Giudici 17:5

5 Quest’uomo Mica ebbe dunque un tempio, e fece un Efod, e degl’idoli; e consacrò uno de’ suoi figliuoli, il qual gli fu per sacerdote.

Giudici 17:5 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 17:5

And the man Micah had an house of gods
Having two images in it, besides teraphim, which were a sort of idols; and the Targum is, an house of images, or idols; though it may be rendered "an house of God"; a temple, a place for religious worship:

and made an ephod;
a priestly garment, a linen one very probably, not so rich an one with a breastplate to it as the high priest had, which was very costly. Ben Melech interprets it a girdle, and there was a curious girdle of the ephod, with which it was girt; this may be here put for the rest of the priestly garments which Micah provided:

and teraphim;
which were a sort of household gods, like the Lares and Penates of the Romans, and by which consultations were made; (See Gill on Hosea 3:3) (See Gill on Hosea 3:4) (See Gill on Zechariah 10:2) Micah proposed to have an oracle in his house, whereby he might consult the Lord about future things, and not be at the trouble of going to the tabernacle, and consult there by Urim and Thummim; and the same some take the teraphim to be:

and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest;
or, "filled the hand" ^F11 of one of them; that is, with offerings, as Ben Melech interprets it; in which way priests were initiated, and consecrated to their office; see ( Exodus 28:41 ) ( Exodus 29:9 Exodus 29:24 ) or, as Kimchi expresses it, he offered his offerings by the hand of one of his sons, and appointed him to be a priest, very probably his eldest son.

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FOOTNOTES:

F11 (dy ta almyw) "et implevit manum", Montanus, V. L.

Giudici 17:5 In-Context

3 E, quando egli rendè i mille e cento sicli d’argento a sua madre, ella disse: Io avea del tutto consacrato questo argento al Signore, dispodestandomene per lo mio figliuolo, per farne una scultura, e una statua di getto; ora dunque io te lo renderò.

4 Esso adunque rendè quell’argento a sua madre; ed ella ne prese dugento sicli, e li diede all’orafo; ed egli ne fece una scultura, e una statua di getto, che furono in casa di Mica.

5 Quest’uomo Mica ebbe dunque un tempio, e fece un Efod, e degl’idoli; e consacrò uno de’ suoi figliuoli, il qual gli fu per sacerdote.

6 In quel tempo non v’era alcun re in Israele; ciascuno faceva ciò che gli parea bene.

7 Or un certo giovane di Bet-lehem di Giuda, che è della nazione di Giuda, il quale era Levita, ed era dimorato quivi,