Judges 18:20

20 {The priest accepted the offer}, and he took the ephod, teraphim, and molten image and went along with the people.

Judges 18:20 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 18:20

And the priest's heart was glad
He rejoiced that such an opportunity offered; it suited well with his covetous, ambitious, rambling, and unsettled disposition of mind:

and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image;
and no doubt the molten image also, out of the hands of the five men into his own, agreeing to go with them, and officiate for them:

and went in the midst of the people;
the six hundred armed men, either for the security of himself, if Micah should raise his servants, and his neighbours, to pursue after him, and fetch him back, with his images; or, as others think, in imitation of the priests bearing the ark, who in journeying marched in the middle of the camp.

Judges 18:20 In-Context

18 When these went to Micah's house, they took the divine carved image, ephod, the teraphim, and the molten image, and the priest asked them, "What [are] you doing?"
19 And they said to him, "Keep quiet! Put your hand on your mouth and come with us and be for us a father and a priest. Is it better being a priest for a house of one man or being a priest for a tribe and clan in Israel?"
20 {The priest accepted the offer}, and he took the ephod, teraphim, and molten image and went along with the people.
21 And they turned and went and put the little children, the livestock, and the valuable property in front of them.
22 When they were at a distance from the house, Micah and the men who [were] in the houses that [were] near the house of Micah cried out, and they overtook the descendants of Dan.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Literally "It was good in the heart of the priest"
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.