Judges 17:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Micah said to him, “Stay with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a year and a suit of clothes and your living.” And the Levite went in.

NIV: Then Micah said to him, 'Live with me and be my father and priest, and I'll give you ten shekels of silver a year, your clothes and your food.'

NASB: Micah then said to him, 'Stay with me and be a father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, a supply of clothing, and your sustenance.' So the Levite went in.

CSB: Micah replied, "Stay with me and be my father and priest, and I will give you four ounces of silver a year, along with your clothing and provisions." So the Levite went in

NLT: Stay here with me,' Micah said, 'and you can be a father and priest to me. I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, plus a change of clothes and your food.'

KJV: And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went in.

NKJV: Micah said to him, “Dwell with me, and be a father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your sustenance.” So the Levite went in.

Religion is clearly important to Micah. He has a flawed, confused belief in the power of Yahweh and other gods. Not only did he fear a curse made by his mother, but he also wanted a blessing from her. That resulted in making a few carved images to place in his home, possibly for his protection (Judges 17:1–4). The prior passage also described a shrine in Micah's house. There, he keeps household gods and relics, where his son serves as a priest (Judges 17:5). Though Micah might not recognize it, all of this involves direct disobedience of the law of God, given to Moses (Exodus 20:3–17).

Now Micah has met a Levite (Judges 17:7–9), a member of the tribe designated to serve as priests and spiritual leaders over Israel (Numbers 3:5–10). Later, we will learn that this young man is a grandson of Moses (Judges 18:30). He is looking for a place to settle. Micah sees an opportunity for them both in this meeting. Micah offers the Levite a job. Payment will be room and board, a suit of clothes, and an annual salary. The Levite's duties would be to serve as the family's personal priest. Micah includes the term "father," used here as an honorary title implying spiritual guidance (Genesis 45:8).

Any Levite raised to understand God's law should have rejected this offer immediately and without hesitation. Micah's house shrine to multiple deities was blatantly against God's most basic commands. His desire for a personal priest, applying a customized religion, was contrary to his calling as a member of the tribe of Levi. The proper response would be to confront Micah with the truth, calling him to repent and begin to serve the Lord according to God's commands (Acts 8:18–20).

Sadly, the concept explained just prior to this passage (Judges 17:6) plays out once again. Rather than following God's will, even at a basic level, this Levite takes the job, selling out his spirituality for the sake of a paycheck (Judges 17:11).

A man named Micah overhears his mother speaking a curse on whoever stole a hefty sum of money from her. He confesses that it was him so she attempts to replace her curse with a blessing from God. She has a carved religious object made from the silver for Micah, which he puts in his household shrine full of other idols and relics. A young Levite man comes to Micah's house, and Micah hires him as the personal family priest, convinced God will prosper him because of it. This demonstrates Israel's lack of spiritual commitment during the era of the judges.

Judges 17 marks a new direction for the book. Having completed the stories of the judges themselves, the focus shifts to everyday Israelites. A man confesses to stealing from his mother, and she donates the silver to make an idol. The man puts this in a shrine in his house along with other religious objects. He hires a Levite to be the family priest, which he assumes will guarantee blessings from God. The same priest will willingly leave with a group of raiders from the tribe of Dan (Judges 18). This leads to one the Bible's most disturbing stories, involving an abused woman whose fate sparks a civil war within Israel (Judges 19—20).

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).