Judges 17:10

17:10 Micah said to him, “Stay with me. Become my adviser ¹  and priest. I will give you ten pieces of silver per year, plus clothes and food.” ² 

Judges 18:2-3

18:2 The Danites sent out from their whole tribe five representatives, ³  capable men ⁴  from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. They said to them, “Go, explore the land.” They came to the Ephraimite hill country and spent the night at Micah’s house. ⁵  18:3 As they approached ⁶  Micah’s house, they recognized the accent ⁷  of the young Levite. So they stopped ⁸  there and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here?” ⁹ 

Judges 18:27

18:27 Now the Danites ¹⁰  took what Micah had made, as well as his priest, and came to Laish, where the people were undisturbed and unsuspecting. They struck them down with the sword and burned the city. ¹¹ 

[17:10]  ¹ tn Heb “father.” “Father” is here a title of honor that suggests the priest will give advice and protect the interests of the family, primarily by divining God’s will in matters, perhaps through the use of the ephod. (See R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 257; also Gen 45:8, where Joseph, who was a diviner and interpreter of dreams, is called Pharaoh’s “father,” and 2 Kgs 6:21; 13:14, where a prophet is referred to as a “father.” Note also 2 Kgs 8:9, where a king identifies himself as a prophet’s “son.” One of a prophet’s main functions was to communicate divine oracles. Cf. 2 Kgs 8:9ff.; 13:14-19).

[17:10]  ² tn The Hebrew text expands with the phrase: “and the Levite went.” This only makes sense if taken with “to live” in the next verse. Apparently “the Levite went” and “the Levite agreed” are alternative readings which have been juxtaposed in the text.

[18:2]  ³ tn Heb “The Danites sent from their tribe five men, from their borders.”

[18:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “men, sons of strength.”

[18:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “They came to the Ephraimite hill country, to Micah’s house, and spent the night there.”

[18:3]  ⁵ tn Or “When they were near.”

[18:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “voice.” This probably means that “his speech was Judahite [i.e., southern] like their own, not Israelite [i.e., northern]” (R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 263).

[18:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “turned aside.”

[18:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “What [is there] to you here?”

[18:27]  ⁷ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Danites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:27]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew adds “with fire.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons, because it is redundant in English.