What does Judges 18:22 mean?

At some point, Micah (Judges 17:1–5) realizes what has happened. The five scouts from the tribe of Dan who had previously visited his home (Judges 18:1–5) had returned. They came this time with an army of six hundred soldiers, their wives, their children, and all their belongings. They had camped outside of his property, likely with his blessing (Judges 18:11–14).

Then, when Micah was not around, they went into his family's private shrine to steal the expensive cultic objects. The metal image and carved image his mother had made for him were gone. The ceremonial ephod was gone. The household gods—small statues of various deities—were gone. Worst of all, his own personal Levite priest was gone (Judges 17:13). The Danites had taken everything related to Micah's false, custom-built religion. They've robbed him of tremendous wealth, not to mention objects which Micah believed were providing blessing and prosperity for his household.

Micah sends messages to neighbors. They assemble a fighting force and take off after the Danites, hoping to retrieve Micah's religious belongings. The people from Dan had a head start, but they could not move quickly with their livestock and children. Soon, Micah and his neighbors catch up, only to find Dan's warriors are prepared (Judges 18:21).