Judges 17 KJV: Micah’s Idols and the Hired Levite

Judges 17 articulates the beginning of a dark appendix to the book, illustrating the internal moral and religious decay of Israel when 'everyone did what was right in his own eyes.' It documents Micah's creation of a private shrine with carved images and his hiring of a wandering Levite to be his personal priest.

  1. v1-6: Micah's Stolen Silver and House of Gods
  2. v7-13: A Wandering Levite Becomes a Private Priest

Judges chapter 17

And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah.
And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst, and spakest 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.
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.
Yet he restored the money unto his mother; 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: and they were in the house of Micah.
And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
And there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.
And the man departed out of the city from Bethlehemjudah to sojourn where he could find a place: and he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.
And Micah said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto him, I am a Levite of Bethlehemjudah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place.
And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went in.
And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons.
And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.
Then said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.

Explore a bizarre story of a man who builds a DIY religion in his living room and thinks God will bless him for it. Begin your study with judges 17 summary.

Micah's mother blessed him in the name of the Lord for returning silver he had originally stolen from her, showing how warped their view of God had become. The Word Secret is Teraphim, referring to 'household idols,' which were strictly forbidden but had become common 'good luck charms' in Israelite homes. Discover the riches with judges 17 commentary, containing expert led word study (original greek/hebrew) and passage level analysis.

Unlock the hidden judges 17 1 meaning and summary by exploring context, analyzing original greek and hebrew words, and studying cross references of each verse.

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2 min read (385 words)