Judges 17:1-6

Micah's Graven Image. The dread of a curse, uttered by an indignant mother against the unknown thief of her money, made the culprit, her own son, confess his guilt. At a certain stage of religious development, blessings and curses are supposed to have supernatural potency (p. 143). In this instance the mother made her curse still more effective by devoting the lost money to Yahweh.

Judges 17:2 f. Change the order: I took it; now therefore I restore it to thee. And his mother said, etc.

Judges 17:4. Comparing a graven image and a molten image with it was in the house and the graven image in Judges 18:30 f., we conclude that a molten image is throughout a later addition.

Judges 17:5. Read house of God (Beth-elohim), Micah being a worshipper of Yahweh. As a wealthy man he had his own shrine. On ephod see Judges 8:27 *. Teraphim were also images, but for private, domestic use (p. 101). Micah consecrated, lit. filled the hand of (Leviticus 8*. Numbers 3:3 *, 1 Chronicles 29:5 *), one of his sons, as priest.

Judges 17:6. This is the apology of a later writer for proceedings of which his age could not approve.