Jueces 17:7

7 Cierto día llegó a la región un joven levita que vivía en Belén de Judá.

Jueces 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.

Jueces 17:7 In-Context

5 Micaía construyó un santuario para el ídolo e hizo un efod sagrado y algunos ídolos de familia y nombró como su sacerdote personal a uno de sus hijos.

6 En esos días, Israel no tenía rey; cada uno hacía lo que le parecía correcto según su propio criterio.

7 Cierto día llegó a la región un joven levita que vivía en Belén de Judá.

8 Había salido de Belén en busca de otro lugar donde vivir y, viajando, llegó a la zona montañosa de Efraín. Mientras estaba de paso, se detuvo por casualidad en la casa de Micaía.

9 —¿De dónde vienes? —le preguntó Micaía.
Él contestó:
—Soy un levita de Belén de Judá, y busco un lugar para vivir.