Christian Standard Bible
Judges 17:6
6In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him.
Judges 17:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
- New International Version (NIV)In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.
- English Standard Version (ESV)In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
- New King James Version (NKJV)In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Context of Judges 17:6
4So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took five pounds of silver and gave it to a silversmith. He made it into a carved image and a silver idol, and it was in Micah’s house. 5This man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household idols, and installed one of his sons to be his priest. In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him. 7There was a young man, a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, who was staying within the clan of Judah. 8The man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah to stay wherever he could find a place. On his way he came to Micah’s home in the hill country of Ephraim.
Read all of Judges 17Judges 17:6 word by word
בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֔ם אֵ֥ין מֶ֖לֶךְ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אִ֛ישׁ הַיָּשָׁ֥ר בְּעֵינָ֖יו יַעֲשֶֽׂה׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Judges 17:6
- Judges 18:1In those days, there was no king in Israel, and the Danite tribe was looking for territory to occupy. Up to that time no territory had been captured by them among the tribes of Israel.
- Judges 19:1In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a Levite staying in a remote part of the hill country of Ephraim acquired a woman from Bethlehem in Judah as his concubine.
- Judges 21:3and cried out, “Why, Lord God of Israel, has it occurred that one tribe is missing in Israel today?”
- Genesis 36:31These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites:
- Deuteronomy 33:5So he became King in Jeshurun when the leaders of the people gathered with the tribes of Israel.
- Deuteronomy 12:8“You are not to do as we are doing here today; everyone is doing whatever seems right in his own sight.
- Psalms 12:4They say, “Through our tongues we have power; our lips are our own — who can be our master?”
- Proverbs 12:15A fool’s way is right in his own eyes, but whoever listens to counsel is wise.
- Proverbs 14:12There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death.
- Proverbs 16:2All a person’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs motives.
- Ecclesiastes 11:9Rejoice, young person, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. And walk in the ways of your heart and in the desire of your eyes; but know that for all of these things God will bring you to judgment.
- Jeremiah 44:16“As for the word you spoke to us in the name of the Lord, we are not going to listen to you!
Commentaries on Judges 17:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6There was no king in Israel - The word מלך melech, which generally means king, is sometimes taken for a supreme governor, judge, magistrate, or ruler of any kind; (see Genesis 36:31, and Deuteronomy 33:5;); and it is likely it should be so understood here. Every man did that which was right in his own eyes - He was his own governor, and what he did he said was right; and, by his cunning and strength, defended his conduct. When a man's own will, passions…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6In those days - This phrase, indicating distinctly that the writer lived after the establishment of the kingly government in Israel, is unique to the author of these last five chapters.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-13These two epilogues (Judges 17–18 and 19–21) show that inspired but unstructured leadership cannot last. As society moved toward chaos and civil war, the phrase, In those days there was no king in Israel appears four times. The phrase, everyone did what was right in his own eyes is added twice (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). The era of inspired leadership declined and ended in disorder. Something important was missing.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. every man did that which was right in his own eyes--From want of a settled government, there was no one to call him to account. No punishment followed any crime.Read the comment
Topics related to Judges 17:6
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Judges 17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- Darby Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
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