“Micah has done this and that for me,” he replied, “and he has hired me to be his priest.”
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to them, “Thus and thus has Micah dealt with me, and he has hired me, and I am become his priest.”
- KJV And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest.
- NKJV He said to them, “Thus and so Micah did for me. He has hired me, and I have become his priest.”
- NASB He said to them, “Micah has done this and that for me, and he has hired me and I have become his priest.”
- NLT He told them about his agreement with Micah and that he had been hired as Micah’s personal 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
The Levite explains that Micah has hired him to serve as his priest. He openly admits his paid, unlawful role.
Overview
The Levite's matter-of-fact account reveals no shame over his bought priesthood. His words confirm that worship in Micah's house is a commercial arrangement rather than obedience to God. The Danites, hearing this, will see the priest and idols as assets to acquire, advancing the chapter's exposure of idolatry's spread.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Judg 17:12Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house.
- John 10:12–13The hired hand is not the shepherd, and the sheep are not his own. When he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf pounces on them and scatters the flock.
- Judg 17:10“Stay with me,” Micah said to him, “and be my father and priest, and I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your provisions.” So the Levite went in
- Ezek 13:19You have profaned Me among My people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to My people who would listen, you have killed those who should not have died and spared those who should not have lived.
- 1 Tim 3:3not dependent on wine, not violent but gentle, peaceable, and free of the love of money.
- Titus 1:11who must be silenced. For the sake of dishonorable gain, they undermine entire households and teach things they should not.
- Acts 8:18–21When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money.
- 2 Pet 2:14–15Their eyes are full of adultery; their desire for sin is never satisfied; they seduce the unstable. They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed.
- 2 Pet 2:3In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.
- Mal 1:10“Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would no longer kindle useless fires on My altar! I take no pleasure in you,” says the LORD of Hosts, “and I will accept no offering from your hands.
- Acts 20:33I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.
- Isa 56:11Like ravenous dogs, they are never satisfied. They are shepherds with no discernment; they all turn to their own way, each one seeking his own gain:
- Hos 4:8–9They feed on the sins of My people and set their hearts on iniquity.
- Prov 28:21To show partiality is not good, yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread.
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 18:4 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.