What is the meaning of Judges 17:6? In Those Days The writer signals a specific era—the time of the judges—when Israel drifted repeatedly into cycles of sin and deliverance (Judges 2:16-19). Similar wording in Judges 18:1, 19:1, and 21:25 ties this verse to a pattern: whenever the nation forgot the LORD’s covenant, trouble followed. Think of it as a flashing warning light that says, “Watch what happens next.” There Was No King in Israel • Israel had rejected pagan monarchies but had not yet received her first God-appointed king (1 Samuel 9:15-17). • God Himself was to be Israel’s King (Exodus 15:18), ruling through His Law and judges. When that divine order was ignored, chaos filled the gap. • Deuteronomy 17:14-20 had already outlined how a future king should honor the LORD; the absence of such leadership left the people untethered to a visible standard. Everyone Did The phrase shifts focus from national leadership to individual choices. Without godly authority, the population defaulted to personal preference. Compare: “All the people broke the covenant” (Judges 2:20) and “everyone turned aside” (Psalm 14:3). A society is the sum of its individual hearts. What Was Right • Humanity’s first sin started when Eve saw the fruit was “good” in her own judgment (Genesis 3:6). • Proverbs 14:12 warns, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” • Calling something “right” without reference to God’s Word creates moral quicksand. Rightness must be measured against commands such as Exodus 20 or Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5-7, not our feelings. In His Own Eyes • Eyes symbolize perception and discernment (Psalm 119:105). Here, vision is self-focused, not God-focused. • Proverbs 3:7 says, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.” • Romans 1:22 describes those who “claimed to be wise” yet fell into futility. When every person is the final authority, society fractures, leading to the gruesome episodes that fill Judges 17-21. Summary Judges 17:6 is both diagnosis and caution. A lack of godly leadership plus self-defined morality produces disorder and pain. The verse calls us to submit to the true King, align “rightness” with Scripture, and refuse the illusion that we can guide ourselves better than God can. |
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