The Danites rebuild the city and rename it Dan,39 after their forefather. They also set up the image that Micah made and install “Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses” as priest (Judg 18:30; cf. Exod 2:22; 18:3; 1 Chr 23:14–15). The Levite’s Yahwistic name, Jonathan (“Yahweh has given”), and his genealogical connections to Moses40 heighten the irony of the entire story. Thus, the problems of religious syncretism and spiritual decay have infected the very institution designed to combat these problems, not to mention one of the most revered households in ancient Israel. If Jonathan were the
...more
