Judges 18:24

24 Which answered, Ye have taken away my gods, which I made to me, and the priest, and what dwelleth over? and ye say, What is (it) to thee? (And Micah answered, Ye have taken away my gods, which I had made for me, and my priest, and now what do I have left? and ye say, What is the matter with thee?)

Judges 18:24 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 18:24

And he said, ye have taken away my gods that I made
Meaning his graven and molten images, which he had made, or caused to be made, out of the silver his mother gave him, or however had paid for the making of; and though this might be an argument proving his right unto them, it was a very poor one in favour of their deity; and it is astonishing he should call them gods he knew the making of, and who could not save themselves from being stolen and carried off:

and the priest and ye are gone away;
they had not only took away his gods, but the priest that sacrificed for him unto them, and assisted him in acts of devotion to them, or to God by them, and were gone off with both:

and what have I more?
signifying, that all he had in the world, wife, children, and substance, were all nothing in comparison of these; there was nothing he so much valued as he did these, nor could he take any pleasure or comfort in anything, being deprived of them, so much was his heart set on them:

and what is this that ye say unto me, what aileth thee?
what a question is this you ask, as if the injury done me was none at all, and that I had no reason to complain; that it was a trifling insignificant thing, worthy of no regard, when it was a matter of the greater moment and importance to him in life.

Judges 18:24 In-Context

22 and when they were now far from the house of Micah, [the] men that dwelled in the houses of Micah cried together, and followed (after them), (and when they had gone some distance from Micah's house, Micah gathered together the men who lived in the houses nearby; and they followed after the Danites,)
23 and began to cry after the back(s) (of them). Which when they had beheld, [they] said to Micah, What wilt thou to thee? why criest thou? (and shouted at them behind their backs. And when the Danites had seen them, they said to Micah, What is the matter with thee? why shoutest thou at us?)
24 Which answered, Ye have taken away my gods, which I made to me, and the priest, and what dwelleth over? and ye say, What is (it) to thee? (And Micah answered, Ye have taken away my gods, which I had made for me, and my priest, and now what do I have left? and ye say, What is the matter with thee?)
25 And the sons of Dan said to him, Beware, lest thou speak [any] more to us, and men stirred in soul come to thee, and thou perish with all thine house.
26 And so (the sons of) Dan went forth in the journey begun. And Micah saw, that they were stronger than he, and [he] turned again into his house (and so he returned to his house, along with all of his neighbours).
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.