And they said to him: And renders the Hebrew waw conjunction, which may be omitted in this context of a heated exchange (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation). The pronoun they refers once again to the Danite spies. The general said may be rendered “ordered” or “commanded” here. The pronoun him refers to the young Levite.
Keep quiet, put your hand upon your mouth: With these two commands the Danite spies tell the Levite to be quiet. They do not want him to raise an alarm that brings resistance. They just want to take the valuable religious items and make a quick getaway. Also they want the Levite to be quiet because they want to strike a deal with him.
Keep quiet conveys the urgency in the spies’ voice. This imperative will have a close equivalent in most languages. In English we might say “Hush!” “Be quiet!” (New International Version), or even “Shut up!” ( NET Bible).
Put your hand upon your mouth is close in meaning to the previous command. This idiomatic expression uses the word hand, which is often used in this book to describe Israel’s victories. Here, of course, this is not the case, since this scene describes one group of Israelites stealing from another! Thus the irony here is very strong. If possible, translators should try to preserve this literary feature. Whether or not this is possible, most languages will have two ways of telling someone to keep quiet. For example, Good News Translation has “Keep quiet. Don’t say a word,” which is a good model. Contemporary English Version begins this verse with “ ‘Quiet!’ the men said. ‘Keep your mouth shut and listen.’ ”
And come with us is literally “and go with us.” This request of the Danites is more than an invitation to accompany them on their journey. They want the Levite to become part of their group. There may be a link here to the Deborah story, where Barak begged Deborah to go with him to battle (verse 4.8). Contemporary English Version says “Why don’t you come with us…?”
And be to us a father and a priest: As the story proceeds, the irony increases. This clause repeats almost word for word what Micah initially said to the Levite (see verse 17.10). The only difference is the pronoun us in place of “me.” Now it becomes obvious why the Danites want the Levite to be quiet and not try to defend Micah’s belongings. Obviously they have other plans for him. The word priest occurs three times in this verse, and if possible, translators should try to maintain this ironic repetition.
Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and family in Israel?: This rhetorical question, presented in two parts, is intended to convince the Levite that he would be better off serving them rather than Micah and his family. The Danites are obviously appealing to the Levite’s pride, but they may also be suggesting he would be better off financially if he served many people. This question seems to be a mirror image of Abimelech’s proposal in verse 9.2, where he suggested to the people of Shechem that it would be better to have one ruler rather than be ruled by the seventy sons of Gideon. Better renders the Hebrew word meaning “good” (tov). Two options are presented, and the Levite is asked to decide which of the two is better for him. Languages have various strategies for expressing such comparisons. Some languages have to express the two options first, and then ask “Which is good for you?” or “Which [option] surpasses the other?” We may also begin this question with “Wouldn’t you prefer to…?” or “Isn’t it better for you to…?”
To be priest to the house of one man gives the first option. This clause has several key terms: the word priest, which continues the ironic tone, the word house, which means “family” (Good News Translation) in this context, and the reference to one man, an expression that plays an important role in many earlier passages (see, for example, verse 9.2; verse 16.28).
Or to be priest to a tribe and family in Israel is the second option and the one favored by the Danites. They want the Levite to become their priest. Some languages do not have an alternative conjunction such as or, so they must restructure this sentence to provide the options. A tribe and family in Israel is contrasted with the house of one man. For the Hebrew word rendered tribe (shevet), referring to a larger group than a family or clan. see verse 18.1. Family renders the Hebrew word for clan (mishpachah; see verse 17.7), which sounds like the Hebrew word for “judge” (shafat). Once again the irony is strong. As the thieves are robbing their fellow Israelite, they are evoking the values of tribe and family in Israel! If possible, translators should try to find two terms to use here as they seek to express the strong irony. Good News Translation preserves the question form, saying “Wouldn’t you rather be a priest for a whole Israelite tribe than for the family of one man?” Contemporary English Version has “You could stay here and be a priest for one man’s family, but wouldn’t you rather be the priest for a clan or even a whole tribe of Israel?” In some languages a strong statement may be more convincing, for example, “You would be better off serving a whole tribe in Israel rather than one man’s family.”
Translation models for this verse are:
• The spies said to him, “Keep quiet! Don’t say a word! Come with us and serve us as father and priest. Which would you prefer? To work for one man or to work for a whole tribe in Israel?”
• The spies ordered the priest to be quiet, saying, “Keep your mouth shut and come with us! Be our father and priest. Isn’t it better to serve the whole tribe of Dan as a priest rather than serve just one man?”
Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .