Judges 17:4-5

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 17:1-6

Here we have, I. Micah and his mother quarrelling. 1. The son robs the mother. The old woman had hoarded, with long scraping and saving, a great sum of money, 1100 pieces of silver. It is likely she intended, when she died, to leave it to her son: in the mean time it did her good to look upon it, and to count it over. The young man had a family of children grown up, for he had one of age to be a priest, Jdg. 17:5. He knows where to find his mother's cash, thinks he has more need of it than she... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible 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,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 17:5

And the man Micah had an house of gods ,.... Having two images in it, besides teraphim, which were a sort of idols; and the Targum is, an house of images, or idols; though it may be rendered "an house of God"; a temple, a place for religious worship: and made an ephod ; a priestly garment, a linen one very probably, not so rich an one with a breastplate to it as the high priest had, which was very costly. Ben Melech interprets it a girdle, and there was a curious girdle of the ephod,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Judges 17:4

A graven image and a molten image - What these images were, we cannot positively say; they were most probably some resemblance of matters belonging to the tabernacle. See below. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Judges 17:5

The man Micah had a house of gods - אלהים בית beith Elohim should, I think, be translated house or temple of God; for it is very likely that both the mother and the son intended no more than a private or domestic chapel, in which they proposed to set up the worship of the true God. Made an ephod - Perhaps the whole of this case may be stated thus: Micah built a house of God - a chapel in imitation of the sanctuary; he made a graven image representing the ark, a... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Judges 17:4

See Judges 8:27, note; Genesis 31:19, note. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Judges 17:4

Judges 17:4. Yet he restored the money to his mother Though she allowed him to keep it, he persisted in his resolution to restore it, that she might dispose of it as she pleased. His mother took two hundred shekels Reserving nine hundred either for the ephod, or teraphim, or other things relating to this worship. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Judges 17:5

Judges 17:5. The man Micah had a house of gods The Hebrew בית אלהים , Beth Elohim, may more properly be translated a house of God; that is, he had made, or at least intended to make, in his own dwelling, an imitation of the house of God in Shiloh. And teraphim A sort of images so called. And consecrated one of his sons Because the Levites, in that corrupt state of the church, neglected the exercise of their office, and therefore they were neglected by the people, and others put into... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Judges 17:1-13

17:1-21:25 TRIBAL DISORDER WITHIN ISRAELThe writer of the book has now finished his account of the activity of the judges. To this he adds an appendix consisting of two stories (not necessarily placed in their correct chronological position in the book) that illustrate the disorder that existed in Israel during that period. The nation had no central government and people in the various tribes did as they pleased (see 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). The stories record important changes that occurred... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Judges 17:4

money = silver (Judges 17:2 ). read more

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