Lexical Summary Mikahu: Mikahu Original Word: מִיכָהוּ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance MicaiahA contr. For Miykayhuw; Mikehu, an Israelite prophet -- Micaiah (2 Chronicles 18:8). see HEBREW Miykayhuw NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina contr. of Mikayehu, q.v. Topical Lexicon Name and Narrative Setting מִיכָהוּ (Mikahu) appears only in Judges 17:1 and Judges 17:4, designating an Ephraimite living in the hill country during the unsettled days “when there was no king in Israel” (Judges 17:6). The limited occurrences mark the starting point of the longer account that stretches through Judges 18–a account of personal apostasy that becomes tribal. Family Background and Personal Choices Micah is introduced as the son of a woman whose eleven hundred pieces of silver had been stolen and then returned. His confession brings relief to his mother, who pledges the silver “to the LORD for my son to make a carved image and a cast idol” (Judges 17:3). Four pieces are eventually handed to a silversmith for this purpose (Judges 17:4). The family’s private shrine quickly expands: “Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household idols, and he ordained one of his sons to be his priest” (Judges 17:5). The episode demonstrates how domestic religion could drift from covenant fidelity when left to individual initiative. Religious Innovation and Idolatry Micah’s actions disregard the Deuteronomic demand for centralized worship (Deuteronomy 12:5–14) and the Levitical prohibition against images (Leviticus 26:1). His homemade priesthood and images typify the spiritual confusion of the period: a veneer of devotion to Yahweh mixed with Canaanite practice. The name “Who is like Yahweh?” thus stands in ironic tension with deeds that obscure the uniqueness of the LORD. Encounter with the Wandering Levite A young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah arrives seeking a place to dwell (Judges 17:7–8). Micah, eager for religious legitimacy, offers him the role of personal priest for ten shekels of silver a year, clothing, and sustenance. Micah exults, “Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, since the Levite has become my priest” (Judges 17:13). The narrative exposes the commodification of ministry and the assumption that God’s favor can be secured through ritual form rather than covenant obedience. Seizure by the Tribe of Dan Judges 18 recounts how Danite scouts, searching for land, are drawn to Micah’s house of gods. With the Levite’s complicity, they confiscate the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the priest himself (Judges 18:17–20). Micah’s protest, “You have taken the gods I made… what do I have left?” (Judges 18:24), tragically reveals the impotence of objects fashioned by human hands. The idols are relocated to Laish, renamed Dan, where “they set up for themselves the carved image” (Judges 18:30). Micah’s private sin thus metastasizes into tribal apostasy, persisting “as long as the house of God was in Shiloh” (Judges 18:31). Historical and Ministry Significance 1. A Mirror of the Era: Micah embodies the refrain of Judges—“everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6). His account illuminates how fragmented authority leads to theological drift, highlighting the need for godly leadership later fulfilled in the monarchy and ultimately in Christ, the true King. Canonical Echoes and Continuing Relevance The tragic irony of a name declaring Yahweh’s incomparability while actions deny it points ahead to the prophet Micah (same root in a longer form) who asks, “Who is a God like You?” (Micah 7:18). The prophetic cry affirms what Micah of Ephraim ignored: God’s steadfast love and justice call His people to exclusive loyalty. The account challenges believers to align confession with conduct, ensuring that the declaration “Who is like Yahweh?” is borne out in faithful worship and obedience. Forms and Transliterations מִיכָֽיְהוּ׃ מיכיהו׃ mî·ḵā·yə·hū miChayehu mîḵāyəhūLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Judges 17:1 HEB: אֶפְרָ֖יִם וּשְׁמ֥וֹ מִיכָֽיְהוּ׃ INT: of Ephraim name Micaiah Judges 17:4 2 Occurrences |
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