‘ And the five men departed, and came to Laish and saw the people who were in it, how they dwelt in security, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure. For there was no one in the land possessing power of restraint who might harm them, and they were far from the Zidonians and had no dealings with any man.'
The men came to Laish and thought that they had found a Paradise. It was inhabited by an isolated people. They kept themselves to themselves, there was no one to restrain them or make demands on them or seek tribute from them, they considered that they enjoyed similar security to the Zidonians in their coastal fortress and were Zidonians themselves. But they were foolish They were far from their fellow-Zidonians, separated by a mountain range, and because they felt quite at peace and secure, did not feel any need for treaties with anyone. Thus they were ripe for plucking, for they were full of optimism and totally unaware of the dangers that were looming, and yet were mainly defenceless.
It has been suggested that ‘with any man (adam)' should be ‘with Aram' to the north (‘r' and ‘d' are very similar in Hebrew) but such an emendation, while always possible, is unnecessary.
Laish (Leshem - Joshua 19:47) was at the foot of Mount Hermon by the source of the River Jordan, on the northern borders of Israel. Even at that time it was four thousand years old. It was seemingly wealthy for it had well furnished tombs. It was a prosperous urban centre with an arched three metre high gateway (found intact) and earthen ramparts, but not walls. And it thought that it dwelt securely. But the men from Dan had surveyed the city, assessed its population and fighting ability and would report back their recommendations to their tribal leaders.