Keraia
Judges 17

Judges 17:4

Micah’s Idolatry · Judges 17:1–13
Read Judges 17

Translations

Modern
So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into a graven image and a molten idol. And they were placed in the house of Micah.
Traditional
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.
Literal
And he returned the silver to his mother, and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to the silversmith, and he made it into a carved image and a molten image, and they were in the house of Micah.
Latin
Reddidit igitur eos matri suæ: quæ tulit ducentos argenteos, et dedit eos argentario, ut faceret ex eis sculptile atque conflatile, quod fuit in domo Michæ.

Original

Hebrew
English
So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into a graven image and a molten idol. And they were placed in the house of Micah.

Notes

Judges 17:4–5

We 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).

Judges 17:1–21:25

These 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.

Theme notes and profiles

Social Chaos in Judges

Measurements

  • two hundred shekels of silver: About 5 lb (2.3 kg)

People

Micah: A man from Ephraim who set up idolatrous worship

Glossary

Idols, Idolatry Judges, Book of Micah (Person) Priests and Levites Silversmith Smith

Topics

Arts of The: Founder Idolatry: Micah Idolatry: Objects of, Worshipped in Private Houses Metals: Cast in Mould Money: Silver Used As