The five Danites continued northward about 100 miles and finally came upon an area they felt would be ideal for their needs. They discovered the isolated town of Laish (Leshem, Josh. 19:47) that they believed they could capture fairly easily.323It occupied a beautiful location on the southwestern foothills of Mt. Hermon.
"Unlike most Canaanite cities of the time, Laish was not defended by stone walls but by huge ramparts consisting of alternating layers of soil from the surrounding region and debris from previous settlements."324
"The Bible refers to the country as Phoenicia only in the New Testament (Mark 7:26; Acts 11:19; 15:3; 21:2). The Old Testament regularly uses merely the name of either or both of its principal two cities, Tyre and Sidon. These two cities, both prominent in merchandising activity, continue to the present day and are only twenty miles apart. They never seem to have enjoyed any real political cohesion, however, which means that the country never did either. In fact, the boundaries of the country, at any given time, are difficult to fix because this was true. The people often are called simply Sidonians' in the Old Testament (Deut. 3:9: Josh. 13:4, 6; Judg. 3:3; 18:7; 1 Kings 5:6; etc.). This is because Sidon was more important than Tyre in early history."325
Encouraged by the Levite's report these spies persuaded their fellow Danites to believe that God would give them this new "promised land."Its advantages were three (v. 7). It was a "quiet and secure"site (cf. v. 27). There was no dominating ruler under whom the Danites would have to submit; they could continue to do as they pleased. Third, it enjoyed an isolated location that also suggested no interference from people who might object to the Danites' practices. Obviously the Danites wanted to continue to live as they chose rather than submitting to God's will for His people.
One writer suggested the following translation of verse 7 on the basis of the Arabic cognate of the Hebrew word translated "humiliating"in the NASB: "there was no one speaking with authority in the land, no one in possession of control."326This translation is possible but probably not as accurate as the NASB marginal reading that suggests the ruler's restraining influence.
The spies' use of the phrase "to possess the land"(v. 9) appears to have been a pious ploy to convince their brethren that this self-seeking plan was God's will. Moses and Joshua had repeatedly urged the Israelites to "possess the land,"but only the land that was God's will for them to possess. The Danite spies were trying to provide security for their tribe contrary to God's previous directions. Likewise the phrase "for God has given it into your hand"(v. 10) had previously been Joshua's battle cry (cf. Josh. 6:16; et al.).
The Danites were unable, or unwilling, to claim their God-appointed territory in which no city was larger than Laish. But they were eager to march miles north and battle other Canaanites for a town that suited them better. The fact that Laish lay within the Promised Land, the full extent of the land that God had said He would give the Israelites, does not justify the Danites' action. It was God's will for His people first to settle in their appointed tribal allotments. Then He would given them the rest of the land later.
