18:7 So the five men journeyed on 1 and arrived in Laish. They noticed that the people there 2 were living securely, like the Sidonians do, 3 undisturbed and unsuspecting. No conqueror was troubling them in any way. 4 They lived far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone. 5
18:27 Now the Danites 8 took what Micah had made, as well as his priest, and came to Laish, where the people were undisturbed and unsuspecting. They struck them down with the sword and burned the city. 9
1 tn Or “went.”
2 tn Heb “who were in its midst.”
3 tn Heb “according to the custom of the Sidonians.”
4 tn Heb “and there was no one humiliating anything in the land, one taking possession [by] force.”
5 tc Heb “and a thing there was not to them with men.” Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the LXX and Symmachus read “Syria” here rather than the MT’s “men.” This reading presupposes a Hebrew Vorlage אֲרָם (’aram, “Aram,” i.e., Arameans) rather than the MT reading אָדָם (’adam). This reading is possibly to be preferred over the MT.
6 tc Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the LXX lacks the phrase “of Laish.”
7 tn Heb “brothers.”
8 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Danites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9 tn The Hebrew adds “with fire.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons, because it is redundant in English.
10 tn Heb “They called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who had been born to Israel.”