Judges 17

Micah’s Idolatry

1 Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim

2 said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver ^[a] that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have the silver here with me; I took it.” Then his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the LORD!”

3 And when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I wholly dedicate the silver to the LORD for my son’s benefit, to make a graven image and a molten idol. Therefore I will now return it to you.”

4 So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took two hundred shekels of silver ^[b] and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into a graven image and a molten idol. And they were placed in the house of Micah.

5 Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household idols, and ordained ^[c] one of his sons as his priest.

6 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

7 And there was a young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah who had been residing within the clan of Judah.

8 This man left the city of Bethlehem in Judah to settle where he could find a place. And as he traveled, he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim.

9 “Where are you from?” Micah asked him. “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,” he replied, “and I am on my way to settle wherever I can find a place.”

10 “Stay with me,” Micah said to him, “and be my father and priest, and I will give you ten shekels of silver ^[d] per year, a suit of clothes, and your provisions.” So the Levite went in

11 and agreed to stay with him, and the young man became like a son to Micah.

12 Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house.

13 Then Micah said, “Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, because a Levite has become my priest.”

Judges 17 Commentary

Chapter 17

The beginning of idolatry in Israel, Micah and his mother. (1-6) Micah hires a Levite to be his priest. (7-13)

Verses 1-6 What is related in this, and the rest of the chapters to the end of this book, was done soon after the death of Joshua: see chap. ( Judges 20:28 ) . That it might appear how happy the nation was under the Judges, here is showed how unhappy they were when there was no Judge. The love of money made Micah so undutiful to his mother as to rob her, and made her so unkind to her son, as to curse him. Outward losses drive good people to their prayers, but bad people to their curses. This woman's silver was her god, before it was made into a graven or a molten image. Micah and his mother agreed to turn their money into a god, and set up idol worship in their family. See the cause of this corruption. Every man did that which was right in his own eyes, and then they soon did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.

Verses 7-13 Micah thought it was a sign of God's favour to him and his images, that a Levite should come to his door. Thus those who please themselves with their own delusions, if Providence unexpectedly bring any thing to their hands that further them in their evil way, are apt from thence to think that God is pleased with them.

Footnotes

• [a]. 1,100 shekels is approximately 27.6 pounds or 12.5 kilograms of silver; also in verse 3.
• [b]. 200 shekels is approximately 5 pounds or 2.3 kilograms of silver.
• [c]. Hebrew filled the hand of; also in verse 12
• [d]. 10 shekels is approximately 4 ounces or 114 grams of silver.

Chapter Summary

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.