Judges 17 · Verse 5

Judges 17:5

And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
Judges 17:5, King James Version

Judges 17:5 in other translations

BSBNow this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household idols, and ordained one of his sons as his priest.
WEBThe man Micah had a house of gods, and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
ASVAnd the man Micah had a house of gods, and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
YLTAs to the man Micah, he hath a house of gods, and he maketh an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrateth the hand of one of his sons, and he is to him for a priest;
DARBYAnd the man Micah had a house ofgods, and made an ephod and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
BBEAnd the man Micah had a house of gods; and he made an ephod and family gods and put one of his sons in the position of priest.
WebsterAnd the man Micah had a house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

What does Judges 17:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
5. the man Micah had an house of gods--Hebrew, "a house of God"--a domestic chapel, a private religious establishment of his own. an ephod--(see on Ex 28:6). teraphim--tutelary gods of the household (see Ge 31:19 and see on Ge 31:26). consecrated one of his sons who became his priest--The assumption of the priestly office by any one out of the family of Aaron was a direct violation of the divine law (Nu 3:10; 16:17; De 21:5; He 5:4).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 5 The man Micah had a house of gods - בית אלהים beith Elohim should, I think, be translated house or temple of God; for it is very likely that both the mother and the son intended no more than a private or domestic chapel, in which they proposed to set up the worship of the true God. Made an ephod - Perhaps the whole of this case may be stated thus: Micah built a house of God - a chapel in imitation of the sanctuary; he made a graven image representing the ark, a molten image to represent the mercy-seat, teraphim to represent the cherubim above the mercy-seat, and an ephod in imitation of the sacerdotal garments; and he consecrated one of his sons to be priest. Thus gross idolatry was not the crime of Micah; he only set up in his own house an epitome of the Divine worship as performed at Shiloh. What the teraphim were, see the note on Gen 31:19; for the ephod, see the note on Exo 25:7; and for the sacerdotal vestments in general, see the note on Exo 28:4, etc. Who became his priest - כהן cohen, which the Targum translates chumera. The word כהן cohen is the common name in Hebrew for a priest of the true God; but sometimes it is applied to idolatrous priests. When it is to be understood in the former sense, the Targum renders it cahen; when in the latter, it uses the word כומרא chumera, by which it always understands an idolatrous priest. But that this was not a case of idolatry, and that the true God was worshipped here, is evident from the word Jehovah being used, Jdg 17:4, and oracular answers being given at this house, as we see from Jdg 18:6, etc.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Judges 17:1-6

What is related in this, and the rest of the chapters to the end of this book, was done soon after the death of Joshua: see chap. Jud 20:28. That it might appear how happy the nation was under the Judges, here is showed how unhappy they were when there was no Judge. The love of money made Micah so undutiful to his mother as to rob her, and made her so unkind to her son, as to curse him. Outward losses drive good…

Read the full comment on Judges 17:1-6 →

Judges 17:5 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְהָאִ֣ישׁve.ha.'Ishand the manH376
מִיכָ֔הmi.KhahMicahH4318
ל֖וֹlo[belonged] to <the> him
בֵּ֣יתbeita house ofH1004
אֱלֹהִ֑ים'E.lo.HimGodH430
וַיַּ֤עַשׂvai.Ya.'asand he madeH6213
אֵפוֹד֙'e.fOdan ephodH646
וּתְרָפִ֔יםu.te.ra.Fimand teraphimH8655
וַיְמַלֵּ֗אvay.ma.Le'and he filledH4390
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
יַ֤דyad[the] hand ofH3027
אַחַד֙'a.ChadoneH259
מִבָּנָ֔יוmi.ba.Navfrom sons hisH1121
וַיְהִי\־vay.hi-and he becameH1961
ל֖וֹloof him
לְכֹהֵֽן\׃le.kho.Hen<into> a priestH3548

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Judges 17:5

  • Judges 18:14

    Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do.

  • Genesis 31:19

    And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father’s.

  • Genesis 31:30

    And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father’s house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?

  • Judges 8:27

    And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.

  • Hosea 3:4

    For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim:

  • Judges 18:24

    And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee?

  • Hebrews 5:4

    And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

  • Exodus 28:15

    And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.

  • Exodus 29:9

    And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest’s office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.

  • Exodus 28:4

    And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

  • Hosea 8:14

    For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.

  • Exodus 24:5

    And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the Lord.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
an house of gods. or, as baith Elohim may also signify, "ahouse of God."
18:24; Ge 31:30; Ezr 1:7; Ho 8:14
ephod.
8:27; 18:14; Ex 28:4,15; 1Sa 23:6
teraphim.
Ge 31:19,30; *marg:
Ho 3:4
consecrated. Heb. filled the hand.
Ex 29:9; 1Ki 12:31; 13:33,34; Heb 5:4
his sons.
Ex 24:5

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Judges 17:4

    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 17:5

    And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

  • Judges 17:6

    In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

Read all of Judges 17

Judges 17:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y tuvo este hombre Michâs casa de dioses, é hízose hacer ephod y teraphim, y consagró uno de sus hijos; y fuéle por sacerdote.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et l’homme Michée eut une maison de dieux, et il fit un éphod et des théraphim, et consacra l’un de ses fils, et celui-ci fut son sacrificateur.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und der Mann Micha hatte ein Gotteshaus; und er machte ein Ephod und Teraphim und weihte einen von seinen Söhnen, und er wurde sein Priester.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Qui ædiculam quoque in ea deo separavit, et fecit ephod, et theraphim, id est, vestem sacerdotalem, et idola: implevitque unius filiorum suorum manum, et factus est ei sacerdos.