New English Translation
Judges 17:6
6In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right.
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
4When he gave the silver back to his mother, she took two hundred pieces of silver to a silversmith, who made them into a carved image and a metal image. She then put them in Micah’s house. 5Now this man Micah owned a shrine. He made an ephod and some personal idols and hired one of his sons to serve as a priest. In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right. 7There was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah. He was a Levite who had been temporarily residing among the tribe of Judah. 8This man left the town of Bethlehem in Judah to find another place to live. He came to the Ephraimite hill country and made his way to Micah’s house.
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 Israel had no king. And in those days the Danite tribe was looking for a place to settle, because at that time they did not yet have a place to call their own among the tribes of Israel.
- Judges 19:1In those days Israel had no king. There was a Levite living temporarily in the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. He acquired a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.
- Judges 21:3They said, “Why, O Lord God of Israel, has this happened in Israel?” An entire tribe has disappeared from Israel today!”
- Genesis 36:31These were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites:
- Deuteronomy 33:5The Lord was king over Jeshurun, when the leaders of the people assembled, the tribes of Israel together.
- Deuteronomy 12:8You must not do like we are doing here today, with everyone doing what seems best to him,
- Psalms 12:4They say, “We speak persuasively; we know how to flatter and boast. Who is our master?”
- Proverbs 12:15The way of a fool is right in his own opinion, but the one who listens to advice is wise.
- Proverbs 14:12There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way that leads to death.
- Proverbs 16:2All a person’s ways seem right in his own opinion, but the Lord evaluates the motives.
- Ecclesiastes 11:9Rejoice, young man, while you are young, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes, but know that God will judge your motives and actions.
- Jeremiah 44:16“We will not listen to what you claim the Lord has spoken to us!
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
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries