No one could rescue Laish because it was too far from Sidon, leaving the Danites free to conquer, rebuild, and inhabit the city.
“And there was no one to deliver them, because it was far from Sidon and they had no dealings with anyone, and it was in the valley which is near Beth-rehob. And they rebuilt the city and lived in it.” (v.28)
In this verse, the tribe of Dan has successfully conquered a peaceful people in Laish, who found themselves isolated and without allies. The text says there was no one to deliver them because it was far from Sidon (v.28). Sidon was an ancient Phoenician coastal city north of Israel, located in the region of modern-day Lebanon. It was founded by Canaanites and became known for commerce and seafaring, but it exerted little to no influence deep inland, which left places like Laish bereft of protection. Because the inhabitants of Laish had no dealings with anyone, they were unable to summon aid. The tribe of Dan then utterly subdued Laish, capitalizing on its isolation.
The verse also points out that Laish was in the valley which is near Beth-rehob (v.28). After Dan’s victory, they rebuilt the city and lived in it. In the overall context of Judges 18, the people of Dan were seeking territorial expansion due to earlier failures to secure their original inheritance. Their success here marked a significant turning point for their tribe, although it also revealed a pattern of opportunism and ambition during the period of the judges (roughly 14th-11th century B.C.), when Israel was loosely governed without a central monarchy. The Danites renamed Laish to Dan and established their own form of worship there, introducing further complexities into Israel’s religious life.
They thrived in the city they had taken, but the fact that Laish’s ruin was so easy to accomplish highlights the vulnerability of a people perilously detached from broader alliances and support.
This verse reminds us that isolation can lead to vulnerability, and it underscores the turbulent nature of Israel’s tribal era, when local kingdoms rose or fell based on the shifting fortunes of clan warfare.
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Judges 18:28 meaning
“And there was no one to deliver them, because it was far from Sidon and they had no dealings with anyone, and it was in the valley which is near Beth-rehob. And they rebuilt the city and lived in it.” (v.28)
In this verse, the tribe of Dan has successfully conquered a peaceful people in Laish, who found themselves isolated and without allies. The text says there was no one to deliver them because it was far from Sidon (v.28). Sidon was an ancient Phoenician coastal city north of Israel, located in the region of modern-day Lebanon. It was founded by Canaanites and became known for commerce and seafaring, but it exerted little to no influence deep inland, which left places like Laish bereft of protection. Because the inhabitants of Laish had no dealings with anyone, they were unable to summon aid. The tribe of Dan then utterly subdued Laish, capitalizing on its isolation.
The verse also points out that Laish was in the valley which is near Beth-rehob (v.28). After Dan’s victory, they rebuilt the city and lived in it. In the overall context of Judges 18, the people of Dan were seeking territorial expansion due to earlier failures to secure their original inheritance. Their success here marked a significant turning point for their tribe, although it also revealed a pattern of opportunism and ambition during the period of the judges (roughly 14th-11th century B.C.), when Israel was loosely governed without a central monarchy. The Danites renamed Laish to Dan and established their own form of worship there, introducing further complexities into Israel’s religious life.
They thrived in the city they had taken, but the fact that Laish’s ruin was so easy to accomplish highlights the vulnerability of a people perilously detached from broader alliances and support.
This verse reminds us that isolation can lead to vulnerability, and it underscores the turbulent nature of Israel’s tribal era, when local kingdoms rose or fell based on the shifting fortunes of clan warfare.