Judges 17:2

2. eleven hundred pieces of silver] See on Jdg_16:5.

and didst also speak it] A paraphrase; lit. ‘and didst also say.…’ The text of Jdg_17:2-3 has suffered disturbance; the words of the speech are missing here; the sequence ‘and he restored … I will restore (Jdg_17:3) … And he restored (Jdg_17:4)’ is unintelligible. Of the various corrections proposed the most satisfactory is that of Moore: ‘and thou didst utter a curse and didst also say in mine ears, I verily dedicate the silver unto the Lord from my hand for my son, to make a graven image [and a molten image]; behold, the silver is with me; I took it; now therefore I will restore it unto thee. And his mother said, Blessed be my son of the Lord. Jdg_17:4. So he restored the silver unto his mother, and his mother took two hundred pieces of silver’ etc. That is to say, when the mother of Micah discovered that the money had been stolen, she cursed the thief (never dreaming that her son was guilty), and further consecrated the money forthwith to Jehovah. Under dread of the curse, and fearing the consequences of sacrilege, Micah confessed the theft and restored the money. In the text as rearranged, the words ‘And he restored the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother’ in Jdg_17:3 have been struck out as a mistaken anticipation of Jdg_17:4.

The curse was held to possess a living, potent efficacy (cf. Zec_5:3); it called upon the offender to come forward; and whoever heard it was bound to make it known, as we learn from the law in Lev_5:1, cf. Pro_29:24. To augment the curse in the present case the ‘money was solemnly consecrated to Jehovah; it became taboo, and the thief could not make use of it without incurring the Deity’s retaliation. The curse could not be withdrawn, but it might be neutralized by a blessing.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Jdg 17:2 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; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed [be thou] of the LORD, my son.

Ver. 2. And he said unto his mother.] His conscience troubled him when he heard his mother curse the thief, which he knew to be himself:

“ Conscia mens ut cuique sun est, &c. ”

The eleven hundred shekels of silver.] Lyra telleth us of some that held Delilah to be Micah’s mother, because she received one thousand one hundred pieces of silver of each lord of the Philistines, to betray Samson into their hands. But this is but a blind guess, and no whit likely; let it therefore pass for a Jewish fable. I like his note better who saith, {a} Old wood is apt to take fire. After all the airing in the desert, Micah’s mother will smell of Egypt. And again, As civilly, so also morally, the birth followeth the belly, as Micah, his mother. Hence most of the kings’ mothers are named.

About which thou cursedst.] Whilst her wealth lasted, she could dedicate a good part of it. But now she hath lost it she falleth a-cursing; as a parrot when beaten falleth to her own hoarse and harsh voice. Wicked men’s mouths are "full of cursing and bitterness." But cursing men are cursed men.

And spakest of also in mine ears.] He started at and was terrified by a mother’s curse. And indeed if there be just cause, God sometimes says Amen to parents’ curses, as were easy to instance. See Gen 9:25 {See Trapp on "Gen 9:25"}

I took it.] Of robbing parents, see Pro 28:24, with the note.

Blessed be thou of the Lord, my son.] "Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing." {Jas 3:10} So doth it out of the Pope’s eftsoons, as in the case of Henry IV of France.

{a} Bp. Hall.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Jdg 17:2. About which thou cursedst — That is, didst curse the person who had taken it away. The mother seems to have uttered this curse in the hearing of her son; who, being struck therewith, confessed that he had taken the money; upon which his mother wishes that her curses may be turned into blessings upon him.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 2. About 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.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(2) He said unto his mother.—The story is singularly abbreviated, and all details as to how she had acquired the money, &c., are left to conjecture.

The eleven hundred shekels of silver.—The value of eleven hundred skekels would be about £136. It is the same sum which each of the lords of the Philistines promised to give Delilah (Jdg_16:5), and only six hundred shekels less than the entire mass of the earrings given to Gideon—only that those were golden shekels. It is hard to say whence this Ephraimitish lady could have amassed so large a sum.

That were taken from thee.—This is probably the true rendering. The LXX. (Cod. B) have “which thou tookest for thyself,” and (Cod. A) “those taken by thee,” as though she had stolen them.

About which thou cursedst.—Literally, and thou didst adjure. The LXX. (Cod. B) add, “dost adjure me.” The adjuration was clearly that commanded in Lev_5:1 : “And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity.” (Comp. Ecclus. iii. 9: “The curse of a mother rooteth out foundations.”)

I took it.—Micah is terrified into confession by his mother’s adjuration. He shows throughout a singular mixture of superstition and ignorance.

Blessed be thou of the Lord, my son.—Because of his penitence and confession.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he said unto his mother,.... Who seems to have been a widow, and an ancient woman since Micah had sons, and one of them at age to become a priest:

the eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee: which were taken away by stealth from her, though it may be rendered "taken to thee" (i); which she had taken to herself out of the rest of her substance, and had separated and devoted it to religious uses; but Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it as we do, and which seems to be the best sense; of the value of this sum; see Gill on Jdg 16:5 and because the like sum is there offered, and was given to Delilah, hence some have thought, as Jarchi relates, that this woman was Delilah; but, as he observes, it is a mistake; for this woman lived long before the times of Samson and Delilah:

about which thou cursedst; which when she perceived was stolen from her, she fell into a passion, and cursed and swore, cursed the thief that took it, whether of her own family or another; or adjured her son, that if he knew anything of it, that he would declare it, suspecting him of the robbery; some think this refers to the oath she had made, that she would devote the silver to a religious use:

and spakest of also in mine ears; of the sum how much it was, and of the use she had designed it for; or rather the curse was delivered in his hearing, and cut him to the heart, and wrought that conviction in him, that he could not retain the money any longer, not being able to bear his mother's curse; though Abarbinel connects this with the following clause, "behold, the silver is with me"; as if the sense was, that she spake in his ears, and charged him with the theft to his face; saying, verily the silver is with thee, thou hast certainly taken it; upon which he confessed it, "I took it"; but the former sense seems best, that not being willing to lie under his mother's curse, he owned that the money was in his hands, and he had taken it from her:

and his mother said, blessed be thou of the Lord, my son; she reversed the curse, and pronounced a blessing on him, or wished one to him, and that without reproving him for his sin, rejoicing to hear of her money again.

(i) "captum est tibi", Montanus, Junius & Tremellius.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Thou cursedst - or, “adjuredst me by God.” Compare Mat 26:63; Lev 5:1.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Mother. A rich (Calmet) old widow, since she had grandchildren, one of whom was appointed to serve her domestic chapel. (Menochius) --- She had lost a sum of money, and was venting imprecations against the thief, when her son came and informed her that he had it safe, upon which she changed her curses into blessings. --- Swear, may have another meaning, as if she had made a vow of this money. (Calmet; Menochius) --- Lord. Hebrew Yehova, the title of God, which she gives to idols, (Menochius) or perhaps she preposterously adored both the true and false gods at the same time. (Calmet) --- Many Protestants assert that her intention was good, in what she did. (Monceius; Grotius, &c.) --- So willing are they to excuse all from idolatry but Catholics! (Haydock) --- Almost all interpreters condemn Michas and his mother of superstition, and of acting contrary to the express orders of God, in appointing a priest who was not of the family of Aaron, &c. (Calmet) --- Their graven image was an idol. But this is no proof against the sacred images of Catholics. (Worthington)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

About which thou cursedst, i.e. didst curse the person who had taken them away, and that in my hearing, as it follows. I took it; the fear of thy curse makes me acknowledge mine offence, and beg thy pardon.

Blessed be thou of the Lord; I willingly consent to and beg from God the removal of the curse, and a blessing instead of it. Be thou free from my curse, because thou hast so honestly restored it.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

2. About which thou cursedst — Having missed the money, she uttered imprecations against the thief.

Also in my ears — She so uttered and kept repeating her curses that among others Micah also heard her.

I took it — The son had been the thief, but his mother’s curses seem to have awed him, and led him to make restitution. This act of robbery, and the thief being allowed to go unpunished, show the lawlessness of the time.

Blessed — Instead of reproof and penalty for his theft he receives a blessing. This blessing sprang from sudden joy at receiving again her lost silver.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The eleven hundred. See Jud_1:16:5, note. Thou cursedst. The Cethib and the Alexandrian Codex of the Septuagint read, Thou cursedst, i.e. adjuredst me, which is a better reading. There is a direct and verbal reference to the law contained in Lev_5:1. The word thou cursedst here and the voice of swearing in Leviticus are the same root. It was in consequence of this adjuration that Micah confessed his guilt. Compare Mat_26:63, when our Lord, on the adjuration of the high priest, broke his silence and confessed that he was Christ, the Son of God. In Achan"s confession (Jos_7:19, Jos_7:20) there is no distinct reference to Lev_5:1, though this may have been the ground of it.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

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. Blessed - I willingly consent to, and beg from God the removal of the curse, and a blessing instead of it. Be thou free from my curse, because thou hast so honestly restored it.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Stolen from you [lit. "to you"]. Stolen from you. Similarly, "For women were withheld 'to' us,"—'from' us.

When you cursed. You cursed whoever stole it, and even uttered the curse in my ear.

Look, the silver. I confess to you, concerning it, that it is in my possession, as I stole it.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.