Judges 17:11
in Judges 17and agreed to stay with him, and the young man became like a son to Micah.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons.
KJV
And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons.
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This verse in Judges 17
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
be my father and priest
on Judges 17:10-12
The wage is priced to the shekel, “ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your provisions”. Micah's pair “father and priest” stands together again only at 18:19. Ordained renders a Hebrew phrase meaning filled his hand, the wording of Aaron's ordination at Exodus 28:41.
This site's exposition
the young man became like a son
Micah asked for a father and got a son. Gill reads the phrase as warm affection, the young man treated as tenderly as one of Micah's children. Matthew Henry notes that the Levite raised no objection to the work or wage and thought himself lucky in so good a house.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
1 And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah. 2 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;
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
): He was content to dwell with the man; though his work was superstitious and his wages were scandalous, he objected against neither, but thought himself happy that he had lighted on so good a house.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Content - Being infected with the common superstition and idolatry of the times. His sons - That is, treated with the same degree of kindness and affection.
And the Levite was content to dwell with the man,.... To continue with him; after he had made trial for some time, he liked his service, and his wages, and way of living; it was all agreeable to him: and the young man was unto him as one of his sons; as dearly beloved by him, and used as kindly and tenderly, as if he had been one of his own children; so strong were the affections of Micah to him, and so well pleased was he with his service.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
The Levite was content - He thought the place a good one, and the wages respectable.
The words behind it
10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיּ֥וֹאֶל | vaiyoel | and he was willing | H2974 → | 19 times |
| הַלֵּוִ֖י | halevi | the Levite | H3881 → | 291 times |
| לָשֶׁ֣בֶת | lashevet | to dwell | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | with | H854 → | 929 times |
| הָאִ֑ישׁ | haish | the man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| וַיְהִ֤י | vayhi | and he was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| הַנַּ֙עַר֙ | hanaar | the young man | H5288 → | 239 times |
| ל֔וֹ | lo | to <the> him | ||
| כְּאַחַ֖ד | keachad | like one | H259 → | 971 times |
| מִבָּנָֽיו׃ | mibanav | from sons his | H1121 → | 4930 times |
וַיּ֥וֹאֶלand he was willing
vaiyoelH2974 →19 times
הַלֵּוִ֖יthe Levite
haleviH3881 →291 times
לָשֶׁ֣בֶתto dwell
lashevetH3427 →1079 times
אֶת־with
ʾet-H854 →929 times
הָאִ֑ישׁthe man
haishH376 →1663 times
וַיְהִ֤יand he was
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
הַנַּ֙עַר֙the young man
hanaarH5288 →239 times
ל֔וֹto <the> him
lo
כְּאַחַ֖דlike one
keachadH259 →971 times
מִבָּנָֽיו׃from sons his
mibanavH1121 →4930 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
About Judges
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.