Juges 18:7

Darby's French Translation

Et les cinq hommes s'en allèrent, et vinrent à Laïs; et ils virent le peuple qui était au milieu d'elle, habitant en sécurité, à la manière des Sidoniens, tranquille et confiant; et il n'y avait dans le pays personne qui, possédant la domination, les molestât en aucune chose; et ils étaient éloignés des Sidoniens, et n'avaient commerce avec personne.

Parallel Translations

La Bible Ostervald (1996)
Ces cinq hommes partirent donc, et ils arriv�rent � La�s. Ils virent que le peuple qui y �tait, habitait en s�curit�, � la mani�re des Sidoniens, tranquille et confiant, sans que personne dans le pays e�t autorit� sur eux et leur f�t injure en rien; ils �taient �loign�s des Sidoniens, et ils n'avaient � faire avec personne.

Louis Segond (1910)
Les cinq hommes partirent, et ils arriv�rent � La�s. Ils virent le peuple qui y �tait vivant en s�curit� � la mani�re des Sidoniens, tranquille et sans inqui�tude; il n'y avait dans le pays personne qui leur f�t le moindre outrage en dominant sur eux; ils �taient �loign�s des Sidoniens, et ils n'avaient pas de liaison avec d'autres hommes.

La Bible David Martin (1744)
Ces cinq hommes donc s'en all�rent, et arriv�rent � La�s, et ils virent que le peuple de cette ville habitait en assurance, et vivait en repos, et se croyait en s�ret�, � la fa�on des Sidoniens; et qu'il n'y avait personne au pays qui leur f�t de la peine en aucune chose, parce qu'ils �taient libres de toute anciennet�; et aussi ils �taient �loign�s des Sidoniens, et n'avaient commerce avec personne.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Laish: Joshua 19:47, called Leshem

how they: Judges 18:27, Judges 18:28, Revelation 18:7

magistrate: Heb. possessor, or, heir of restraint, 1 Samuel 3:13, 1 Kings 1:6, Romans 13:3, 1 Peter 2:14

and had no: In the most correct copies of the LXX this clause stands thus; ךבי כןדןע ןץך חם בץפןיע לופב ץסיבע; "and they had no transactions with Syria;" evidently reading instead of אדם [Strong's H120], adam, man, ארם [Strong's H758], aram, Syria; words so nearly similar that the only difference between them is in the ר, raish, and ד, daleth, which in both manuscripts and printed books is sometimes indiscernible. Laish was situated on the frontiers of Syria.

Reciprocal: Judges 3:3 - Sidonians Judges 18:10 - secure Judges 21:25 - right 1 Kings 16:31 - the Zidonians 1 Chronicles 4:40 - the land Isaiah 10:30 - Laish Isaiah 47:8 - given Jeremiah 49:31 - that Ezekiel 30:9 - careless Ezekiel 38:11 - go to Ezekiel 39:6 - carelessly Amos 6:1 - to them

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the five men departed,.... From Mount Ephraim, and Micah's house there:

and came to Laish; which, according to Bunting s, was one hundred and four miles from Mount Ephraim, and so many he makes it to be from Jerusalem; it lay at the furthest northern border of the land of Canaan, at the foot of Mount Lebanon, near the fountain of Jordan; it was four miles from Paneas, as Jerom says t, as you go to Tyre; it is the Caesarea Philippi of the New Testament, and the same that is called Leshem, :-,

and saw the people that were therein; went into the city, and made their observations on the inhabitants of it, their number, strength, and manner of living:

how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; the inhabitants of Zidon, whose customs they might imitate, whose laws they might use, and might be under their government, since they are said to have no magistrate within themselves; and their carelessness and confidence might arise from their strong fortresses; or rather because they thought their city, and the land adjacent to it, did not belong to the land of Israel, and did not know that the Israelites made any pretensions to it, and therefore were quite easy, and in no fear of them; had no watchmen to guard their city, and did not take care to furnish themselves with weapons of war for their defence, even as the Zidonians; who, besides their city being a strong and fortified one, were in no fear of the Israelites, because their city was not in the land of Canaan, only the border of it reached to it:

and there was no magistrate in the land that might put them to shame in anything; to restrain them from vice, and punish them for it, or even to reprove and correct them, and so put them to shame; or put any mark of infamy and disgrace upon them in a public manner, that might shame them; hence they lived in a disorderly and dissolute manner, whereby they became the more easy prey to others: or the sense is, there was no king, nor an heir of the kingdom, as Kimchi interprets it, so that there were none to contest his right to the government of the place, or to accuse another, and put him to shame for taking it away from him. Jarchi takes the sense to be, that none needed to turn back his neighbour empty, when he asked anything of him for his relief, since there was no want of anything in the land, as after observed; but the first sense seems best:

and they were far from the Zidonians; who were the only people that could help them, being in friendship with them; and it may be they were under their government, as before observed; they are said u to be about eleven miles from them; Josephus w says, a day's journey:

and had no business with any man; no trade or commerce, but lived independent of others, and within themselves, their land affording them everything sufficient for them. Some understand it of their not being in any league or alliance with any other people, and so had none to call in to their assistance in case of any attack upon them.

s Ut supra. (Travels of the Patriarchs, &c. p. 112.) t De loc. Heb. fol. 90. H. u Adrichom. Theatrum Terrae Sanct. p. 105. w Antiqu. l. 5. c. 3. sect. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Laish - Afterward called “Dan” Judges 18:29. The exact site has not been identified, but it was the northern extremity of Israel, near the sources of the Jordan, and about four miles from Panium, or Caesarea-Philippi. It is thought to have stood where the village Tell-el-Kadi now stands.

After the manner of the Zidonians - The genius of the Zidonians being mechanical and commercial, not military, their colonists were apt to neglect fortifications and similar warlike precautions. In Solomon’s time the Zidonians were especially skillful in hewing timber 1Ki 5:6; 1 Chronicles 22:4, and it is highly probable, from their proximity to Lebanon, that such was the occupation of the men of Laish.

Quiet and secure ... - This is a very obscure and difficult passage. Translate thus: “Quiet and secure, and none of them doing any injury in the land, possessing wealth,” or “dominion.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 18:7. After the manner of the Zidonians — Probably the people of Laish or Leshem were originally a colony of the Sidonians, who, it appears, were an opulent people; and, being in possession of a strong city, lived in a state of security, not being afraid of their neighbours. In this the Leshemites imitated them, though the sequel proves they had not the same reason for their confidence.

They were far from the Zidonians — Being, as above supposed, a Sidonian colony, they might naturally expect help from their countrymen; but, as they dwelt a considerable distance from Sidon, the Danites saw that they could strike the blow before the news of invasion could reach Sidon; and, consequently, before the people of Laish could receive any succours from that city.

And had no business with any man. — In the most correct copies of the Septuagint, this clause is thus translated: Και λογος ουκ ην αυτοις μετα Συριας; and they had no transactions with SYRIA. Now it is most evident that, instead of אדם adam, MAN, they read ארם aram, SYRIA; words which are so nearly similar that the difference which exists is only between the ר resh and ד daleth, and this, both in MSS. and printed books, is often indiscernible. This reading is found in the Codex Alexandrinus, in the Complutensian Polyglot, in the Spanish Polyglot, and in the edition of the Septuagint published by Aldus. It may be proper to observe, that Laish was on the frontiers of Syria; but as they had no intercourse with the Syrians, from whom they might have received the promptest assistance, this was an additional reason why the Danites might expect success.