Judges 17 · Verse 6

Judges 17:6

In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
Judges 17:6, King James Version

Judges 17:6 in other translations

BSBIn those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
WEBIn those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did that which was right in his own eyes.
ASVIn those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
YLTin those days there is no king in Israel, each that which is right in his own eyes doth.
DARBYIn those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.
BBEIn those days there was no king in Israel: every man did as seemed right to him.
WebsterIn those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

What does Judges 17:6 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
6. every man did that which was right in his own eyes--From want of a settled government, there was no one to call him to account. No punishment followed any crime.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 6 There was no king in Israel - The word מלך melech, which generally means king, is sometimes taken for a supreme governor, judge, magistrate, or ruler of any kind; (see Gen 36:31, and Deu 33:5); and it is likely it should be so understood here. Every man did that which was right in his own eyes - He was his own governor, and what he did he said was right; and, by his cunning and strength, defended his conduct. When a man's own will, passions, and caprice, are to be made the rule of law, society is in a most perilous and ruinous state. Civil government is of God; and without it the earth must soon be desolated. There was a time when there was no king in England; and that was, in general, a time of scandal to religion, and oppression to men.

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 17:6 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.

בַּיָּמִ֣יםbai.ya.Mimin the daysH3117
הָהֵ֔םha.Hem<the> thoseH1992
אֵ֥ין'einthere notH369
מֶ֖לֶךְMe.lekh[was] a kingH4428
בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑לbe.Yis.ra.'Elin IsraelH3478
אִ֛ישׁ'isheveryoneH376
הַיָּשָׁ֥רhai.ya.Sharthe rightH3477
בְּעֵינָ֖יוbe.'ei.Navin view hisH5869
יַעֲשֶֽׂה\׃\ \פya.'a.Sehhe didH6213

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

Cross references for Judges 17:6

  • Deuteronomy 12:8

    Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.

  • Proverbs 12:15

    The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

  • Proverbs 14:12

    There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

  • Judges 21:25

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

  • Judges 19:1

    And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Beth–lehem–judah.

  • Judges 18:1

    In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel.

  • Proverbs 16:2

    All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.

  • Psalms 12:4

    Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?

  • Ecclesiastes 11:9

    Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.

  • Jeremiah 44:16-17

    As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.

  • Genesis 36:31

    And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.

  • Deuteronomy 33:5

    And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
no king.
18:1; 19:1; 21:3,25; Ge 36:31; De 33:5
right.
De 12:8; Ps 12:4; Pr 12:15; 14:12; 16:2; Ec 11:9; Jer 44:16,17

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

Context

  • 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.

  • Judges 17:7

    And there was a young man out of Beth–lehem–judah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.

Read all of Judges 17

Judges 17:6 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		En estos días no había rey en Israel: cada uno hacía como mejor le parecía.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		En ces jours-là, il n’y avait pas de roi en Israël; chacun faisait ce qui était bon à ses yeux.
German
Elberfelder 1871		In jenen Tagen war kein König in Israel; ein jeder tat, was recht war in seinen Augen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		In diebus illis non erat rex in Israël, sed unusquisque quod sibi rectum videbatur, hoc faciebat.