Judges 17 4

Judges 17:4 kjv

Yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and they were in the house of Micah.

Judges 17:4 nkjv

Thus he returned the silver to his mother. Then his mother took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to the silversmith, and he made it into a carved image and a molded image; and they were in the house of Micah.

Judges 17:4 niv

So after he returned the silver to his mother, she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who used them to make the idol. And it was put in Micah's house.

Judges 17:4 esv

So when he restored the money to his mother, his mother took 200 pieces of silver and gave it to the silversmith, who made it into a carved image and a metal image. And it was in the house of Micah.

Judges 17:4 nlt

So when he returned the money to his mother, she took 200 silver coins and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into an image and an idol. And these were placed in Micah's house.

Judges 17 verses

Judges 17 4 Meaning

Judges 17:4 describes how Micah's mother took two hundred shekels of the silver he had stolen and returned, which she had previously declared consecrated to the Lord for her son's benefit, and gave them to a silversmith. The artisan then fashioned a carved image and a molten image from this silver, which were subsequently placed in Micah's house. This act vividly portrays the perversion of divine worship through the creation of forbidden idols, even under the pretense of dedication to the Lord.

Judges 17 4 Context

Judges 17:4 occurs in the midst of a critical transitional period for Israel, often characterized by the refrain "in those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Jdg 17:6, 21:25). This verse follows Micah's theft of 1,100 shekels of silver from his mother, her curse against the thief, and Micah's subsequent confession and return of the silver. Instead of a genuine return to proper worship of the Lord, his mother declared 200 shekels of the silver consecrated to the Lord "for my son to make a carved image and a molten image." This demonstrates profound spiritual confusion and syncretism—an attempt to combine Yahweh worship with forbidden pagan practices like the use of cultic images, which were rampant among surrounding Canaanite cultures. This domestic incident highlights the decay of true religion at a grassroots level, setting the stage for Micah's private cult with an ephod and teraphim, and ultimately the widespread apostasy and lawlessness that culminates in the narratives of chapters 18-21, affecting an entire tribe of Israel.

Judges 17 4 Word analysis

• And when he restored the silver to his mother: The verb "restored" (wayyāšeb - וַיָּשֶׁב) highlights Micah's previous theft and the formal act of giving the silver back. This action, however, does not signify true repentance but sets the stage for further religious transgression facilitated by the mother.
• his mother said: The mother's voice remains dominant and directive in this familial transaction. Her declaration guides the silver's future.
• "I had indeed dedicated the silver to the Lord for my son, to make a carved image and a molten image.":
  • "dedicated" (hāqdiš): This term means "to consecrate" or "make holy for God." The shocking perversion here is the mother claiming to dedicate silver to the LORD (YHWH) for the express purpose of creating idolatrous objects forbidden by His own commands. This reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of God's character and law, indicating the rampant spiritual ignorance of the time.
  • "to the Lord" (lăyhwh - לַיהוָה): The use of the divine name YHWH alongside the creation of idols emphasizes the extent of Israel's spiritual decline, where even attempts at devotion were polluted by pagan practices. It implies an attempt to appropriate the sacred to legitimize sacrilege.
  • "carved image" (pesel - פֶּסֶל): Refers to an idol shaped by carving, typically from wood or stone, then often overlaid with metal (Exod 20:4, Deut 5:8).
  • "molten image" (massekah - מַסֵּכָה): Refers to an idol cast from molten metal (Exod 32:4, Deut 9:16). The pairing of "carved image and molten image" is a common biblical formula used in denunciations of idolatry, stressing the complete range of prohibited images. Their simultaneous creation indicates a comprehensive defiance of the Second Commandment.
• "Now therefore, I will give it back to you.": Her "giving it back" (of a portion of the original sum) is presented as a generous act, yet it enables Micah to proceed with an idolatrous project. This reveals the mother's complicity and active participation in the sin.
• And he restored the silver to his mother. This reiteration of "restored" reinforces the transaction and the son's submissive role in his mother's plans, including the perverse "dedication."
• And his mother took two hundred shekels of silver: The specific amount, 200 out of the 1,100 shekels, highlights that only a fraction of the stolen amount was "dedicated," suggesting an incomplete offering or a mix of devotion and personal gain/pragmatism, which is characteristic of syncretism.
• and gave them to the silversmith,: "Silversmith" (soreph - צֹרֵף), a professional craftsman. The involvement of an artisan indicates a deliberate, planned act of creating an object for worship, not a spontaneous, amateur attempt. This brings an element of craftsmanship and intentionality to the idolatry.
• who made a carved image and a molten image from them,: Confirms the execution of the idolatrous commission. The use of skilled labor and costly material underscores the misguided devotion directed toward these forbidden objects.
• and they were in the house of Micah. The placement within the "house of Micah" signifies a domestic shrine and personalized form of worship, demonstrating how deeply religious perversion had penetrated daily life within the tribal boundaries.

Words-group analysis

• "I had indeed dedicated the silver to the Lord for my son, to make a carved image and a molten image": This phrase perfectly encapsulates the profound spiritual blindness and moral chaos of the era. The mother believes she is performing a pious act by dedicating silver to Yahweh, yet she explicitly designates it for the creation of idols—a direct, flagrant violation of the core divine commands. This exemplifies syncretism in its most blatant form: an attempt to merge legitimate Yahweh worship with forbidden Canaanite cultic practices. It demonstrates an individual choosing a personal form of religion that contravenes divine revelation, doing "what was right in her own eyes."
• "Carved image and a molten image": The consistent pairing and immediate physical realization of these prohibited items from the "dedicated" silver powerfully underscore the gravity and thoroughness of the idolatry being performed. This was not a partial or accidental transgression but a deliberate and full engagement in what God had strictly forbidden, highlighting the depth of Israel's spiritual decay.
• "Mother took... gave to the silversmith... made... and they were in the house of Micah": This sequence of actions meticulously details the active participation of the mother in initiating, funding, and supervising the idolatry, highlighting her culpability. The process, from financing to professional craftsmanship to domestic installation, illustrates how easily forbidden practices could become normalized and entrenched within an Israelite household during the time of the Judges.

Judges 17 4 Bonus section

• The exact fate of the remaining 900 shekels of silver (from the initial 1,100 shekels that Micah stole) is not explicitly mentioned. It's plausible that Micah's mother retained the bulk of it for her own use, further emphasizing a selective or half-hearted 'consecration' even in her compromised act of "dedication." This hints at the self-serving nature mixed with the misguided religious zeal of the characters.
• This act of idol-making for a "private shrine" establishes a microcosmic example of the wider problem that plagued Israel during the Judges period: the lack of a strong central religious and political authority led to decentralized, corrupted worship practices that eventually spread to larger communities, as seen in the subsequent narrative involving the Danites in Judges 18.
• The involvement of a professional "silversmith" (soreph) underscores that the creation of these idols was not a makeshift, uneducated act but a deliberate, commercially viable enterprise. It implies that idolatry was so prevalent that skilled craftsmen made a living creating these forbidden objects, highlighting the extent of societal spiritual compromise.

Judges 17 4 Commentary

Judges 17:4 is a concise yet profound indictment of Israel's spiritual state during the time of the Judges. It details the active perversion of true worship by depicting a mother who, under the guise of dedicating silver to the Lord, deliberately uses it to commission a "carved image and a molten image"—direct violations of the Second Commandment (Exod 20:4-5). This action illustrates rampant religious syncretism, where Israelite belief in Yahweh was dangerously blended with surrounding Canaanite idol worship. The verse highlights not just Micah's individual sin but the complicity and misguided piety of his mother, demonstrating how profound spiritual darkness had permeated even the household. It sets the stage for Micah's private shrine, symptomatic of an era where divine revelation was ignored in favor of human invention, leading to societal and spiritual chaos epitomized by the declaration "everyone did what was right in his own eyes." The making of idols out of the supposedly consecrated silver exposes the emptiness of their religiosity and the gravity of their disobedience to the true God.