Keraia
Judges 17

Judges 17:8

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

Translations

Modern
This man left the city of Bethlehem in Judah to settle where he could find a place. And as he traveled, he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim.
Traditional
And the man departed out of the city from Beth–lehem–judah to sojourn where he could find a place: and he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.
Literal
And the man departed from the city, from Bethlehem in Judah, to stay wherever he could find, and he came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he made his journey.
Latin
Egressusque de civitate Bethlehem, peregrinari voluit ubicumque sibi commodum reperisset. Cumque venisset in montem Ephraim, iter faciens, et declinasset parumper in domum Michæ,

Original

Hebrew
English
This man left the city of Bethlehem in Judah to settle where he could find a place. And as he traveled, he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim.

Notes

Judges 17:7–8

This Levite does not fit typical biblical categories. Some Levites were priests, while others served in the temple (compare Numbers 3–4). Levites lived throughout Israel (Genesis 49:5–7; Joshua 21). This young man, likely a descendant of Gershom (Judges 18:30; see Exodus 2:21–22), lived in Judah but not in a Levitical town. He was searching for a new place to live.

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

People

Ephraim: Second son of Joseph, and a tribe of Israel Judah: Israelite tribe, kingdom, and province Micah: A man from Ephraim who set up idolatrous worship

Places

Bethlehem: City of David's birth and Jesus' birth

Glossary

Bethlehem Idols, Idolatry Jonathan Judges, Book of Micah (Person) Priests and Levites

Topics

Bethlehem: A City Southwest of Jerusalem: And Beth-Lehem-Judah Christian Minister: Jonathan Ephraim: Mount of Residence of Micah Jonathan: A Levite of Bethlehem, Who Becomes a Priest for Micah