Then Micah said, “Now know I that Yahweh will do good to me, since I have a Levite as my priest.”
Parallel translations
- KJV Then said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to 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 26:9“I myself most certainly thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
- Matt 15:13But he answered, “Every plant which my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted.
- John 16:2They will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time comes that whoever kills you will think that he offers service to God.
- Rom 10:2–3For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
- Matt 15:9And in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrine rules made by men.’”
- Isa 66:3–4He who kills an ox is as he who kills a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, as he who breaks a dog’s neck; he who offers an offering, as he who offers pig’s blood; he who burns frankincense, as he who blesses an idol. Yes, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations:
- Isa 44:20He feeds on ashes. A deceived heart has turned him aside; and he can’t deliver his soul, nor say, “Isn’t there a lie in my right hand?”
- Prov 14:12There is a way which seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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.