Richter 17:7

7 Und es war ein Jüngling aus Bethlehem-Juda vom Geschlecht Juda; der war ein Levit und hielt sich daselbst auf.

Richter 17:7 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 17:7

And there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah
As there were two Bethlehems, one in the tribe of Zebulun, ( Joshua 19:15 ) and another in the tribe of Judah, the place here designed, Judah is added to it, to distinguish it from the other:

of the family of Judah:
which refers either to the young man, who was by his father's side a Levite, and by his mother's side, as Jarchi thinks, of the tribe of Judah, which seems very probable, though the genealogies of families were not reckoned from the mother; wherefore he might be so called because he had lived chiefly in the tribe of Judah, and particularly at Bethlehem; but Kimchi, and several other Jewish commentators, refer this to the city of Bethlehem, that was of the tribe of Judah, family being put for the tribe; or belonged to the children of Judah; though one would think there was no need to have added this, since it was fully expressed before by calling it Bethlehemjudah; the former sense therefore seems best:

who was a Levite;
his father being, as before observed, of that tribe, though his mother might be of the tribe of Judah: and he sojourned there; that is, at Bethlehem; he was not a native, nor an inhabitant there, but a sojourner, it not being a Levitical city.

Richter 17:7 In-Context

5 Und der Mann Micha hatte ein Gotteshaus; und er machte ein Ephod und Teraphim und weihte einen von seinen Söhnen, und er wurde sein Priester.

6 In jenen Tagen war kein König in Israel; ein jeder tat, was recht war in seinen Augen.

7 Und es war ein Jüngling aus Bethlehem-Juda vom Geschlecht Juda; der war ein Levit und hielt sich daselbst auf.

8 Und der Mann zog aus der Stadt, aus Bethlehem-Juda, um sich aufzuhalten, wo er es treffen würde. Und indem er seines Weges zog, kam er in das Gebirge Ephraim bis zum Hause Michas.

9 Und Micha sprach zu ihm: Woher kommst du? Und er sprach zu ihm: Ich bin ein Levit aus Bethlehem-Juda; und ich gehe hin, mich aufzuhalten, wo ich es treffen werde.