Judges 17:6-13

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

7 There was a young man out of Beit-Lechem-Yehudah, of the family of Yehudah, who was a Levite; and he sojourned there.

8 The man departed out of the city, out of Beit-Lechem-Yehudah, to sojourn where he could find [a place], and he came to the hill-country of Efrayim to the house of Mikhah, as he journeyed.

9 Mikhah said to him, Whence come you? He said to him, I am a Levite of Beit-Lechem-Yehudah, and I go to sojourn where I may find [a place].

10 Mikhah said to him, Dwell with me, and be to me a father and a Kohen, and I will give you ten [pieces] of silver by the year, and a suit of clothing, and your victuals. So the Levite went in.

11 The Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was to him as one of his sons.

12 Mikhah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his Kohen, and was in the house of Mikhah.

13 Then said Mikhah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my Kohen.

Judges 17:6-13 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.