The son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh— As this Manasseh certainly cannot mean him who was the head of the tribe so called; it is generally thought, that some other Manasseh of the tribe of Levi is understood. Dr. Kennicott, however, strongly contends for the reading of the Vulgate, the son of Moses. "We know," says he, "that Gershom was the son of Moses; and there are strong reasons for believing that the word here was Moses, and not Manasseh. For, first, Saint Jerome has expressed it Moses, and so has the Vulgate likewise; and farther, that the Septuagint, as well as the Vulgate, formerly read Moses, we may infer from Theodoret, who reads the verse thus: 'Jonathan, the son of Manasseh, the son of Gershom;' and from the existence of both these words we may infer, that some copies read the latter, and some the former; while others, that they might be sure of the right word, inserted both. The Jews, as Kimchi and Aben-dana confess, struck with deep concern for the honour of their law-giver, and distressed to think that a grandson of Moses should be the first priest of idolatry, have ventured upon a pious fraud; placing over the word משׂה Moseh, Moses, the letter נ nun, which might intimate it to be מנשׂה Manasseh. This additional letter, being variously placed over the word, has at length slipped down into the same rank with the original letters; and the word Manasseh, which was designed to be read, has now supplanted Moses. We are told, indeed, that this relation is figurative, meant of a similitude in idolatry, and not of natural consanguinity: but that any man who lived eight hundred years before Manasseh should be called a descendant of Manasseh, because Manasseh acted like him eight hundred years afterwards, is absurd. That this word should mean Manasseh the son of Joseph, is impossible, because that Manasseh had no son called Gershom; but that Gershom was the son of Manasseh is certain from many texts of Scripture. And lastly, the time of this first apostacy to idolatry farther confirms the present argument. It is allowed, that the events recorded in the five last Chapter s of Judges happened soon after the death of Joshua, and are prior to those recorded in the former chapter; and as this idolatrous establishment in Dan was soon after Joshua's death, that will be perfectly coincident with the life of Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses; for Joshua, being in the vigour of life at the death of Moses, must be cotemporary with Gershom, the son of Moses; and would at his death leave Jonathan the son of Gershom in the vigour of life, or at least capable, in point of age, of being an idolatrous priest, at such a time as the sacred history here most impartially represents him." See his Diss. p. 51-55, and p. 559.
Until the day of the captivity of the land— All the later Jews agree, that this passage refers to the captivity of the ark of the covenant, which happened after the Philistines had subdued the Israelites.
REFLECTIONS.—Proceeding on their expedition, the Danites arrive at Laish, where, according to the report of the spies, the people were in perfect security; but when sinners cry, Peace, peace, then cometh the sword.
1. They smote them without any resistance, put the people to the sword, and burnt the city, which they afterwards rebuilt, and called it Dan, to preserve their connection with their brethren, lest, by their distance from them, they might afterwards be disowned.
2. They set up Micah's images there, probably imputing their success to their presence; and the Levite and his sons were priests there till the ark was taken by the Philistines in the time of Eli. And though this worship seems to have been suppressed during the days of Samuel, David, and Solomon, yet enough of the old leaven remained to make Jeroboam's calves welcome. Note; (1.) Prosperity in an evil way encourages the heart to persevere in it. (2.) If pious parents could look out of their graves upon their degenerate children, it would shock and grieve them to see their ways. (3.) When bad habits are long indulged, it is very hard to eradicate them; and if, for a season, they are restrained, yet relapses are greatly to be feared.