Judges 18:6

Jdg 18:6 And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD [is] your way wherein ye go.

Ver. 6. Go in peace: before the Lord is your way.] A doubtful answer; as the wary devil useth to be λοξις, equivocal, in his oracles: {a} that, which way soever things go, he may save his credit; as 1Ki 22:12, "For the Lord shall deliver it into the hands of the king." Yea, but of which king, thou lying spirit? - the king of Israel, or the king of Syria? So, Croesus Halyn penetrans magnam disperdet opum vim. And, Aio te Aeacida Romanos vicere posse, &c. So here, "Before the Lord is your way," may be interpreted, either, God seeth what you are going about: or, God will see to your safety, and give you good success. Satan vero et si semel videatur verax, millies est mendax, et semper fallax.

{a} Ite bonis avibus.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Jdg 18:6. The priest said, Before the Lord is your way — Your design is under the eye of God; that is, under his direction, protection, and care. The priest undoubtedly feigned this answer; for it is not to be imagined that he could, in such a case, have any answer from God, either through his ephod and teraphim, or in any other way. From hence, however, we may infer, Micah and his priest gave out that God might be inquired of by their means as well as at his oracle at Shiloh.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Thus God granteth the idolaters sometime their requests to their destruction that delight in errors.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(6) Before the Lord is your way—i.e., Jehovah looks favourably upon it. (Comp. Pro_5:21; Ezr_8:21.) The answer had, however, some of the oracular ambiguity. Jonathan did not stake his own credit or that of his ephod on any definite details, or even on any distinct promise.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6. before the Lord] i.e. under His favourable regard. Cf. 1Sa_1:17, 1Ki_22:6 for similar responses.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the priest said to them, go in peace,.... After he had consulted the oracle, or had asked counsel by the ephod and teraphim; either of his own head, or by a voice he had heard, which Satan might be permitted of God to deliver, he very roundly told them that they might proceed on in their journey with their minds quite easy, and with full assurance of success:

before the Lord is your way wherein ye go; it is seen, observed, and taken notice of by him, and he approves of it; it is according to his will, and under his direction and protection, and success from him may be depended upon; though some observe that this answer is delivered in ambiguous terms, as generally the oracles of demons were, and might be taken in a good or bad sense, as the event should be; as that their way was before the Lord, and was seen by him either with pleasure or displeasure, with approbation or disapprobation, for their good, or for their harm: so that let it fall out as it might, the credit of the oracle was saved.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Before the Lord ... - i. e. He looks favorably upon it. (Compare Ezr 8:21-22.)

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Looketh with approbation. (Haydock) --- It is uncertain whether this prediction proceeded from God, from the devil, or from the crafty Levite, (Calmet) who might answer as he thought the messengers wished him to do. (Menochius) --- Their undertaking proved successful. But the devil, who knew the valour of the Danites, and the security of the citizens of Lais, or even a man of moderate prudence and sagacity, might have told what would be the probable event of an attack in such circumstances. (Calmet) --- Whether God approved or condemned the Levite’s worship, he might speak by his mouth, as he did by that of Balaam. (Haydock) --- But it is generally supposed that Jonathan was the organ of the devil, (Calmet) who answered with a degree of obscurity, as he was accustomed, (Worthington) that, in any case, his credit might subsist. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Your way, i.e. your journey or design, is under the eye of God, i.e. under his care, and protection, and direction, which the eye of God being upon a person commonly notes in Scripture, as Psa 32:8; 34:15. Compare Jer 39:12; 40:4. So the phrase is here taken in a restrained sense, which is elsewhere taken more largely, as Pro 5:21. This answer he either feigns to gratify their humour, or did indeed receive from the devil, who transformed himself into an angel of light, and in God’s name gave them answers, and those not seldom very true, which God suffered for the trial of his people. See Deu 13:1-3. But it is observable, that his answer was, as the devil’s oracles usually were, ambiguous, and such as might have been interpreted either way, as they had success or disappointment.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

6. Before the Lord is your way — That is, ordered of him, and acceptable in his sight. The Danites requested him to inquire of God; he reports a favourable response from Jehovah, and in this interchange of the names Elohim and Jehovah some find that Micah’s illegally constituted priest had purer notions of religion than these Danites. They speak more like idolaters, he like a true prophet. But did Jehovah really answer through the medium of this illegal priest? Why should he not? Did he never use for communication of his will any medium but that of a person altogether pure and good and conformed to his law? Or is it clear that a refusal to answer through this Levite would, in this case, have been wiser, or accomplished a better purpose, than the answer that was given? God winked at (Act_17:30) the darkness and ignorance of those times, and we do wrong to judge those ancient characters and facts by the standard of New Testament ethics. Micah and his priest had certainly turned aside from the exact regulations of the law of Moses, but everything recorded of them shows an earnest purpose to serve and please Jehovah. Their fault was largely excused by the circumstances of their age, and the response which Jehovah gave this inquiring Levite is a representative of the ten thousand instances in which his blessings have come to devout worshippers through systems and forms of religion far from pure.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the priest said, etc., having first, it is to be presumed, put on the ephod. (see Jud_1:8:26, 27, note; Jud_1:17:5) Before the Lord is your way, i.e. he looks upon it with favour, has respect unto it, and will make it successful, as it is said in Psa_34:15: "The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous." "Whether," says Bishop Patrick, "he had any answer from the teraphim, or feigned it out of his own head, is uncertain."

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Before the Lord - That is, your design is under the eye of God; that is, under his care, protection and direction. This answer he either feigns to gratify their humour; or, did indeed receive from the devil, who transformed himself into an angel of light, and in God's name gave him answers, and those not sometimes very true, which God suffered for the trial of his people. But it is observable, his answer was, as the devil's oracles usually were, ambiguous, and such as might have been interpreted either way.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

The route you will follow is before Adonoy It is revealed before the Holy One, blessed is He, but these [figurines] are worthless.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.