Judges 17:6
in Judges 17In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
KJV
In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
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This verse in Judges 17
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThere was no king in Israel - The word מלך melech, which generally means king, is sometimes taken for a supreme governor, judge, magistrate, or ruler of any kind; (see Gen 36:31, and Deu 33:5); and it is likely it should be so understood here. Every man did that which was right in his own eyes - He was his own governor, and what he did he said was right; and, by his cunning and strength, defended his conduct.
This site's exposition
was no king in Israel
The words “there was no king in Israel” fall four times, at 17:6, 18:1, 19:1 and 21:25, and bracket the book's last five chapters. King in Israel occurs here first in the whole Bible, inside the book that says there was none. The second clause stands only here and at 21:25 in this book, and it echoes Deuteronomy 12:8, where Moses forbids that way of living in the land.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
In those days there was no king in Israel,....
When they were without a king to keep good order among them, God's house was forsaken, his priests were neglected, and all went to ruin among them. See what a mercy government is, and what reason there is that not only prayers and intercessions, but giving of thanks, should be made for kings and all in authority, 1 Tim. ii.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
every man did that which was right in his own eyes--From want of a settled government, there was no one to call him to account. No punishment followed any crime.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
In those days ... - This phrase, indicating distinctly that the writer lived after the establishment of the kingly government in Israel, is unique to the author of these last five chapters.
The words behind it
9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בַּיָּמִ֣ים | baiyamim | in the days | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| הָהֵ֔ם | hahem | <the> those | H1992 → | 553 times |
| אֵ֥ין | ʾein | there not | H369 → | 789 times |
| מֶ֖לֶךְ | melekh | [was] a king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל | beyisrael | in Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| אִ֛ישׁ | ʾish | everyone | H376 → | 1663 times |
| הַיָּשָׁ֥ר | haiyashar | the right | H3477 → | |
| בְּעֵינָ֖יו | beeinav | in view his | H5869 → | 887 times |
| יַעֲשֶֽׂה׃ פ | yaaseh | he did | H6213 → | 2628 times |
בַּיָּמִ֣יםin the days
baiyamimH3117 →2304 times
הָהֵ֔ם<the> those
hahemH1992 →553 times
אֵ֥יןthere not
ʾeinH369 →789 times
מֶ֖לֶךְ[was] a king
melekhH4428 →2525 times
בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑לin Israel
beyisraelH3478 →2507 times
אִ֛ישׁeveryone
ʾishH376 →1663 times
הַיָּשָׁ֥רthe right
haiyasharH3477 →
בְּעֵינָ֖יוin view his
beeinavH5869 →887 times
יַעֲשֶֽׂה׃ פhe did
yaasehH6213 →2628 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
Proverbs 14:12There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.
it leads to
- Proverbs 16:25
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Matthew 7:13–14
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
- Proverbs 12:15
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to counsel.
- Galatians 6:3
If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
- Luke 13:24
“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.
- Proverbs 16:25
Through
Judges 21:25In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 12:8
You are not to do as we are doing here today, where everyone does what seems right in his own eyes.
- Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
- Deuteronomy 12:8
Through
Deuteronomy 12:8You are not to do as we are doing here today, where everyone does what seems right in his own eyes.
it leads to
- Judges 21:25
In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Judges 21:25
About Judges
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.