, who say, in support of their prophecies, "Thus saith the Lord, when the Lord hath not spoken" (Eze 22:28).