New Living Translation
Judges 17:4
4So when he returned the money to his mother, she took 200 silver coins and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into an image and an idol. And these were placed in Micah’s house.
Judges 17:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Yet he restored the money unto his mother; 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: and they were in the house of Micah.
- New International Version (NIV)So after he returned the silver to his mother, she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who used them to make the idol. And it was put in Micah’s house.
- English Standard Version (ESV)So when he restored the money to his mother, his mother took 200 pieces of silver and gave it to the silversmith, who made it into a carved image and a metal image. And it was in the house of Micah.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Thus he returned the silver to his mother. Then his mother took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to the silversmith, and he made it into a carved image and a molded image; and they were in the house of Micah.
Context of Judges 17:4
2One day he said to his mother, “I heard you place a curse on the person who stole 1,100 pieces of silver from you. Well, I have the money. I was the one who took it.” “The Lord bless you for admitting it,” his mother replied. 3He returned the money to her, and she said, “I now dedicate these silver coins to the Lord. In honor of my son, I will have an image carved and an idol cast.” So when he returned the money to his mother, she took 200 silver coins and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into an image and an idol. And these were placed in Micah’s house. 5Micah set up a shrine for the idol, and he made a sacred ephod and some household idols. Then he installed one of his sons as his personal priest. 6In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.
Read all of Judges 17Judges 17:4 word by word
וַיָּ֥שֶׁב אֶת־הַכֶּ֖סֶף לְאִמּ֑וֹ וַתִּקַּ֣ח אִמּוֹ֩ מָאתַ֨יִם כֶּ֜סֶף וַתִּתְּנֵ֣הוּ לַצּוֹרֵ֗ף וַֽיַּעֲשֵׂ֙הוּ֙ פֶּ֣סֶל וּמַסֵּכָ֔ה וַיְהִ֖י בְּבֵ֥ית מִיכָֽיְהוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Yet he restoredשׁוּבshûb · to return: rescueH7725
- the moneyכֶּ֫סֶףkeseph · silver: moneyH3701
- unto his motherאֵם'êm · motherH517
- tookלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
- two hundredמֵאָהmê'âh mê'yâh · hundredH3967
- and gaveנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- them to the founderצָרַףtsâraph · to refineH6884
- who madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
- thereof a graven imageפֶּ֫סֶלpesel · idolH6459
- and a molten imageמַסֵּכָהmassêkâh · molten metalH4541
- and they were in the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
- of Micahמִיכָֽיְהוּmîykâyehû mikâyehû · MicahH4321
Cross-references for Judges 17:4
- Isaiah 46:6Some people pour out their silver and gold and hire a craftsman to make a god from it. Then they bow down and worship it!
- Jeremiah 10:9They bring beaten sheets of silver from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz, and they give these materials to skillful craftsmen who make their idols. Then they dress these gods in royal blue and purple robes made by expert tailors.
Commentaries on Judges 17:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4A 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 the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4See Judges 8:27, note; Genesis 31:19, note.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-5We do not know what Micah’s mother did with the other 900 shekels. Perhaps she used them to pay for the shrine (literally house of gods).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-41. a man of mount Ephraim--that is, the mountainous parts of Ephraim. This and the other narratives that follow form a miscellaneous collection, or appendix to the Book of Judges. It belongs to a period when the Hebrew nation was in a greatly disordered and corrupt state. This episode of Micah is connected with Jud 1:34. It relates to his foundation of a small sanctuary of his own--a miniature representation of the Shiloh tabernacle--which he stocked with…Read the comment
Topics related to Judges 17:4
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 Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries