Judges 17:3-13

3 Micah gave the twenty-eight pounds of silver to his mother. Then she said, "I will give this silver to the Lord. I will have my son make an idol and a statue. So I will give the silver back to you."

4 When he gave the silver back to his mother, she took about five pounds and gave it to a silversmith. With it he made an idol and a statue, which stood in Micah's house.

5 Micah had a special holy place, and he made a holy vest and some household idols. Then Micah chose one of his sons to be his priest.

6 At that time Israel did not have a king, so everyone did what seemed right.

7 There was a young man who was a Leviten from the city of Bethlehem in Judah who was from the people of Judah.

8 He left Bethlehem to look for another place to live, and on his way he came to Micah's house in the mountains of Ephraim.

9 Micah asked him, "Where are you from?" He answered, "I'm a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I'm looking for a place to live."

10 Micah said to him, "Live with me and be my father and my priest. I will give you four ounces of silver each year and clothes and food." So the Levite went in.

11 He agreed to live with Micah and became like one of Micah's own sons.

12 Micah made him a priest, and he lived in Micah's house.

13 Then Micah said, "Now I know the Lord will be good to me, because I have a Levite as my priest."

Judges 17:3-13 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 17

This chapter relates the first rise of idolatry in Israel after the death of Joshua, which began in Mount Ephraim, occasioned by a sum of money stolen by a man from his mother, which being restored, part was converted to an idolatrous use; two images were made of it, Jud 17:1-5 and there being no king in Israel to take cognizance of it, the idolatry took place and continued, and afterwards spread, Jud 17:6, and this idolater not only made one of his sons a priest, but took a Levite for another, whom he hired by the year to serve him, Jud 17:7-13.