And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.
Parallel translations
- WEB Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.
- BSB Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house.
- NKJV So Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and lived in the house of Micah.
- NASB So Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in the house of Micah.
- NLT So Micah installed the Levite as his personal priest, and he lived in Micah’s house.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Micah ordains the Levite, who becomes his priest and lives in his house. The unauthorized shrine now has a Levitical priest.
Overview
Micah "consecrates" the Levite, presuming an authority he does not possess, since only God appoints priests in their proper place. Having a real Levite gives Micah's idolatry a veneer of legitimacy. The scene shows how external religious forms can mask deep disobedience, a danger Scripture repeatedly warns against.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Judg 18:30And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.
- 1 Kgs 13:33–34After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places.
- Num 16:8–10And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi:
- Num 16:5And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the LORD will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him.
- 1 Kgs 12:31And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.
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Christ at the center
Israel's cycle of sin and rescue through flawed deliverers cries out for a Savior who never fails — the true and final Judge and Deliverer who saves his people not for a season but forever.
How Judges 17:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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