“And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.”
King James Version (KJV)
12:30 A sin - That is, an occasion of great wickedness, not only ofidolatry, which is called sin by way of eminency; nor only of theworship of the calves, wherein they pretended to worship the true God; butalso of the worship of Baal, and of the utter desertion of the true God;and of all sorts of impiety. To Dan - Which is not here mentionedexclusively, for they went also to Beth - el, ver.#32|,33, but forother reasons, either because that of Dan was first made, the people inthose parts having been long leavened with idolatry, #Judg 18:30|, or toshew the peoples readiness and zeal for idols; that those who lived in, ornear Beth - el, had not patience to stay 'till that calf was finished, butall of them were forward to go as far as Dan, which was in the utmostborders of the land, to worship an idol there; when it was thought too muchfor them to go to Jerusalem to worship God.