up the graven image; and Jonathan

31. And they set them up Micah's the son of Gershom, the son of Ma- graven image, which he made, all nasseh, he and his sons were priests the time that the house of God was to the tribe of Dan until the day of in Shiloh.

the captivity of the land.

The six hundred men are armed for the enterprise. They take with them their families and all their effects. They stop the first night, in the town of Kirjath-jearim, or near that place; and the place of their camp was af terwards called Mahaneh-dan, or camp of Dan. This place was situated on their route to mount Ephraim. See Kirjath-jearim and Mahaneh-dan, page 118.

The priest's heart was glad, when he saw that this violence was likely to result to his advantage. We are glad to think that all priests are not so selfish. It was evidently not the priest they wished to injure. It is probable, however, that they despised him, and soon dismissed him and took another in his place.

The images must have been quite small, as the priest takes them, with the ephod, etc., and carries them in the midst of the people—in the midst, as being the safest place!

There is nothing in the original that properly means carriage. The original term denotes wealth or riches. It here means their effects. There may have been some vehicles in the caravan, but they are not mentioned. The Septuagint has burden; (Bùpos;) the Vulgate "all that was valuable." (omne quod erat pretiosum.)

"What aileth thee!" This expression, as uttered by Micah at the end of the 24th verse, was doubtless spoken with a tone of utter contempt. The question as coming from the Danites was a cruel insult.

"Ye have taken away my gods and what have I more?" Sure enough, and what has a man left, that is of any comparative value, when his gods are taken from him?

Lest thou lose thy life, etc. Lest thy soul be gathered, etc. There is here a reference to an expression often used in full by the Hebrews, when speaking of death.

Only a part is spoken, the rest being sufficiently understood. "To be gathered to one's people" signifies a reunion with departed friends. It is not true that the Hebrews, in ancient times, knew nothing of a future life, and a re-union of the departed.

There was no deliverer. They were too far from their friends and acquaintances to get assistance from them. It is not well for people to withdraw too far from the rest of the world.

Jonathan was priest. The name of the Levite that went with this colony is not given. It may have been Jonathan. And it may be that the Levite was repudiated and another taken in his place. Jonathan was the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh. Some copies read son of Moses. The two names Moses and Manasseh differ in Hebrew, by one letter only. That Moses was the true reading is more likely for several reasons. In our Hebrew Bible the letter that makes the difference, between Moses and Manasseh, is placed over the word, to indicate its doubtful character. Moses was a Levite, while Manasseh was not; and it is more likely the Danites would seek a priest from the Levites than from the Manassites. Moses had a son Gershom. 1 Chron. xxiii. 15. And though but one of the sons of Gershom is named, and that is not Jonathan, it is implied that there were others. 1 Chron. xxiii. 16.

It is true that the Levites, not descended from Aaron, had no right to be priests by the law of Moses; but the law was imperfectly understood at that time. The priest employed by Micah was only a Levite. The Danites may have been no better informed. They probably felt satisfied with a priest that could show his lineage from Moses. The Septuagint has Manasseh; but the Vulgate has Moses. The Syriac and Chaldee have Manasseh.

That Jonathan was a son of Gershom, a son of Moses fixes the time when the events here recorded took place, namely, in the second generation after Moses. And as this story and that which is to follow, relating to the Le

vite and his concubine, are generally regarded as belonging to the same period, it is interesting to find here a confirmation of this view. A reference to Phinehas a grandson of Aaron in one, xx. 28, and a reference to Jonathan a grandson of Moses in the other, are quite conclusive on this point.

All the time the house of God was at Shiloh, this worship was continued at Dan. That the tabernacle was so far away as Shiloh, appears to be given as the reason for this form of worship.

Stackhouse is of the opinion that the captivity of the ark by the Philistines is referred to; and the principal reason he gives, is, that David would not have allowed idolatrous worship at Dan, as he must have done, if there is any reference to the captivity at Babylon. Vol. III. p. 164. But this was not idolatrous worship, save some of the forms that had that character.

SECTION II. - THE LEVITE AND HIS CONCUBINE.

JUD. XIX.

1. And it came to pass in those 5. And it came to pass on the days, when there was no king in Is-fourth day, when they arose early rael, that there was a certain Levite in the morning, that he rose up to sojourning on the side of mount depart; and the damsel's father said Ephraim, who took to him a concu bine out of Beth-lehem-judah.

2. And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father's house to Beth-lehem-judah, and was there four whole months.

3. And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses; and she brought him into her father's house; and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him.

4. And his father-in-law, the dam sel's father, retained him; and he abode with him three days: so he did eat and drink, and lodged there.

unto his son-in-law, Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way.

6. And they sat down, and did eat and drink both of them together: for the damsel's father had said unto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine heart be merry.

7. And when the man rose up to depart, his father-in-law urged him; therefore he lodged there again.

8. And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart; and the damsel's father said, Comfort thine heart, I pray thee. And they tarried until after noon, and they did eat both of them.

9. And when the man rose up to

depart, he and his corcubine and his servant, his father-in-law the damsel's father, said unto him, Behold, now, the day draweth toward evening; I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end; lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to-morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home.

10. But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem: and there were with him two asses saddled; his concubine also was with him.

11. And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge

ir it.

12. And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah.

13. And he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah.

14. And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin.

15. And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeath : and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging.

Bethlehem was five miles south of Jerusalem, and mount Ephraim was north, some of it only a few miles; the rest further. In passing from one of these places to the other, it was necessary to go through Jerusalem and Gibeah or Ramah in Benjamin. Gibeah and Ramah were near together, as the passage intimates.

This story bears some relation apparently to the one in the two preceding chapters. We might think the Levite the same. That Levite was of Bethlehem in Judah; and he afterwards resided in mount Ephraim. It would not be a far-fetched conclusion that he had a wife when he applied to Micah for employment — that she deserted him when she saw his unfaithfulness to Micah that having been repudiated by the Danites, he came back to mount Ephraim and sought the return of his wife as here described.

We learn from this story of the Levite and his concubine that the incidents (at least the war that followed) took place in the days of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the latter being high priest with Joshua. This circumstance refers the event to the next generation after Josh