Micah of the hill-country of Ephraim makes a graven image, a molten image, an ephod, and teraphim, and hires a wandering Levite to be his priest — in those days there was no king in Israel.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Now there was a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah.
verse value 1361
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "and·his·name" (וּשְׁמ֥וֹ, 4 letters) and the longest is "from·hill-country·of·Ephraim" (מֵהַר־אֶפְרָ֖יִם, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·there·was·a·man" (וַֽיְהִי־אִ֥ישׁ), "from·hill-country·of·Ephraim" (מֵהַר־אֶפְרָ֖יִם). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·there·was·a·man" (root היה, 120x in Judges); "and·his·name" (root שם, 43x in Judges). Full calculation: וַֽיְהִי־אִ֥ישׁ [and·there·was·a·man] (342) + מֵהַר־אֶפְרָ֖יִם [from·hill-country·of·Ephraim] (576) + וּשְׁמ֥וֹ [and·his·name] (352) + מִיכָֽיְהוּ [Micah] (91) = 1361.
Rashi
"There was a man in the hill country of Ephraim." Even though these two passages, that of Micah and that of the concubine in Gibeah, are written at the end of the book, they occurred at the beginning of the period of the Judges, in the days of Othniel son of Kenaz, as it is stated (below 18:31): "And they set up for themselves the image of Micah... all the days that the house of God was in Shiloh." From this we learn that the image of Micah stood for all the days that Shiloh existed. And regarding the incident of the concubine in Gibeah, it is stated concerning Jebus in Jerusalem (there 19:12): "We will not turn aside to a foreign city." From this we learn that Jerusalem had not yet been conquered.
Radak
“Now there was a certain man from the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Micah.” It is written in Seder Olam that in the days of Cushan, the idol of Micah existed, as it is stated: “And they set up for themselves the idol of Micah, which he had made, all the days that the house of God was in Shiloh” (Judges 18:31). And in his days occurred the incident of the concubine in Gibeah, as it is stated: “He arose and went, until he came opposite Jebus, which is Jerusalem” (Judges 19:10), and he said, “We will not turn aside into the city of a foreigner, which is not of the children of Israel.” Now, if one were to say based on these verses that so too in the days of Joshua did the idol of Micah exist, because in his days the Tabernacle was established in Shiloh, after fourteen years—seven years of conquest and seven years of division—this is a distant [and implausible] notion, that this idol existed in the days of Joshua. For it is written: “And they served the Lord all the days of Joshua” (Joshua 24:31). Furthermore, it is stated: “There was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6), and this was not the case in the days of Joshua. For even regarding the altar that the sons of Gad and the tribe of Reuben built, they said that an army should go up against them; how much more so regarding the idol of Micah! And what is said, that the matter of the concubine in Gibeah occurred in those days, is because he stated, “We will not turn aside into the city of a foreigner,” which implies that Jerusalem had not yet been conquered. But I say that Jerusalem was conquered in the days of Joshua, as it is stated: “Now these are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the children of Israel struck” (Joshua 12:7), and among them is included the king of Jerusalem (Joshua 12:10). And it is stated: “The children of Israel could not dispossess the Jebusites who dwelt in Jerusalem” (Joshua 15:63), and the Jebusite dwelt with the children of Judah in Jerusalem. Behold, the children of Israel and Judah took Jerusalem in the days of Joshua, except for the fortress of Zion, which was not conquered until David. And it appears that Jerusalem was not so settled by Israel, even though it was conquered, because the Jebusite was still there. And when the Levite and his servant passed opposite Jebus, it was evening, and it seems that their path was on account of the Jebusite, not on account of Jerusalem, where Israelites were present. And if they came to lodge there, they would first encounter the cities of the Jebusites. And his servant said to him, “Let us turn aside into this Jebusite city and lodge there.” And his master said to him, “We will not turn aside into the city of a foreigner.” And it is said in midrashic exposition that this matter is attached to the matter of Samson, because the eleven hundred pieces of silver in the matter of Samson were for evil, and the eleven hundred pieces of silver of Micah's mother were also for evil. And the matter of the concubine in Gibeah is also attached to it, because due to the sin of Micah's idol, several thousands of Israelites were killed in the war of Benjamin. And had it not been for this, none of Israel would have died, for they were justified in fighting against Benjamin to eradicate the evil from Israel.
Ralbag
It further relates that there was a man from the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Mikhayahu. And indeed I hold that this was already in the ancient days when there was no judge there, and this was in the days of servitude, whether before Otniel son of Kenaz, or before Ehud, or before one of those who came after them. And this brings me to this, that it is impossible to say that this matter was between the years of Samson and the years of Eli, according to what was clarified from our previous words. And we will explain in what comes after this, that it is fitting that all this narrative be in what is between the death of Joshua and Otniel son of Kenaz. And I hold that this narrative is connected to Samson, who was from the tribe of Dan, to relate what happened on the sin of the tribe of Dan concerning the idol of Mikah, which lasted a very long time. And indeed some of the commentators said that this was on account of the agreement of a thousand and one hundred silver shekels that came in the narrative of Samson and Delilah, and the number of a thousand and one hundred silver shekels that came in the narrative of Mikah. And we can say according to this saying, that there was already another agreement in the matter of these moneys, and it is that from each of them evil was derived to Dan: the money of Delilah was a cause that Samson fell into the hands of the Philistines, and his eyes were gouged out, and death was derived to him because of it. And the money of Mikah was a cause that the sons of Dan erred in that idol for a long time.
Malbim
And his name was Michayahu. Initially, he was righteous and was called Michayahu; but after he served idolatry, he was called Micah (and therefore it says, "And his name was Michayahu," for the wicked precede their names, as our Sages of blessed memory stated (Ruth Rabbah 4:3): "Nabal was his name," etc.).
And he said to his mother: ‘The eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken from you, about which you did utter a curse, and did also speak it in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it.’ And his mother said: ‘Blessed be my son of Hashem.’
verse value 5667
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 90 letters. The shortest word is "thousand" (אֶ֩לֶף֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "behold·the·silver" (הִנֵּה־הַכֶּ֥סֶף, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "was·taken·from·you" (לֻֽקַּֽח־לָ֗ךְ), "and·me" ((ואתי)), "you·lamented" (אָלִית֙). The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·took·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 17 and 5 words.
Rashi
"Which was taken for you" [i.e., from you]. [This refers to] that which was stolen from you, and it has a parallel (1 Samuel 21:6): "For the women have been kept from us," [meaning] kept from us.
"And you swore [uttered a curse]." You cursed whoever stole it, and also spoke the curse in my hearing:
"Behold the silver. I confess to you that it is in my hand, that I have taken it."
Radak
"Which was taken from you." The money that is yours, which was taken and stolen from you:
"And you uttered a curse." [Her curse was:] Whoever took it, may thus-and-so befall him; [so he confessed:] I admit that I took it.
Ralbag
And indeed it relates that Mikah already said to his mother, 'The eleven hundred silver shekels that were taken from you, and the curse [you uttered] on whoever took them if he does not return it to you, and you also said this in my hearing — therefore I was compelled to tell you that I took it, and it is with me.'
Metzudat David
"[The silver] that was taken from you." It was taken from you through theft.
"And you cursed [alit]." You cursed the thief.
"And also you have said in my ears." You have spoken the curse in my ears, as if you suspected me and said that the money is with me.
"I have taken it." Now I admit that I have taken it.
"Blessed is my son to the Lord." This means: The curses that I cursed shall not apply to you; rather, you shall be blessed, since you have confessed.
Metzudat Zion
You cursed [Alit]. From the word for curse and malediction:
Malbim
The Questions (2): Why is there a duplication in the phrase “Behold, the silver is with me; I took it”?
"And you swore [an oath]" – You cursed the thief with an imprecation. And you also said in my hearing, "Behold, the silver is with me," which means that you said that you suspected me of having the silver, and consequently the intent of this oath was directed at me. I admit to you that I took it, and thereby I rectify the sin of the theft and the curse. (And it is explained in Choshen Mishpat, Siman 71, Seif 7, that one who imposes an oath should not say, "Whoever stole it," but rather, "Whoever has the stolen item in his possession and does not return it." Therefore, in the oath she imposed, she did not use the language of having taken the silver, but only that the silver is with him and he is not returning it, for the intent is not to curse for what has already passed, but to curse in order to compel the return of what belongs to him, as stated by the Shakh there.) "And his mother said, 'Blessed be my son to GOD.'" You have gone out from the category of the cursed into the category of the blessed.
Cross-references: Leviticus 5:1; Judges 13:25; Judges 16:31; I Kings 8:31
And he restored the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said: ‘I verily dedicate the silver to Hashem from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image; now therefore I will restore it to you.’
verse value 5831
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 83 letters. The shortest word is "to·you" (לָֽךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "man·hundred" (אֶת־אֶלֶף־וּמֵאָ֥ה, 9 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "man·hundred" (אֶת־אֶלֶף־וּמֵאָ֥ה), "apartness" (הַקְדֵּ֣שׁ), "I·consecrated" (הִקְדַּ֣שְׁתִּי). The root שוב appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "man·hundred" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges). First appearance of the root פסל ("idol") in Judges. First appearance of the root מסכה ("molten·image") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·his·mother', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 14 words.
Rashi
And he returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother. He said [that he intended] to return it to her: "And wherever it is, it is [already] in your possession."
"The sacred thing which I have consecrated, I have dedicated the silver from my hand to my son. I have undertaken to deliver it from my hand into your hand for the purpose of an image and a molded idol; now give it to me, and from my hand I will return it to you." Some say that this woman is Delilah, because it is written (above 16:5): "eleven hundred shekels of silver." But this is a mistake on their part, for Micah lived many years before Samson. Rather, the passages are juxtaposed because of the "evil silver" which is worth the same here and there, and both instances of silver were silver of calamity.
Radak
And he returned the silver to his mother, and his mother said to him: “Now that you have returned it to me, behold, I have consecrated the silver from my hand to you, that you should make from it an image and a graven idol.” And now I will return it to you, that you should make from it the image. But Micah was unwilling to exert himself in it to make the image and the graven idol. And he returned it to his mother a second time. And his mother took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to the smith to make an image and a graven idol. And the two hundred shekels of silver were the wages of the smith, and with nine hundred shekels of silver he made the image and the graven idol.
Ralbag
And he returned the money to his mother. And his mother said to him, 'I have consecrated, I have consecrated the money to the Lord, from my hand for my son, to make an idol and an image.' Which were forms by which people erred then, and they thought that there was in them power to tell future events, on account of arousing the imaginative power. And it seems that for this very cause he made it first not for the sake of idolatry. And this is indicated by what she said, 'I consecrated the money to the Lord.' And indeed his mother returned the money to him, and he returned it a second time to his mother, and she made from it an idol and an image. And it was in the house of Mikhayahu, so that it should tell him future events, according to their thinking.
Metzudat David
"I have surely consecrated [hakdesh hikdashti]." While it was still stolen, I consecrated it on condition that the thief would be found.
"From my hand to my son." To give them from my hand into the hand of my son, to make from them an image and a molten image (and it was not truly an idol, but it was made for the thoughts of others, to draw down upon it supernal powers to serve as a medium; and according to that mistaken belief she said 'to the Lord'):
"And now: since the silver has been found, I will return it to you"; and she gave the silver to her son.
Metzudat Zion
Graven image and molten image. 'Graven image' [pesel], an idol made by handiwork; 'and molten image' [umasekhah], an idol made by pouring metal:
Malbim
Questions (3-4): Why did he say twice, "And he returned the eleven hundred [shekels of] silver to his mother," and "And he returned the silver to his mother"? Was it not she who consecrated all the silver, and in the end gave the smith only two hundred [shekels of] silver? She said, "From my hand, for my son, to make an idol," and afterward it was she who gave it to the smith, not Micah?
"And he returned [the silver]." And immediately he returned the stolen item, and this indicates that he was God-fearing. And his mother said, "I have surely consecrated the silver to the LORD." And I stipulated two conditions in this consecration: 1) "From my hand to my son" – meaning that I hand it over to my son so that he will be the treasurer over it. 2) "To make a graven image and a molten image." "And now I return it to you" – since you are the treasurer, to make the image.
And when he restored the money to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image; and it was in the house of Micah.
verse value 4680
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 68 letters. Verse gematria: 4680 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "his·mother" (אִמּוֹ֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·silver" (אֶת־הַכֶּ֖סֶף, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "hundred" (מָאתַ֨יִם), "and·she·gave·it" (וַתִּתְּנֵ֣הוּ), "to·the·goldsmith" (לַצּוֹרֵ֗ף). The root כסף appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 120x in Judges); "in·the·house·of" (root בית, 88x in Judges); "and·made·it" (root עשה, 87x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·his·mother', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 12 words.
Metzudat David
And he returned. The son returned and gave the money back to his mother, as if to say: Since the theft has gone out from under my control, I will not return to take it again.
"And his mother took." When she received the money again, she gave two hundred to the goldsmith as payment for his labor, and from the nine hundred the image and molten image were made.
Malbim
"And he returned the silver to his mother." [The text] relates that Micah did not wish to serve as treasurer for this idolatrous matter, for he did not agree to make a graven image and molten likeness. Certainly, he spoke to her heart, urging her not to do this, especially since, according to the law, the consecration did not take effect, as the silver was not in her possession (as stated in Bava Kamma 70a). Consequently, she heeded him somewhat, refraining from making the idol from all the silver, but only from the two hundred shekels of silver alone, and the smith made the idol from them. "And it was in the house of Micah" – although they did not yet worship it, he had already transgressed the word of the Lord in that the idol was in his house, and he violated the negative commandment of "You shall have no other gods," which, according to Rashi (Exodus 20:3), is a warning against one who keeps an idol in his house.
And the man Micah had a house of God, and he made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
verse value 2939
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֖וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֖וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·teraphim" (וּתְרָפִ֔ים, 6 letters). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·the·man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "and·became·to·him" (root היה, 120x in Judges); "from·his·sons" (root בן, 116x in Judges). First appearance of the root מיכה ("Micah") in Judges. First appearance of the root כהן ("to·a·priest") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'God', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 9 words. Full calculation: וְהָאִ֣ישׁ [and·the·man] (322) + מִיכָ֔ה [Micah] (75) + ל֖וֹ [to·him] (36) + בֵּ֣ית [house·of] (412) + אֱלֹהִ֑ים [God] (86) + וַיַּ֤עַשׂ [and·did] (386) + אֵפוֹד֙ [ephod] (91) + וּתְרָפִ֔ים [and·teraphim] (736) + וַיְמַלֵּ֗א [and·filled] (87) + אֶת־יַ֤ד [hand] (415) + אַחַד֙ [one] (13) + מִבָּנָ֔יו [from·his·sons] (108) + וַֽיְהִי־ל֖וֹ [and·became·to·him] (67) + לְכֹהֵֽן [to·a·priest] (105) = 2939.
Rashi
"House of God" – a house of idolatry. And so too, all instances of "God" mentioned in this passage refer to idolatry, except for this one (below 18:31): "All the days that the house of God was in Shiloh" (Shevuot 35b).
"And he filled the hand of one [of his sons]." He inaugurated him into the service of the image [idol], to be a priest before it. Any inauguration into a matter whereby a person enters into a position of greatness is called "filling of hands," *Rischoweshter* in the vernacular; and when one grants an appointment to a person, they call the granting [of it] *Rischoweshter* in the vernacular.
Radak
“House of God.” He made it a house of God, and he further made an ephod and teraphim. The Targum translates “house of God” as “house of idolatry.” And our Sages of blessed memory said: Every instance of “God” mentioned in [the passage about] Micah is profane, except for one instance — the one in “all the days that the House of God was in Shiloh” — which is holy. And the Targum translates “ephod and teraphim” as “ephod and images.”
And he filled. This refers to the fact that he offered his sacrifices through one of his sons and appointed him to serve as a priest; similarly, it is written, "And you shall fill the hands of Aaron and his sons."
Ralbag
And Mikah already made for himself a house dedicated to this idol and image, and he made from them an ephod and teraphim, and he called it the House of God, thinking that the Divine Presence would rest there. And he filled the hand of one of his sons to be a priest, to inquire for him future events.
Metzudat David
"House of God." He had a house prepared for the service of the idol, and for this reason his mother placed the idol and molten image in his house.
"And he made an ephod and teraphim." He made these from his own resources, apart from the image and the molten image, which were from his mother's property.
And he filled. Micah consecrated one of his sons as a priest before him, to perform the service of the idol.
Metzudat Zion
An ephod. Made in the form of the ephod of the sanctuary:
And teraphim. They are made in the form of a person and speak through sorcery:
"And he filled [his hand]." The sense of consecration, as in (Exodus 29:9) 'and you shall fill the hand [u'milleta yad] of Aaron':
Malbim
"And the man Micah." From then on, one sin leads to another, and he went from one evil to another (therefore he was named Micah, for the worse), until he made for himself a house of God, a special house for the worship of the idol. Afterward, he also made an ephod and household gods at his own expense, and afterward, "he consecrated one of his sons... etc." as a priest, for idolatrous worship.
In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
verse value 2205
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 37 letters. The shortest word is "abundance" (הָהֵ֔ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·Israel" (בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל, 6 letters). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "in·Israel" (root ישראל, 114x in Judges); "will·do" (root עשה, 87x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: בַּיָּמִ֣ים [in·the·days] (102) + הָהֵ֔ם [abundance] (50) + אֵ֥ין [nothing] (61) + מֶ֖לֶךְ [king] (90) + בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [in·Israel] (543) + אִ֛ישׁ [man] (311) + הַיָּשָׁ֥ר [straight] (515) + בְּעֵינָ֖יו [in·his·eyes] (148) + יַעֲשֶֽׂה [will·do] (385) = 2205.
Radak
"A man shall do what is right in his own eyes." He said this because Micah made the idol, and there was no one to rebuke him, for there was no king and no judge in those days.
Ralbag
There was no king in Israel, etc. And he related this because perhaps this was a cause for the making of this idol. And for this reason it is fitting to say that this was after the king who was preventing them from this, if he was alive, and it is Joshua. According to what I hold, that he warned Israel concerning this, in order to eradicate idols. For even Eli, who was more honored than all who were before him of the judges, did not eradicate in his days the baalim and the ashtaroth, until Shmuel came and eradicated them, as is related in the book of Shmuel. And for this reason the idol of Mikah lasted until the death of Eli, as will come after this. And for this it seems that this matter was after the death of Joshua and before the government of Otniel son of Kenaz. And this is indicated further by the fact that he already mentioned in this narrative that the tribe of Dan was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in those days, and this was after the death of Joshua, for then the tribes strove each to fight in his border, as was clarified at the beginning of this book, that Israel inquired, 'who will go up for us first to fight the Canaanite?'
Metzudat David
"There was no king in Israel." And because of this, every person did what was right in his own eyes, and there was no one to rebuke Micah. It is written in Seder Olam (Chapter 12) that this occurred during the days of Cushan-Rishathaim, before Othniel arose.
Malbim
"In those days" – this means: Do not be astonished that Israel remained silent regarding this matter, for there was no ruler or judge in the land at that time.
And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem in Judah—in the family of Judah—who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.
verse value 2434
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. Notable word values: "and·he" (וְה֥וּא) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "bread" (לֶ֙חֶם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·there·was·a·young·man" (וַֽיְהִי־נַ֗עַר, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: Judah, Judah. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·there·was·a·young·man" (וַֽיְהִי־נַ֗עַר), "sojourning·there" (גָֽר־שָֽׁם). The root יהודה appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·there·was·a·young·man" (root היה, 120x in Judges); "from·Beth-" (root בית, 88x in Judges); "and·he" (root הוא, 71x in Judges). First appearance of the root לוי ("Levi") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַֽיְהִי־נַ֗עַר [and·there·was·a·young·man] (351) + מִבֵּ֥ית [from·Beth-] (452) + לֶ֙חֶם֙ [bread] (78) + יְהוּדָ֔ה [Judah] (30) + מִמִּשְׁפַּ֖חַת [from·clan·of] (868) + יְהוּדָ֑ה [Judah] (30) + וְה֥וּא [and·he] (18) + לֵוִ֖י [Levi] (46) + וְה֥וּא [and·he] (18) + גָֽר־שָֽׁם [sojourning·there] (543) = 2434.
Rashi
"From the family of Judah." He was a Levite on his mother's side, and our Sages of blessed memory stated (Bava Batra 109b): "Because he committed the act of Manasseh, who came from Judah, he was called 'from the family of Judah.'" He was a Levite, son of Gershom, son of Moses our Teacher, as is explicitly stated in the matter (below 18:30): "And Jonathan, the son of Gershom, etc."
Radak
“From Bethlehem of Judah.” There was another Bethlehem; therefore, he attaches this Bethlehem to Judah in every instance. And what is stated, “of the family of Judah,” is an additional clarification. Regarding Bethlehem, it is stated that he was from the tribe of Judah, yet this young man was a Levite. How can it be said of him that he was “of the family of Judah”? And as for the one who claims that his mother was of the family of Judah, let him show us where Scripture traces a person's lineage to the mother's family. And what is stated, “All these are the sons of Makir, the father of Gilead,” and that Segub and Yair were the sons of Makir's daughter—this was said because of the cities that belonged to Yair in the land of Gilead. Our Sages of blessed memory interpreted that he was the son of Gershom, the son of our teacher Moses. And because he acted like Manasseh, who was from Judah, it is stated of him that he was “of the family of Judah.” Therefore, the letter nun is suspended in his name when it says, “and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh.” The nun is suspended from above, between the mem and the shin, to indicate that he was the grandson of Moses, and in honor of Moses, the nun is suspended over him, meaning that he acted as if he were the son of Manasseh and not the son of Moses.
And he was a sojourner there. He was a sojourner in Bethlehem; and even though he was a Levite, and the Levites had cities of their own in which to dwell, this young man dwelt there in Bethlehem for the needs of his livelihood. And when he no longer found his livelihood there, he departed from there to sojourn in a place where he would find his livelihood.
Ralbag
It further relates that there was already a youth from a place called Beit Lechem Yehudah, and that place was from the family of Yehudah, and he was a Levi, and he was dwelling there. And indeed Mikah drew his heart to him, that he should be a priest in his house, to inquire future events through the idol and the teraphim, in which he was using to separate the imaginative power from the rest of the powers. Not that the idol and the teraphim would speak, heaven forbid. And nevertheless, behold, the teraphim spoke falsehood for the most part, for there is no power in divination to notify future events in truth, as I explained in the Wars of the Lord.
Metzudat David
“From Bethlehem of Judah.” Since there was also a city named Bethlehem in the territory of Zebulun, as it is written in Joshua (19:15), therefore it states “from Bethlehem of Judah”; and for further clarification it adds “from the clan of Judah,” meaning that the city of Bethlehem was part of the inheritance of the clan of Judah.
And he was a Levite. The young man was a Levite, and he was a sojourner in Bethlehem.
Metzudat Zion
A sojourner. A resident:
Malbim
The Questions (7): Why is the phrase “from Bethlehem of Judah” repeated, when he was already residing there?
"And the lad was." This lad was from Bethlehem of Judah. This is because, on his mother's side, he was from the tribe of Judah, and on his father's side, he was a Levite. Since the Levites had no portion in the land, he dwelt in his mother's place, for he had no inheritance from his father. Furthermore, according to what is stated (Bava Batra 109b) that the mother's family is not called a family, he was the heir of his mother's inheritance, as she was a daughter who inherited an estate. From this aspect, he was considered part of the tribe of Judah, since the inheritance was in the portion of Judah.
And the man departed out of the city, out of Beth-lehem in Judah, to sojourn where he could find a place; and he came to the hill-country of Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.
verse value 4302
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. Verse gematria: 4302 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "bread" (לֶ֙חֶם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "hill·Ephraim" (הַר־אֶפְרַ֛יִם, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "from·the·city" (מֵהָעִ֗יר), "will·find" (יִמְצָ֑א), "his·way" (דַּרְכּֽוֹ). The root בית appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "in·that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "and·went" (root הלך, 109x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·find', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
"To go on his way." The way of his going:
Radak
“Until the house of Micah, to make his way.” That is to say, he came as far as the house of Micah, but not with the intention of remaining there; rather, it was to continue his journey from there onward.
Metzudat David
“Wherever he shall find” – a place that is pleasant and fit for sustaining his life.
"To go on his way." To proceed on his own way, the way on which he was traveling.
Malbim
The Questions (8): Why is the phrase “and he went from the city, from Bethlehem” duplicated?
“And the man went from the city, from Bethlehem of Judah.” Since he did not find his livelihood there, he departed from there. And it explains that he did not go toward a specific destination, but rather left from his point of origin, traveling from city to city in search of a place of sustenance. This is what the verse states: “to lodge wherever he might find,” and in this manner he circled the hill country of Ephraim until he reached the house of Micah — not because he thought he would find there a place for his livelihood, but only to continue on his way, like a traveler who turns aside to lodge for the night.
And Micah said to him: ‘Whence do you come?’ And he said to him: ‘I am a Levite of Beth-lehem in Judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place.’
verse value 2885
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 67 letters. The shortest word is "Levi" (לֵוִ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·said·to·him" (וַיֹּֽאמֶר־ל֥וֹ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·said·to·him" (וַיֹּֽאמֶר־ל֥וֹ), "from·where" (מֵאַ֣יִן), "I·find" (אֶמְצָֽא). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said·to·him" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "in·that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "going" (root הלך, 109x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·will·go·in', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 12 words.
Rashi
"In the place that I find." [This refers to] my livelihood, to earn [it]:
Metzudat David
"I am a Levite," meaning, "I am prepared to study and to teach, as it is written concerning the tribe of Levi (Deuteronomy 33:10): 'They shall teach Your judgments to Jacob...'"
Malbim
"From where do you come?" For he thought that there was a fixed place for him, and the reply was: "I have no fixed place; rather, I shall go to dwell wherever I find [a place]."
And Micah said to him: ‘Dwell with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give you ten pieces of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and your victuals.’ So the Levite went in.
verse value 3813
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 77 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֨וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֨וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·shall·be·to·me" (וֶֽהְיֵה־לִי֮, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 66: and·shall·be·to·me, and·went. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "dwell" (שְׁבָ֣ה), "with" (עִמָּדִ֗י), "and·shall·be·to·me" (וֶֽהְיֵה־לִי֮). 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "and·shall·be·to·me" (root היה, 120x in Judges); "and·went" (root הלך, 109x in Judges). First appearance of the root ערך ("and·valuation·of") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·your·living·flesh', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 2 words.
Rashi
“On the days.” At the end of the year:
"And the value of garments." A pair of sets of clothing, which constitute the value and custom for all people, as befits them for the year:
"And the value of garments." Aferlaymant in the foreign tongue:
"And your food." And your sustenance:
And the Levite went. According to his counsel:
Radak
“For the days.” For a year:
"and a set of garments." Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated this as "a pair of outfits," meaning that a person’s wardrobe consists of two sets of garments for the year: one for the summer days and one for the winter days.
“And the Levite went.” He went to serve the needs of Micah, in accordance with what he had commanded him, and he agreed to dwell with him.
Metzudat David
To the father. This means, to the teacher and to the instructor:
"And an allowance of garments." This means: garments in the proper order, as required.
"And the Levite went." He went after the word of Micah and his counsel.
Metzudat Zion
For days. For a year, as in (Leviticus 22:29) 'for a year shall its redemption be':
And set. From the sense of arrangement, as in (Exodus 40:23) 'an arrangement of bread':
And your livelihood. Sustenance, the necessity for human life:
Malbim
The Questions (10): What he wrote, “And the Levite went,” implies that he departed from him; so how can it say, “And the Levite chose to lodge”?
“And Micah said to him.” He said to him: “Since you are wandering from place to place and have no occupation or livelihood, here you will gain three benefits: 1) ‘Stay with me’—here you will dwell and not wander. 2) The occupation is a distinguished one, fitting your honor, for you are a Levite, and you will be to me as a father and as a priest. 3) Regarding the reward, I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, meaning annually, and clothing according to your worth. Explanation: ‘Clothing’ according to your honor, and also your sustenance, i.e., food.” And the Levite went. The text relates that initially he did not wish to hire himself out for idol worship, and he departed from him.
And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was to him as one of his sons.
verse value 2086
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 38 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֔וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֔וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·man" (אֶת־הָאִ֑ישׁ, 6 letters). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "and·it·was" (root היה, 120x in Judges); "from·his·sons" (root בן, 116x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·man', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיּ֥וֹאֶל [and·was·content] (53) + הַלֵּוִ֖י [and·the·Levite·was·content] (51) + לָשֶׁ֣בֶת [to·dwell] (732) + אֶת־הָאִ֑ישׁ [the·man] (717) + וַיְהִ֤י [and·it·was] (31) + הַנַּ֙עַר֙ [the·boy] (325) + ל֔וֹ [to·him] (36) + כְּאַחַ֖ד [as·one] (33) + מִבָּנָֽיו [from·his·sons] (108) = 2086.
Metzudat David
Like one of his sons - who had his hand filled [i.e., was consecrated] from that time to be priest.
Metzudat Zion
And he was willing. And he was willing, as in (Exodus 2:21) 'and Moses was content':
Malbim
And afterwards, “And the Levite agreed.” He consented. “To dwell with the man.” This means: not to become his father and his priest, but merely to reside in his house for a few days. “And the youth was like one of his sons.” He ate at his table, and afterwards, because he dwelt in the house of a wicked man, he was drawn after him.
And Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.
verse value 1645
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "Micah" (מִיכָה֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·became·to·him" (וַֽיְהִי־ל֥וֹ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 75: Micah, Micah. The root מיכה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·became·to·him" (root היה, 120x in Judges); "in·the·house·of" (root בית, 88x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·a·priest', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיְמַלֵּ֤א [and·filled] (87) + מִיכָה֙ [Micah] (75) + אֶת־יַ֣ד [hand] (415) + הַלֵּוִ֔י [the·Levite] (51) + וַֽיְהִי־ל֥וֹ [and·became·to·him] (67) + הַנַּ֖עַר [a boy] (325) + לְכֹהֵ֑ן [to·a·priest] (105) + וַיְהִ֖י [and·was] (31) + בְּבֵ֥ית [in·the·house·of] (414) + מִיכָֽה [Micah] (75) = 1645.
Radak
"And he filled [i.e., inducted him]." I have already explained it.
Metzudat David
"And Micah inducted [lit. filled the hand of]." This phrase is construed with the preceding verse (verse 11), which stated that he was like one of his sons, for he consecrated him [lit. filled his hand] to be priest.
Malbim
"And Micah filled... and he became... a priest, and he was in Micah's house." This means that at that time he became a resident in his house, to be there continually, for until now he had been there only temporarily. And for this Micah gave praise to the idol.
Then said Micah: ‘Now know I that Hashem will do me good, seeing I have a Levite as my priest.’
verse value 1684
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 45 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֑י, 2 letters) and the longest is "for·He·will·do·good" (כִּֽי־יֵיטִ֥יב, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "I·know" (יָדַ֔עְתִּי), "for·He·will·do·good" (כִּֽי־יֵיטִ֥יב), "was·to·me" (הָֽיָה־לִ֛י). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "was·to·me" (root היה, 120x in Judges). First appearance of the root יטב ("for·He·will·do·good") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֣אמֶר [and·said] (257) + מִיכָ֔ה [Micah] (75) + עַתָּ֣ה [now] (475) + יָדַ֔עְתִּי [I·know] (494) + כִּֽי־יֵיטִ֥יב [for·He·will·do·good] (71) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + לִ֑י [to·me] (40) + כִּ֧י [for] (30) + הָֽיָה־לִ֛י [was·to·me] (60) + הַלֵּוִ֖י [the·Levite] (51) + לְכֹהֵֽן [to·a·priest] (105) = 1684.
Radak
"For the Levite was to me a priest." This means: It is a good omen for me that it has happened to me that from the tribe of the priests, one has become a priest for me.
Metzudat David
"Now I know. For as long as my son was a priest, it was not according to the law, for a priest should be from the sons of Levi, but now the Lord will do good to me, for I had the Levite as a priest, and behold, he is the priest indeed."
Rashi
Radak
Ralbag
Malbim