Judges 17:4

4 Yet he restored the money unto his mother. And his mother took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image; and they were in the house of Micah.

Judges 17:4 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 17:4

Yet he restored the money unto his mother
Gave it to her a second tithe, not as disapproving her idolatrous intention, as the sequel shows, but being desirous to be entirely free of it, and not have his mind disturbed with it as it had been, and that she might do with it as she thought fit:

and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the
founder, who made thereof a graven image, and a molten image;
the other nine hundred pieces she kept to herself, repenting of her vow, and being unwilling to part with so much money for such an use; or else they were laid out in an ephod, and teraphim, and what else were thought necessary for the idolatrous worship they were about to set up; though Kimchi is of opinion, that the two hundred shekels were what she gave the founder for making the images, and of the nine hundred the images were made; and indeed the images must be very small ones, if made out of two hundred shekels of silver only; some have thought there was but one image, called both molten and graven; because after the silver was melted, and cast into a mould, it was fashioned with a graving tool, as the golden calf was by Aaron; but they are manifestly distinguished and represented as two, ( Judges 18:17 Judges 18:18 ) and they were in the house of Micah; in an apartment in his house, peculiar for them, as appears by the next verse; here they were put and continued.

Judges 17:4 In-Context

2 And he said unto his mother, "The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursed and spokest of also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it." And his mother said, "Blessed be thou of the LORD, my son."

3 And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, "I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the LORD from my hand for my son to make a graven image and a molten image. Now therefore I will restore it unto thee."

4 Yet he restored the money unto his mother. And his mother took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image; and they were in the house of Micah.

5 And the man Micah had a house of gods, and made an ephod and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

6 (In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.)