Judges 17:2
in Judges 17said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have the silver here with me; I took it.” Then his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the LORD!”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou didst utter a curse, and didst also speak it in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be my son of Jehovah.
KJV
And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst, and spakest of also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the Lord, my son.
⋯
This verse in Judges 17
Commentary
6 notes on this verseAbout which thou cursedst - Houbigant and others understand this of putting the young man to his oath. It is likely that when the mother of Micah missed the money, she poured imprecations on the thief; and that Micah, who had secreted it, hearing this, was alarmed, and restored the money lest the curses should fall on him.
This site's exposition
a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim
on Judges 17:1-2
Micah's name means who is like the LORD, and the chapter gives it before any word about his shrine. Eleven hundred shekels occurs three times in Scripture, the other at Judges 16:5, where each Philistine lord promises Delilah that sum, so the price of Samson lies in this house. The mother had cursed the thief, her own son, and answers his confession with “Blessed be my son by the LORD”.
This site's exposition
about which I heard you utter a curse
Barnes reads the curse Micah's mother uttered as an oath laid on the thief under the name of the LORD, as at Leviticus 5:1. Clarke and Wesley both say that fear of the curse made Micah confess he took the silver. The curse drew the silver back.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Cursedst - That is, didst curse the person who had taken them away. I took it - The fear of thy curse makes me acknowledge mine offense, and beg thy pardon.
And he said unto his mother,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Thou cursedst - or, “adjuredst me by God.” Compare Mat 26:63; Lev 5:1.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
Stolen from you [lit. "to you"]. Stolen from you. 7 לך, lit. “to you”, may also be interpreted as “from you”. Similarly, 8 Shmuel,:6 "For women were withheld 'to' us,"—'from' us.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
He returned the eleven hundred silver pieces to his mother. He verbalized his intent to return it to her, hence, wherever it was, it reverted to her possession.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
23 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לְאִמּ֡וֹ | leimo | to mother his | H517 → | 220 times |
| אֶלֶף֩ | ʾelef | one thousand | H505 → | 505 times |
| וּמֵאָ֨ה | umeah | and one hundred | H3967 → | 581 times |
| הַכֶּ֜סֶף | hakesef | the silver | H3701 → | 403 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| לֻֽקַּֽח־ | lukach- | it was taken | H3947 → | 966 times |
| לָ֗ךְ | lakh | to <the> you | ||
| וְאַ֤תְּ | veati | and you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| אָלִית֙ | ʾalit | you cursed | H422 → | |
| וְגַם֙ | vegam | and also | H1571 → | 769 times |
| אָמַ֣רְתְּ | ʾamart | you said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| בְּאָזְנַ֔י | beazenai | in ears my | H241 → | 187 times |
| הִנֵּֽה־ | hineh- | here! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| הַכֶּ֥סֶף | hakesef | the silver | H3701 → | 403 times |
| אִתִּ֖י | ʾiti | [is] with me | H854 → | 929 times |
| אֲנִ֣י | ʾani | I | H589 → | 874 times |
| לְקַחְתִּ֑יו | lekachtiv | I took it | H3947 → | 966 times |
| וַתֹּ֣אמֶר | vatomer | and she said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אִמּ֔וֹ | ʾimo | mother his | H517 → | 220 times |
| בָּר֥וּךְ | barukh | [be] blessed | H1288 → | 330 times |
| בְּנִ֖י | beni | son my | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| לַיהוָֽה׃ | layahweh | by Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
לְאִמּ֡וֹto mother his
leimoH517 →220 times
אֶלֶף֩one thousand
ʾelefH505 →505 times
וּמֵאָ֨הand one hundred
umeahH3967 →581 times
הַכֶּ֜סֶףthe silver
hakesefH3701 →403 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
לֻֽקַּֽח־it was taken
lukach-H3947 →966 times
לָ֗ךְto <the> you
lakh
וְאַ֤תְּand you
veatiH859 →1094 times
אָלִית֙you cursed
ʾalitH422 →
וְגַם֙and also
vegamH1571 →769 times
אָמַ֣רְתְּyou said
ʾamartH559 →5305 times
בְּאָזְנַ֔יin ears my
beazenaiH241 →187 times
הִנֵּֽה־here!
hineh-H2009 →843 times
הַכֶּ֥סֶףthe silver
hakesefH3701 →403 times
אִתִּ֖י[is] with me
ʾitiH854 →929 times
אֲנִ֣יI
ʾaniH589 →874 times
לְקַחְתִּ֑יוI took it
lekachtivH3947 →966 times
וַתֹּ֣אמֶרand she said
vatomerH559 →5305 times
אִמּ֔וֹmother his
ʾimoH517 →220 times
בָּר֥וּךְ[be] blessed
barukhH1288 →330 times
בְּנִ֖יson my
beniH1121 →4930 times
לַיהוָֽה׃by Yahweh
layahwehH3068 →6520 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Ruth 3:10Then Boaz said, “May the LORD bless you, my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before, because you have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 13:4–5
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
- Ruth 2:20
Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, who has not withdrawn His kindness from the living or the dead.” Naomi continued, “The man is a close relative. He…
- Ruth 2:4
Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and said to the harvesters, “The LORD be with you.” “The LORD bless you,” they replied.
- Ruth 1:8
Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you to your mother’s home. May the LORD show you loving devotion, as you have shown to your dead and to me.
- 1 Corinthians 13:4–5
Through
Matthew 26:74At that he began to curse and swear to them, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed.
it leads to
- Revelation 3:19
Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.
- Revelation 3:19
Through
2 John 1:11Whoever greets such a person shares in his evil deeds.
it leads to
- 1 Timothy 5:22
Do not be too quick in the laying on of hands and thereby share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
- Ephesians 5:11
Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
- 1 Timothy 5:22
Through
1 Samuel 23:21“May you be blessed by the LORD,” replied Saul, “for you have had compassion on me.
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 22:8
Is that why all of you have conspired against me? Not one of you told me that my own son had made a covenant with the son of Jesse. Not one of you has…
- 1 Samuel 22:8
About Judges
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament.