Judges 18 · Verse 30

Judges 18:30

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.
Judges 18:30, King James Version

Judges 18:30 in other translations

BSBThe Danites set up idols for themselves, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.
WEBThe children of Dan set up for themselves the engraved image; and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land.
ASVAnd the children of Dan set up for themselves the graven image; and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land.
YLTAnd the sons of Dan raise up for themselves the graven image, and Jonathan son of Gershom, son of Manasseh, he and his sons have been priests to the tribe of the Danite, till the day of the removal of the people of the land.
DARBYAnd the children of Dan set up the graven image; and Jehonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses; he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.
BBE(And the children of Dan put up the pictured image for themselves; and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of the Danites till the day when the ark was taken prisoner.)
WebsterAnd 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.

What does Judges 18:30 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Judges 18:30-31
30-31. 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.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 30 The 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, for he had no son called Gershom nor could it be Manasseh king of Israel, for he lived eight hundred years afterwards. Instead of מנשה Manasseh, the word should be read משה Mosheh, Moses, as it is found in some MSS., in the Vulgate, and in the concessions of the most intelligent Jews. The Jews, as R. D. Kimchi acknowledges, have suspended the letter: נ nun, over the word משה, thus, נ משה which, by the addition of the points, they have changed into Manasseh, because they think it would be a great reproach to their legislator to have had a grandson who was an idolater. That Gershom the son of Moses is here intended, is very probable. See the arguments urged by Dr. Kennicott, Dissertation I., p. 55, etc.; and see the Var. Lect. of De Rossi on this place. Until the day of the captivity of the land - Calmet observes, "The posterity of this Jonathan executed the office of priest in the city of Dan, all the time that the idol of Micah (the teraphim, ephod, etc). was there. But this was only while the house of the Lord was at Shiloh; and, consequently, the sons of Jonathan were priests at Dan only till the time in which the ark was taken by the Philistines, which was the last year of Eli, the high priest; for after that the ark no more returned to Shiloh." This is evident; and on this very ground Houbigant contends that, instead of הארץ haarets, the Land, we should read הארן haaron, the Ark; for nothing is easier than the ו vau and final nun to be mistaken for the ץ final tsade, which is the only difference between the captivity of the Land and the captivity of the Ark. And this conjecture is the more likely, because the next verse tells us that Micah's graven image, etc., continued at Dan all the time that the house of God was at Shiloh; which was, till the ark was taken by the Philistines. Those who wish to see more on this subject may consult Calmet, and the writers in Pool's Synopsis. This chapter is an important supplement to the conclusion of the 19th chapter of Joshua, on which it casts considerable light. The Danites were properly the first dissenters from the public established worship of the Jews; but they seem to have departed as little as possible from the Jewish forms, their worship being conducted in the same way, but not in the same place. Surely it was better to have had this, allowing it to be unconstitutional worship, than to have been wholly destitute of the ordinances of God. I think we have not sufficient ground from the text to call these persons idolaters; I believe they worshipped the true God according to their light and circumstances, from a conviction that they could not prosper without his approbation, and that they could not expect that approbation if they did not offer to him a religious worship. They endeavored to please him, though the means they adopted were not the most proper.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Judges 18:30 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיָּקִ֧ימוּvai.ya.Ki.muand they set upH6965
לָהֶ֛םla.Hemfor <the> themselves
בְּנֵי\־be.nei-[the] descendants ofH1121
דָ֖ןdanDanH1835
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הַפָּ֑סֶלha.Pa.selthe carved imageH6459
וִ֠יהוֹנָתָןVi.ho.na.tonand JonathanH3083
בֶּן\־ben-[the] son ofH1121
גֵּרְשֹׁ֨םge.re.ShomGershomH1647
בֶּן\־ben-[the] son ofH1121
מְנַשֶּׁ֜הme.na.ShehManassehH4519
ה֣וּאhu'heH1931
וּבָנָ֗יוu.va.Navand sons hisH1121
הָי֤וּha.Yuthey wereH1961
כֹהֲנִים֙kho.ha.NimpriestsH3548
לְשֵׁ֣בֶטle.She.vetof [the] tribe ofH7626
הַדָּנִ֔יha.da.Nithe Danite[s]H1839
עַד\־'ad-untilH5704
י֖וֹםYom[the] dayH3117
גְּל֥וֹתge.Lotwent into exile ofH1540
הָאָֽרֶץ\׃ha.'A.retzthe landH776

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Judges 18:30

  • 1 Samuel 4:10-11

    And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

  • Exodus 2:22

    And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.

  • Judges 17:5

    And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

  • Judges 17:3

    And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the Lord from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee.

  • Judges 13:1

    And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

  • Deuteronomy 31:29

    For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.

  • Psalms 78:60-62

    So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men; And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy’s hand. He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.

  • 1 Samuel 4:2-3

    And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men. And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.

  • Exodus 20:4

    Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

  • Deuteronomy 27:15

    Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.

  • Deuteronomy 31:16

    And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.

  • Psalms 105:44-45

    And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people; That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws. Praise ye the Lord.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
set up.
Ex 20:4; Le 26:1; De 17:2-7; 27:15; 31:16,29; Jos 19:40-48
Ps 78:58-61God had graciously performed his promise, in putting these Danites in possession of that which fell to their lot, obliging them thereby to be faithful to him who had been so to them; they inherited the labour of the people, that they might observe his statues. Ps 105:44, 45. But the first thing they do after they are settled is to break his laws, by setting up the graven image, attributing their success to that idol, which, if God had not been infinitely patient, would have been their ruin. Thus a prosperous idolater goes on to offend, imputing this his power unto his God. Instead of Manasseh, some would read Moses; as it is found in some MSS., in the Vulgate and in the concessions of the most intelligent Jews. But Bp. Patrick takes this to be an idle conceit of the Rabbins, and supposes this Jonathan to be of some other family of the Levites. Yet Kimchi acknowledges, that the Jews, deeply concerned for the honour of their lawgiver, to whom they thought it would be a great dishonour to have a grandson who was an idolater, suspended the letter, [Nûwn,] {noon,} over the word [Môsheh "] Moses, thus [Menashsheh ,] as it is found in the Hebrew Bibles; which, by means of the points, they have changed into Manasseh.
until.
13:1; 1Sa 4:2,3,10,11; Ps 78:60-62
the land.Houbigant contends, that, instead of {haäretz,} "the land," we should read {haäron,} "the ark;" for the [Vâv,] {wav,} and [Nûwn, {noon final,} might easily be mistaken for [Tsâdêy,] {tzadday final;} which is the only difference between the two words. This conjecture is the more likely, as the next verse tells us, that Micah's graven image continued at Dan "all the time that the house of God was at Shiloh;" which was till the ark was taken by the Philistines.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Judges 18:29

    And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the first.

  • Judges 18:30

    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.

  • Judges 18:31

    And they set them up Micah’s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

Read all of Judges 18

Judges 18:30 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y los hijos de Dan se levantaron imagen de talla; y Jonathán, hijo de Gersón, hijo de Manasés, él y sus hijos fueron sacerdotes en la tribu de Dan, hasta el día de la transmigración de la tierra.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et les fils de Dan dressèrent pour eux l’image taillée; et Jonathan, fils de Guershom, fils de Moïse, lui et ses fils, furent sacrificateurs pour la tribu des Danites, jusqu’au jour de la captivité du pays.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und die Kinder Dan richteten sich das geschnitzte Bild auf; und Jonathan, der Sohn Gersoms, des Sohnes Moses, er und seine Söhne waren Priester für den Stamm der Daniter bis auf den Tag, da das Land in Gefangenschaft geführt wurde.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Posueruntque sibi sculptile, et Jonathan filium Gersam filii Moysi ac filios ejus sacerdotes in tribu Dan, usque ad diem captivitatis suæ.