Judges 17:5

Judges 17:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
• New International Version (NIV)Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household gods and installed one of his sons as his priest.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household gods, and ordained one of his sons, who became his priest.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The man Micah had a shrine, and made an ephod and household idols; and he consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

Context of Judges 17:5

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.” 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. Micah 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. 7One day a young Levite, who had been living in Bethlehem in Judah, arrived in that area.

Judges 17:5 word by word

וְהָאִ֣ישׁ מִיכָ֔ה ל֖וֹ בֵּ֣ית אֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיַּ֤עַשׂ אֵפוֹד֙ וּתְרָפִ֔ים וַיְמַלֵּ֗א אֶת־יַ֤ד אַחַד֙ מִבָּנָ֔יו וַיְהִי־ל֖וֹ לְכֹהֵֽן׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• Micahמִיכָהmîykâh · MicahH4318
• had an houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: templeH1004
• of godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• and madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
• an ephodאֵפוֹד'êphôd 'êphôd · ephodH646
• and teraphimתְּרָפִיםterâphîym · teraphimH8655
• and consecratedיָדyâd · hand: donateH3027
• and consecratedמָלֵאmâlê' mâlâ' · to fillH4390
• oneאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
• of his sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• who became his priestכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548

Cross-references for Judges 17:5

• Judges 18:24“What do you mean, ‘What’s the matter?’” Micah replied. “You’ve taken away all the gods I have made, and my priest, and I have nothing left!”
• Genesis 31:30I can understand your feeling that you must go, and your intense longing for your father’s home. But why have you stolen my gods?”
• Ezra 1:7King Cyrus himself brought out the articles that King Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Lord’s Temple in Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his own gods.
• Hosea 8:14Israel has forgotten its Maker and built great palaces, and Judah has fortified its cities. Therefore, I will send down fire on their cities and will burn up their fortresses.”
• Judges 8:27Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family.
• Judges 18:14The five men who had scouted out the land around Laish explained to the others, “These buildings contain a sacred ephod, as well as some household idols, a carved image, and a cast idol. What do you think you should do?”
• Exodus 28:4These are the garments they are to make: a chestpiece, an ephod, a robe, a patterned tunic, a turban, and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother, Aaron, and his sons to wear when they serve me as priests.
• 1 Samuel 23:6Now when Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he brought the ephod with him.
• Genesis 31:19At the time they left, Laban was some distance away, shearing his sheep. Rachel stole her father’s household idols and took them with her.
• Hosea 3:4This shows that Israel will go a long time without a king or prince, and without sacrifices, sacred pillars, priests, or even idols!
• Exodus 29:9Wrap the sashes around the waists of Aaron and his sons, and put their special head coverings on them. Then the right to the priesthood will be theirs by law forever. In this way, you will ordain Aaron and his sons.
• 1 Kings 12:31Jeroboam also erected buildings at the pagan shrines and ordained priests from the common people—those who were not from the priestly tribe of Levi.
• 1 Kings 13:33But even after this, Jeroboam did not turn from his evil ways. He continued to choose priests from the common people. He appointed anyone who wanted to become a priest for the pagan shrines.
• Hebrews 5:4And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He must be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was.
• Exodus 24:5Then he sent some of the young Israelite men to present burnt offerings and to sacrifice bulls as peace offerings to the Lord.

Commentaries on Judges 17:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5The man Micah had a house of gods - אלהים בית beith Elohim should, I think, be translated house or temple of God; for it is very likely that both the mother and the son intended no more than a private or domestic chapel, in which they proposed to set up the worship of the true God. Made an ephod - Perhaps the whole of this case may be stated thus: Micah built a house of God - a chapel in imitation of the sanctuary; he made a graven image representing the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5ephod: See study note on Judges 8:27. household idols: Compare Genesis 31:19–32; 2 Kings 23:24; Zechariah 10:2. The Bible criticizes the powerlessness of these personal gods. Micah making his son his personal priest was very unusual: The father was supposed to lead the family's religious activities (Deuteronomy 6:7; Job 1:5), only Aaron's descendants could be priests (Exodus 28:1–29:37; 30:30–33; 40:12–15), and priests served all of Israel, not just one…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. the man Micah had an house of gods--Hebrew, "a house of God"--a domestic chapel, a private religious establishment of his own. an ephod--(see on Ex 28:6). teraphim--tutelary gods of the household (see Ge 31:19 and see on Ge 31:26). consecrated one of his sons who became his priest--The assumption of the priestly office by any one out of the family of Aaron was a direct violation of the divine law (Nu 3:10; 16:17; De 21:5; He 5:4).Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 17:5

• Ephod
• Polytheism
• Teraphim

In the dictionaries

• Micah
• Idol
• Teraphim
• Thummim
• Bethlehem
• Consecrate; Consecration
• Ephod (1)
• Ezekiel
• Gods
• Images

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