And the children of Dan sent of their family, fiue men from their coasts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it, and they said vnto them, Goe, search the land: Who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there. Judges 18:2 (KJV)
The book of Judges is set in the period after Joshua’s death when the Israelites were settled in the Promised Land. It describes a time of repeated cycles of disobedience, oppression, repentance, and deliverance. The verse in question is part of the narrative that illustrates the lawlessness and lack of centralized leadership during this period.
The verse mentions the tribe of Dan, which had received an inheritance in the southwestern part of the territory, near the Philistine cities (Joshua 19:40‑48). Yet the Danites struggled to fully possess their allotted inheritance and later sought to expand their territory elsewhere.
In this verse the children of Dan sent five men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out the land and to search it. This act of sending spies echoes the earlier sending of twelve spies by Moses (Numbers 13), but the Danites’ motive was different. They were looking for an alternative land to settle in, indicating their dissatisfaction and desire for more land.
The spies came to Mount Ephraim, which lay within the territory of the tribe of Ephraim and was already allocated to the Israelites. Rather than fully possessing their own inheritance, the Danites were searching for additional land.
The Danite spies lodged in the house of Micah, an Ephraimite (Judges 17:1). Earlier chapters tell of Micah’s private shrine, his graven image and ephod, showing the spiritual decline and the lack of centralized worship among the Israelites at that time.
Judges 18:2 therefore highlights the disobedience and restlessness of the tribe of Dan. Instead of occupying the land allotted to them, they pursued exploration and acquisition of new territory. This episode foreshadows the later events in which the Danites depart, conquer a new region (Judges 18:27‑29), and further contribute to the disunity and chaos in Israel during the period of the judges.
