Albert Barnes Commentary Judges 17
Albert Barnes Commentary
Judges 17
Albert Barnes Commentary
Judges 17
"And there was a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah." — Judges 17:1 (ASV)
See the introduction to the Book of Judges. The only point of contact with the preceding history of Samson is, that we are still concerned with the tribe of Dan. See (Judges 18:1–2), note. Josephus combines in one narrative what we read here and in (Judges 1:34), and places it, with the story in Judges 18-21, immediately after the death of Joshua.
"And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred [pieces] of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou didst utter a curse, and didst also speak it in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be my son of Jehovah." — Judges 17:2 (ASV)
You cursed - or, “adjured me by God.” Compare Matthew 26:63; Leviticus 5:1.
"And he restored the eleven hundred [pieces] of silver to his mother; and his mother said, I verily dedicate the silver unto Jehovah from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee." — Judges 17:3 (ASV)
Such a superstitious and unlawful way of worshipping Yahweh is entirely consistent with passages such as Judges 8:27; Judges 11:31; 1 Kings 12:28, and so on. This practice indicates little familiarity with the Ten Commandments, which, due to widespread illiteracy, were probably not well-known to the Israelites in those unsettled times.
The mother indicates that the consecration of the silver was for the benefit of her son and his household, not for her own selfish advantage. She also makes clear her adherence to her original intention of consecrating this silver for her son’s benefit.
"And when he restored the money unto his mother, his mother took two hundred [pieces] of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and it was in the house of Micah." — Judges 17:4 (ASV)
See Judges 8:27, note; Genesis 31:19, note.
"In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes." — Judges 17:6 (ASV)
In those days ... — This phrase, indicating distinctly that the writer lived after the establishment of the kingly government in Israel, is unique to the author of these last five chapters.
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