Judges 17:1-6

1 There was a man of the hill-country of Efrayim, whose name was Mikhah.

2 He said to his mother, The eleven hundred [pieces] of silver that were taken from you, about which you did utter a curse, and did also speak it in my ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. His mother said, Blessed be my son of the LORD.

3 He restored the eleven hundred [pieces] of silver to his mother; and his mother said, I most assuredly dedicate the silver to the LORD from my hand for my son, to make an engraved image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it to you.

4 When he restored the money to his mother, his mother took two hundred [pieces] of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made of it an engraved image and a molten image: and it was in the house of Mikhah.

5 The man Mikhah had a house of gods, and he made an efod, and terafim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his Kohen.

6 In those days there was no king in Yisra'el: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

Judges 17:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

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.