And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.
The people of Dan set up the carved idol, and Jonathan (the son of Gershom, who was the son of Manasseh) served as their priest, along with his sons. They continued serving as priests for the tribe of Dan until the day when their land was conquered and they were taken captive.
This verse shows how the tribe of Dan established idolatrous worship with stolen religious objects and a corrupt priesthood that lasted for generations until God's judgment came.
📚 Historical Context
This concludes the story of Dan's migration and theft of Micah's idol and priest. The 'captivity of the land' likely refers to the Assyrian conquest of northern Israel in 722 BC. Jonathan was actually a descendant of Moses (some manuscripts read 'Moses' instead of 'Manasseh'), making his participation in idol worship particularly tragic.
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