XVII. Judges 17:1. An Ephraimite, named Micah, first steals eleven hundred shekels from his mother, and then restores them. Judges 17:3. She blesses him, and uses them, with his assistance, for the establishment of an idolatrous form of worship. Judges 17:6. Anarchy of the times. Judges 17:7. A wan... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE WAS. — The Vulg. has, “there was _at that time”_ which is an error, for these events happened before the days of Samson. A MAN OF MOUNT EPHRAIM. — The hill-district of Ephraim, as in Judges 2:9. The Talmud (_Sanhedr._ 103, _b_) says that he lived at Garab, not far from Shiloh, but the name (“a... [ Continue Reading ]
HE SAID UNTO HIS MOTHER. — The story is singularly abbreviated, and all details as to how she had acquired the money, &c., are left to conjecture. THE ELEVEN HUNDRED SHEKELS OF SILVER. — The value of eleven hundred skekels would be about £136. It is the same sum which each of the lords of the Phili... [ Continue Reading ]
I HAD WHOLLY DEDICATED THE SILVER. — Literally, _Consecrating, I consecrated_ — either, “I have _now_ consecrated it” as a thanksgiving for its restoration, or “I had done so before it was stolen.” FOR MY SON — _i.e.,_ for your benefit. TO MAKE A GRAVEN IMAGE AND A MOLTEN IMAGE. — Whether in the un... [ Continue Reading ]
YET. — Rather, _And._ TWO HUNDRED SHEKELS OF SILVER. — Bertheau supposes that these two hundred shekels were not _apart of the eleven hundred,_ but the trespass-money of one-fifth, which by the law Micah had to pay for his theft (Lev. 5:24). But apart from the sum not being exact, no such impressio... [ Continue Reading ]
HAD AN HOUSE OF GODS. — The Hebrew is _Beth Elohim,_ which may mean equally well “a house of God” (Vulg., _œdiculam Deo,_ and so too the LXX.). It is quite clear that Micah did not abandon the worship of God under the names of Jehovah and Elohim, by which He was known to the Israelites. How he coord... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THOSE DAYS THERE WAS NO KING. — This shows that these narratives were written, or more probably edited, in the days of the monarchy. (See Judges 18:1; Judges 19:1; Judges 21:25.) DID THAT WHICH WAS RIGHT IN HIS OWN EYES. — The notice is added to show why there was no authoritative interference o... [ Continue Reading ]
A YOUNG MAN. — Later on in the story we, as it were incidentally, make the astonishing discovery that this young man was no other than a grandson of Moses. OUT OF BETH-LEHEM-JUDAH. — So called to distinguish it from the Bethlehem in Zebulon (Joshua 19:15). (See Note on Judges 12:8.) In later times,... [ Continue Reading ]
TO SOJOURN WHERE HE COULD FIND. — Or, as we should say, _to get his living._ It may easily be supposed that in the disorganisation of these days, the due support of the Levites would be much neglected. The same neglect occurred in the troubled days of Nehemiah: “I _perceived that the portions of the... [ Continue Reading ]
BE UNTO ME A FATHER AND A PRIEST. — The title “father” is here ecclesiastical, like “papa,” “pope,” &c, and this title was given to spiritual directors, as we find in several other passages in the Bible (2 Kings 2:12; 2 Kings 5:13; 2 Kings 6:21; Isaiah 22:21, &c.). Micah knew enough of the law to be... [ Continue Reading ]
WAS UNTO HIM AS ONE OF HIS SONS. — The words are added by way of reflection on his subsequent ingratitude.... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT THE LORD WILL DO ME GOOD. — In this anticipation we find a very little further on that he was rudely undeceived, and we are hardly in a position to know whether it was due to hypocrisy or to mere ignorance. So far as Micah was devout and sincere, we must feel that the Lord did him good by strip... [ Continue Reading ]