Judges 17, Judges 18 WEB

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 17

All agree that what is related in this and the rest of the chapters to the end of this book was not done, as the narrative occurs, after Samson, but long before, even soon after the death of Joshua, in the days of Phinehas the son of Eleazar, Jdg. 20:28. But it is cast here into the latter part of the book that it might not interrupt the history of the Judges. That it might appear how happy the nation was in the judges it is here shown how unhappy they were when there was none. I. Then... read more

Matthew Henry

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

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 17:7-13

We have here an account of Micah's furnishing himself with a Levite for his chaplain, either thinking his son, because the heir of his estate, too good to officiate, or rather, because not of God's tribe, not good enough. Observe, I. What brought this Levite to Micah. By his mother's side he was of the family of Judah, and lived at Bethlehem among his mother's relations (for that was not a Levites? city), or, upon some other account, as a stranger or inmate, sojourned there, Jdg. 17:7. Thence... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 17

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, Judges 17:1 and there being no king in Israel to take cognizance of it, the idolatry took place and continued, and afterwards spread, Judges 17:6 , and this idolater not only made one of his sons... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 17:1

And there was a man of Mount Ephraim ,.... This and the four following chapters contain an history of facts, which were done not after the death of Samson, as some have thought, and as they may seem at first sight, by the order in which they are laid; but long before his time, and indeed before any of the judges in Israel, when there was no king, judge, or supreme governor among them, as appears from Judges 17:6 even between the death of Joshua and the elders, and the first judge of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 17:2

And he said unto his mother ,.... Who seems to have been a widow, and an ancient woman since Micah had sons, and one of them at age to become a priest: the eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee : which were taken away by stealth from her, though it may be rendered "taken to thee" F9 לקח לך "captum est tibi", Montanus, Junius & Tremellius. ; which she had taken to herself out of the rest of her substance, and had separated and devoted it to religious... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 17:3

And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother ,.... The whole sum, having embezzled none of it: 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 ; this she had done either before it was stolen, and it troubled her the more, and caused her the rather to curse the man that had taken it; or after it was stolen, that if it should be recovered again she would appropriate it to such... 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

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 17:6

In those days there was no king in Israel ,.... That is, no supreme magistrate, judge, or ruler, Joshua being dead and Caleb also, and the elders contemporary with them; for what the Samaritan Chronicle says F12 Apud Hottinger. Smegma Orient. p. 522. is without foundation, that Joshua a little before his death cast a lot in the presence of the congregation, to know who should govern after him, and the lot came to one Abel, of the tribe of Judah: but every man did that which was... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 17

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

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Judges 17:7-13

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 17

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 17:1

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 17:2

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 17:3

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 17:4

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

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 17:6

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