Charles Ellicott Commentary Judges 17:2

"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)

He said to his mother. —The story is remarkably abbreviated, and all details as to how she had acquired the money, etc., are left to conjecture.

The eleven hundred shekels of silver. —The value of eleven hundred shekels would be about £136. It is the same sum which each of the lords of the Philistines promised to give Delilah (Judges 16:5), and only six hundred shekels less than the entire mass of the earrings given to Gideon—only that those were golden shekels. It is hard to say from where this Ephraimite lady could have amassed so large a sum.

That were taken from you. —This is probably the true rendering. The Septuagint (Codex B) has “which you took for yourself,” and (Codex A) “those taken by you,” as though she had stolen them.

About which you cursed. —Literally, and you did adjure. The Septuagint (Codex B) adds, “do adjure me.” The adjuration was clearly that commanded in Leviticus 5:1: And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity. (Compare to Ecclesiasticus 3:9: The curse of a mother rooteth out foundations.)

I took it. —Micah is terrified into confession by his mother’s adjuration. He shows throughout a remarkable mixture of superstition and ignorance.

Blessed be you of the Lord, my son. —Because of his penitence and confession.