And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him.
Parallel translations
- WEB They turned aside there, and came to the house of the young Levite man, even to the house of Micah, and asked him how he was doing.
- BSB So they turned aside there and went to the home of the young Levite, the house of Micah, and greeted him.
- NKJV So they turned aside there, and came to the house of the young Levite man—to the house of Micah—and greeted him.
- NASB So they turned aside there and came to the house of the young man, the Levite, to the house of Micah, and asked him how he was doing.
- NLT Then the five men turned off the road and went over to Micah’s house, where the young Levite lived, and greeted him kindly.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The spies turn aside to the Levite's house and greet him courteously. The friendly approach masks their intent to plunder.
Overview
They inquire after the young Levite's welfare, observing social niceties before the coming theft. The courtesy stands in ironic contrast to the robbery about to unfold. The narrative continues to expose the moral confusion of an age that mingled politeness with plain wrongdoing.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Gen 43:27And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive?
- John 14:27Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
- Luke 10:4–6Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way.
- 1 Sam 17:22And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren.
- Gen 37:14And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
- Matt 10:12–13And when ye come into an house, salute it.
- 2 Kgs 4:26Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Israel's cycle of sin and rescue through flawed deliverers cries out for a Savior who never fails — the true and final Judge and Deliverer who saves his people not for a season but forever.
How Judges 18:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.