Judges 18:23They cried to the children of Dan. They turned their faces, and said to Micah, "What ails you, that you come with such a company?"
The setting
Hill country road, central Israel, ~1200 BC. Micah and his small group finally catch up to 600 armed Danite warriors. He's vastly outnumbered but demands answers. Modern-day Route 60 corridor in West Bank.
The emotion here: desperate courage mixed with righteous anger
The original word
qahal (קָהָל) — assembly or company, here meaning an intimidating crowd of armed men
Why it matters
Micah was confronting 600 warriors with just his household servants - this took incredible courage
Read with care
What most readers miss in Judges 18:23
The Danites' mocking question reveals they know exactly why he's there but are playing dumb
Common misconceptionThis sounds like Micah is being unreasonable, but he's actually showing incredible bravery by confronting 600 armed men who robbed him.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Judges 18:23
Bible Genome reading
Judges 18:23 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Judges 18:23 comes from the book of Judges, written during the judges period. These words are attributed to Danites. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is commanding. It belongs to the dialogue genre of biblical literature. Key themes include confrontation, intimidation. Notable phrases: What ails you; such a company.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same angry
“Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, 'I am strong.'”
— Joel 3:10
“You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!”
— Matthew 23:24
“Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their husba…”
— Amos 4:1
“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can't stand your solemn assemblies.”
— Amos 5:21
“Your eyes shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
— Deuteronomy 19:21
Your reflection
What does Judges 18:23 mean to you, today?
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