Judges 17:5

³ And when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I wholly dedicate the silver to the LORD for my son’s benefit, to make a graven image and a molten idol. Therefore I will now return it to you.”

⁴ So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into a graven image and a molten idol. And they were placed in the house of Micah.

Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household idols, and ordained one of his sons as his priest.

⁶ In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

⁷ And there was a young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah who had been residing within the clan of Judah.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household idols, and ordained one of his sons as his priest.
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.
WEB: 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.
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.
DARBY: 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.
BLB: And the man Micah had a shrine of gods, and he made an ephod and teraphim, and he filled the hand of one of his sons, and he was to him for a priest.

ÅB: Og mannen Mika hadde et gudshus, og han hadde gjort en livkjortel og husguder og hadde vidd en av sine sønner til prest for seg.
OTB: Mika hadde et huskapell, og han laget en efod og noen husguder, og han innviet en av sine sønner til å bli hans prest.
B1930: Og mannen Mika hadde et gudshus, og han hadde gjort en livkjortel og husguder og hadde vidd en av sine sønner til prest for sig.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Judges 18:14
Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish said to their brothers, “Did you know that one of these houses has an ephod, household gods, a graven image, and a molten idol? Now think about what you should do.”
Read in context
Genesis 31:19
Now while Laban was out shearing his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household idols.
Read in context
Genesis 31:30
Now you have gone off because you long for your father’s house. But why have you stolen my gods?”
Read in context
Judges 8:27
From all this Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.
Read in context
Hosea 3:4
For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or idol.
Read in context
Judges 18:24
He replied, “You took the gods I had made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you say to me, ‘What is the matter with you?’”
Read in context
Hebrews 5:4
No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was.
Read in context
Exodus 28:15
You are also to make a breastpiece of judgment with the same workmanship as the ephod. Construct it with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen.
Read in context