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Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 18:19

Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 18:19

And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: [is it] better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?

19. lay thine hand upon thy mouth ] Cf. Mic 7:16, Job 21:5; Job 29:9 etc.

a father and a priest ] See Jdg 17:10 n.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Verse 19. Lay thine hand upon thy mouth] This was the token of silence. The god of silence, Harpocrates, is represented on ancient statues with his finger pressed on his lips.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

Lay thy hand upon thy mouth, i.e. be silent, as this phrase is used, Job 21:5; 29:9; 40:4; Pro 30:32. The same thing repeated in other words.

A father and a priest: see Poole on “Jdg 17:10“.

A family in Israel, to wit, a tribe that is (and being oft put for that is) a family. For it is certain this was not an expedition of the whole tribe, which numbered 64,000 men, Num 26:43, but only of one family, which it seems were more vexed with the Philistines or Amorites, and therefore resolved to seek new habitations at a great distance from them. And after this time we find the body of the Danites in their old and proper portions in Samsons time, which, though placed before this, was long after it.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

And they said unto him, hold thy peace,…. Be silent, make no disturbance, be quiet and easy:

lay thy hand upon thy mouth; as a token of silence; so the Egyptians used to paint Harpocrates, the god of silence, with his fingers pressing his lips:

and go with us; for they wanted him as well as his gods, not knowing well how to make use of them without him:

and be to us a father and a priest; to direct them, instruct them, perform acts of devotion for them, and ask counsel on their account; it seems as if it was common in those days to call a priest a father, see

Jud 17:10

is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel? suggesting, that it must be much more honourable for him, and more to his advantage, to officiate as a priest to a body of people, that might be called a tribe, or to a family consisting of various houses, than in the house of a private person; this they left him to consider and judge of.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(19) Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.Comp. Job. 21:5; Job. 29:9; Pro. 30:32. The laying of the finger on the lip is one of the most universal of gestures. It is the attitude of Horus, the Egyptian god of silence. (See Apul. Metamorph. 1: at ille digitum, a pollice proximum ori suo admovens . . . tace. tace, inquit.)

A father and a priest.Jdg. 17:10.

Unto a tribe and a family.Both to a shebet and a mishpecah. (See Note on Jdg. 18:1.)

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

19. Lay thine hand upon thy mouth A proverbial expression for maintaining utter silence.

Better for thee “Almost in the same words was the like bribe offered by one of the greatest religious houses of England to the monk who guarded the shrine of one of the most sacred relics in the ancient cathedral of Canterbury: ‘Give us the portion of St. Thomas’ skull which is in thy custody and thou shalt be Abbot of St. Augustine’s.’ As Roger accepted the bait in the twelfth century after the Christian era, so did the Levite in the fifteenth century before it.” Stanley.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

‘ And they said to him, “Hold your peace. Put your hand on your mouth and come with us, and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be a priest to the house of one man, or that you be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?” ’

Their reply to his question was that he should say nothing and come with them to act as spiritual father and priest to them. They pointed out how much more important and significant he would be as priest to a sub-tribe, that is ‘a clan’ in Israel, than to just a family home, however large.

This reply is very significant. It firstly stresses that while they were a substantial clan (although not the whole tribe of Dan) they had no priest with them. Even in those days of apathy no priest had been willing to leave the land of promise and the central sanctuary to accompany them. For outside that land they would lose their priestly privileges. It confirms the centrality of worship even in days of laxness.

Secondly it brings out the low level of morality of the times. They seemed to have no thought of the fact that they were stealing the very things through which they aimed to worship God. It is clear that God’s command ‘you shall not steal’ meant little to them. Every time they came to the house of God they would see the religious objects they had stolen. What kind of worship could that be? It was a rejection of Yahweh.

Thirdly, they clearly expected the priest to feel the same, and to sell out his faith for promotion and privilege. And sadly they were right. His honour, his obedience to Yahweh and his loyalty to the man who had treated him as a son were all forgotten in the light of this wonderful offer. He may not have been able to prevent them from stealing the objects, but he did not need to go with them and acquiesce in what they were doing. But he coveted honour and prestige.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Jdg 18:19. And they said unto him They, that is, the five men who had entered the house.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Jdg 18:19 And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: [is it] better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?

Ver. 19. Lay thine hand upon thy mouth. ] Digito compesce labellum. See Job 21:5 ; Job 29:9 .

Or that thou be a priest unto a tribe. ] Thus the Papists offered Luther a cardinalship to be quiet: they sent unto him Vergerius, to put him in mind of the example of Aeneas Sylvius, who following his own opinions, with much slavery and labour, could get no further preferment than to be canon of Trent, but being changed to the better, became bishop, cardinal, and finally Pope Pius II. He called to his memory also Bessarion of Nice, who by complying with the Church of Rome, wanted not much of being Pope. But he answered, I care neither for Rome’s favour nor fury. a

a Hist. of Counc. of Trent, 73.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

lay thine hand, &c. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct) for “be silent”.

better. Man’s priest soon gets promotion.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

lay thine: This was the token of silence. These men were evidently very ignorant; and absurdly concluded that they should, by taking Micah’s gods, secure the presence and favour of the God of Israel, in their expedition and settlement. They perhaps supposed the piety of their motives, and the goodness of their end, would justify the means. But it was a base robbery of Micah, aggravated by the Levite’s ingratitude, and their menaces. Job 21:5, Job 29:9, Job 40:4, Job 40:5, Pro 30:32, Mic 7:16

a father: Jdg 17:10, 2Ki 6:21, 2Ki 8:8, 2Ki 8:9, 2Ki 13:14, Mat 23:9

Reciprocal: Mat 26:15 – What 1Ti 6:10 – the love

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge