Judges 17:5-7
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
5 The man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and teraphim,[a](A) and installed one of his sons, who became his priest.(B) 6 [b]In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in their own eyes.(C)
7 There was a young man from Bethlehem of Judah, from the clan of Judah; he was a Levite residing there.(D)
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- 17:5 An ephod and teraphim: cultic paraphernalia. An ephod was a priestly garment, especially that worn by the high priest (cf. Ex 28 and 39), which contained a pocket for objects used for divination. Teraphim were household idols (Gn 31:19, 34–35; 1 Sm 19:13), which may also have had a divinatory function.
- 17:6 This refrain, which will be repeated fully or in part three more times (18:1; 19:1; 21:25), calls attention to the disorder and lawlessness that prevailed before the establishment of kingship in Israel. In this case the problem is cultic impropriety, seen not only in the making of an idol but in the establishment of a local temple, complete with an ephod and teraphim.
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