Judges 17

Chap. XVII. Ver. 1—13. Micah restores money to his mother which he had previously stolen, and she devotes it to promote idolatry.—It is impossible to fix the date of the event related in this chapter; but it must have been when religion was at a very low ebb, and the worship of Jehovah, though not renounced, mingled with idolatrous rites. The government was also in a state of anarchy, for there was “no king,” nor any supreme governor, “in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” At this Pech an Ephraimite, named Micah, it seems, had robbed his mother of 1100 shekels of silver, and was not suspected; but his conscience smote him, and her bitter imprecations on the unknown thief, led him to restore it.

She then as loudly blessed her son, partly rejoicing to see the money, and partly in his reform. As, however, the money had been devoted to religious purposes, (whether before or after it was stolen, the narrative does not say,) she takes 200 shekels to the founder, for a graven and molten image; Micah also procures an ephod and teraphim, and, in short, a complete house of God, and consecrates it, for those who resided at a distance from the tabernacle in Shiloh, to imitate its sacred furniture and rites—to form a little tabernacle of their own, for domestic worship for themselves and neighbours; to have a priest of their own to perform the sacred rites, and thus save the trouble and expense of a journey to the tabernacle at Shiloh three times in the year.

But as all this apparatus seems intended for the worship of Jehovah, our translators seem to have erred in calling this “a house of gods,” in the plural; and even the graven image might be no more than an imitation of the cherubim in the most holy place. One thing, however, troubled Micah: the most holy place. He had made his son a priest, who was not a Levite, and he seems to have known that no other tribe was entitled to the priesthood; he was, therefore, highly gratified when a young Levite called on him and offered his services, which were immediately accepted on terms satisfactory to both parties. Micah comforted himself from this circumstance—“Now I know that the Lord will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.”

Here, however, he was mistaken; he was only adding sin to sin; for though every priest must be a Levite, yet only those of the family of Aaron were entitled to the priesthood; and his pretending to ordain him who certainly had no right, made the matter still worse. After all, had the whole been regular and legal, it is but a poor ground on which to assure ourselves of the divine blessing, that we attend his house and hear his ministers, if the heart be not right with Chap., XVIII. Ver. 1—31. Micah sets up a schismatic and idolatrous worship, but the Danites rob him of his priest and idols—When we read repeatedly in this book, that “in those days there was no king in Israel;” we must understand it to import, that the country was in a state of anarchy, without any settled government; and must therefore be prepared to read of crimes, disgraceful not only to that country, but (some of them) to human nature, even in its present depraved state.

In the preceding chapter, we read of a young man, a Levite, who had been engaged irregularly (not being of the family of Aaron) as a priest in the house of Micah, the Ephraimite, and who had set up a private chapel, in imitation of the sacred tabernacle. Some of the tribe of Dan, finding their present territory too contracted, send out five of their valiant men to seek new territory. On coming to mount Ephraim, in their way they call at the house of Micah, and recognise the voice of the young man, the Levite: either they had met with him before, and recollected something remarkable in his voice; or else, observing that he did not speak as an Ephraimite, they are curious to know from what part of the country he had come, and what occupation he had in that place, of both which he readily informs them.

They then state to him the business they were upon, and desire him to inquire of the Lord whether they should succeed in their design. What means the young man had to make such an inquiry, it is difficult to say, since the Urim and Thummim were with the tabernacle at Shiloh; he brings them, however, an answer of peace, and they accordingly succeed in their design, by finding a place occupied by a colony of Canaanites, well adapted to their wishes. Of this they make a full report to their brethren on their return, and excite them to go and take possession; urging, that it was a good country, and as the people dwelt secure and at ease, there would be no difficulty in taking them by surprise. Upon this, six hundred emigrants set forward, well armed, and accompanied by the spies.

Coming again to the house of Micah, on mount Ephraim, the spies inform their brethren of his religious establishment; and making no conscience of plundering either friends or foes, they take with them Micah’s priest, and teraphim, and all his finery, to form a similar establishment of their own. As to the priest, who was evidently a mercenary character, he is easily persuaded it was better for him to be the priest of a whole tribe, than of an Micah, indeed, is not so soon satisfied; but, collecting his servants and neighbours together, he pursues after the Danites, and complains piteously of the injury he had received; “Ye have ‘taken away my Elohim which I made, and the priest, and are gone away, and what have I more?’ The Danites, however, like true banditti, bid him hold his tongue, on the penalty of his life; and make off with their booty.

They now came to Laish, or Leshem, smote the people with the edge of the sword, and having burnt their city, built another in its neighbourhood, which they called after the name of Dan their father.” As to the young priest, though at first pleased with his situation, he appears not to have continued long in favour; for a sort of rival worship at Dan, which continued all the time that the tabernacle remained at Shiloh. Some commentators have endeavoured to clear both Micah and the Danites from the charge of idolatry, because they worshipped not the idols of the heathen, but only the teraphim, which were probably, in part, at least, copied from the cherubim in the most holy place; but the cherubim themselves were never intended to be worshipped; for all use of images in worship was, by the second commandment, made idolatry.

Thus in the Roman Catholic controversy, we consider the adoration of the crucifix as idolatry, not because Christ is an idol, (God forbid!) but because all image worship is forbidden.

Notes on the verses

Chap. XVII. Ver. 1. No king.—(The word mailech, which generally means a king, is sometimes also taken for a supreme ruler, Governor, or judge, (see (Genesis 36:31). De. xxxv. 5.;) and it is probable it should be so understood here, and in the parallel passages.)—Bagster. Ver. 3. Knew the voice.—They knew, by his pronunciation, that he was not an Ephraimite. See (Judges 12:6). and note. Ver. 6. Before the Lord is your way.—By this it is evident that the young priest professed to ask counsel of the true God only, though he did it by improper means, his priesthood being merely a mockery of that of Aaron. Ver. 7. Laish.—Called “Leshem,” (Joshua 19:47). These people, it is supposed, were a colony of Zidonians, (or Sidonians,) at a great distance from the parent country.

Sidon was a rich seaport town; and to live after the Zidonians, was to live in ease and luxury.—No magistrate.—Hebrew, “Possessor (or heir) of restraint;” which is certainly the object of the magistracy. ——No business with (any) man.—For Adam, (man,) the LXX. read Aram, meaning Syria. The difference between the Hebrew words is much less than in English. But Dr. Boothroyd reads, “No intercourse with other men.” Ver. 12. Mahaneh-Dan.—That is, “the camp of Dan.” See (Judges 13:25). which seems to intimate that this event took place before the time of Samson. Ver. 19. Lay thy hand upon thy mouth.—(This was the token of silence. The god of silence, Harpocrates, is represented on ancient statues with his fingers pressed on his lips. These men were evidently very ignorant; and absurdly concluded, that they should, by taking Micah’s gods, secure the presence and favour of the God of Israel, in their expedition and settlement. They perhaps supposed the piety of their motives, and the goodness of their end, would justify the means. But it was a base robbery of Micah, aggravated by the Levite’s ingratitude, and their menaces.)—Bagster. Ver. 30. Gershom the son of Manasseh.—As Manasseh had no such son, and Moses had, there has been a strong suspicion that we should here read Moses, as the original names differ but in one letter; and the Jews themselves have given countenance to this, by placing the N (nun) over, instead of between, the other letters, as they say, in honour of Moses, that he should not be disgraced with such a grandson!

The question is, however, of very little consequence. ——Until the day of the captivity.—Namely, of the ark. See (1 Samuel 4:11). which agrees with the next verse. “All the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.”