Then said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.
Parallel translations
- WEB Then Micah said, “Now know I that Yahweh will do good to me, since I have a Levite as my priest.”
- BSB Then Micah said, “Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, because a Levite has become my priest.”
- NKJV Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since I have a Levite as priest!”
- NASB Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, because I have a Levite as a priest.”
- NLT “I know the Lord will bless me now,” Micah said, “because I have a Levite serving as my priest.”
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 concludes that Yahweh will now bless him because he has a Levite as priest. His confidence rests on superstition, not obedience.
Overview
Micah equates having the right religious functionary with securing God's favor, ignoring that his whole system defies God's commands. His misplaced assurance epitomizes the book's theme: religion shaped by self-will rather than God's word. The verse exposes the folly of trusting religious appearances while living in disobedience, and prepares for chapter 18, where this shrine is easily plundered.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Acts 26:9I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
- Matt 15:13But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
- John 16:2They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
- Rom 10:2–3For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
- Matt 15:9But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
- Isa 66:3–4He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.
- Isa 44:20He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?
- Prov 14:12There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 17:13 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.