5
And the manוְהָאִישׁMicahמִיכָהhadלוֹa houseבֵּיתof Elohim,אֱלֹהִיםand he madeוַיַּעַשׂan ephodאֵפוֹדand teraphimוּתְרָפִיםand ordainedוַיְמַלֵּא אֶת יַדoneאַחַדof his sons,מִבָּנָיוand he becameוַיְהִיhisלוֹpriest.לְכֹהֵן
Judges 17:5
Study it in the app“And the man Micah had a house of Elohim, and he made an ephod and teraphim and ordained one of his sons, and he became his priest.”
With the Hebrew beneath
Judges 17:5, word by word
- And the manאִישׁish
man
An adult male person; also each man of a people, a trade or a place.
Where else “ish” appears- Micahמִיכָהmicha
Micah
Micah: short form of the name "Micaiah" ("who is like YHWH?"). Several people bear it: the man from the hill country of Ephraim (Judges 17-18) and, centuries later, the prophet Micah.
Where else “micha” appears- a houseבֵּיתbet
temple
The temple: "the house of YHWH".
Where else “bet” appears- of Elohimאֱלֹהִיםelohim
Elohim
The one true God, the Creator; the word is plural but means one.
Where else “elohim” appears- and he madeיַּעַשׂyaas
make
To build or create something.
Where else “yaas” appears- an ephodאֵפוֹדefod
ephod
Ephod: a garment of the high priest, like a vest or apron, worn over the robe (Exodus 28:6-14). In other passages, an object used in worship.
Where else “efod” appears- and teraphimתְרָפִיםterafim
household gods
Teraphim: images of gods kept in the home. The Bible counts them among idols (1 Samuel 15:23; Zechariah 10:2).
Where else “terafim” appears- and ordainedיְמַלֵּאyemale
ordain
Literally "fill the hand": to install someone as priest.
Where else “yemale” appears- and ordainedיַדyad
hand
The part of the body with which one takes, gives and works; also what one does.
Where else “yad” appears- oneאַחַדachad
one
The number one; just one and no more.
Where else “achad” appears- of his sonsבָּנָיbanay
son
The male born of a father and mother; in the plural, also sons and daughters.
Where else “banay” appears- and he becameיְהִיyehi
become
To turn into something new, or fall upon someone.
Where else “yehi” appears- priestכֹהֵןchohen
pagan priest
A priest of other gods.
Where else “chohen” appears
Translation note
“House of Elohim” can also be understood as “house of gods”: it was a private shrine, with images. The teraphim were figures that people kept in their houses (Genesis 31:19).
The context
4So he returned the silver to his mother, and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver and gave it to the silversmith, and he made it into a carved image and a cast image; and it was in the house of Micaiah.
5 · This verse (above)
6In those days there was no king in Israel; each man did what was right in his own eyes.