Judges 17:5
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
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.
American King James Version (AKJV)
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.
American Standard Version (ASV)
And 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.
Basic English Translation (BBE)
And 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.
Webster's Revision
And the man Micah had a house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
World English Bible
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.
English Revised Version (ERV)
And the man Micah had an house of gods, and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
Definitions for Judges 17:5
Clarke's Judges 17:5 Bible Commentary
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 Genesis 31:19; for the ephod, see the note on Exodus 25:7; and for the sacerdotal vestments in general, see the note on Exodus 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, Judges 17:4, and oracular answers being given at this house, as we see from Judges 18:6, etc.
Wesley's Judges 17:5 Bible Commentary
17:5 Of gods - That is, an house consecrated for the service of God in this manner. Teraphim - A sort of images so called.One of his sons - Because the Levites in that corrupt estate of the church, neglected the exercise of their office, and therefore they were neglected by the people, and others put into their employment.
