Judges 18:17

17 Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land went in and took the carved image overlaid with silver,^[a] the ephod, and the household idols, while the priest was standing by the entrance of the gate with the 600 men armed with weapons of war.

Judges 18:17 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 18:17

And the five men that went out to spy the land went up and
came thither
They first came to Micah's house, and saluted the young man, and after that salutation told him there was such a number of their brethren at the gate of the city, very probably, who would be glad to see him; and the young man being desirous also of seeing them, and paying his respects to them, went with them thither, and after they had introduced him, left him discoursing with them, and then returned to his apartment:

and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the
molten image;
and brought them away with them; and from hence it appears plainly that there were two images, the one graven, and the other molten, since they are so manifestly distinguished, and the ephod and teraphim are spoken of between them:

and the priest stood in the entering of the gate, with the six hundred
men that were appointed with the weapons of war;
who kept him in talk, while the five men went and stole the above things.

Judges 18:17 In-Context

15 So they detoured there and went to the house of the young Levite at the home of Micah and greeted him.

16 The 600 Danite men were standing by the entrance of the gate, armed with their weapons of war.

17 Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land went in and took the carved image overlaid with silver, the ephod, and the household idols, while the priest was standing by the entrance of the gate with the 600 men armed with weapons of war.

18 When they entered Micah's house and took the carved image overlaid with silver, the ephod, and the household idols, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?"

19 They told him, "Be quiet. Keep your mouth shut. Come with us and be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest for the house of one person or for you to be a priest for a tribe and family in Israel?"

Footnotes

• [a]. Or image, the cast image