Annotations upon the remaining historicall part of the Old Testament. The second part. to wit, the books of Joshua, Judges, the two books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, and the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther : wherein first, all such passages in the text are explained as were thought likely to be questioned by any reader of ordinary capacity : secondly, in many clauses those things are discovered which are needfull and usefull to be known ... and thirdly, many places that might at first seem to contradict one another are reconciled ... / by Arthur Jackson.

CHAP. XVII.

Vers. 1. ANd there was a man of mount Ephraim, &c.] All the particular pas∣sages related from hence to the end of this book, were certainly in the time of some of the forementioned Judges, & that not long too after the death of Jo∣shua, and not according to the order of time, as they are here inserted, after the death of Samson. Concerning which see the note upon vers. 6.

Vers. 2. And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver, that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst. &c.] To wit either by cursing those that had stolen it, through the violence of her passion; or by adjuring those she spake to under a curse to reveal what was become of it, if they knew any thing of it. Now the bitternesse of his mothers spirit in cursing thus, was doubtlesse the greater, because she had superstitiously devoted it to a religious use, to wit, the making of i∣mages for her sonne. But yet Micah mentions it as being touched in conscience by way of aggravating his sinne, & implying the reason why he could no longer detain it, In mine own hearing, saith he, thou didst curse those that had taken thy silver from thee, or that did not discover where it was, yet wretch as I am, hitherto I have de∣tained it, but no longer dare I lie under a mothers curse, and therefore am I now come to confesse my sinne, and to restore again the money to you.

And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the Lord, my sonne.] That is, free be thou from my curse, my sonne and mayst thou be blessed of the Lord, and not cursed, because thou hast repented of this fact, and so ingeniously dost offer to restore, what unadvisedly before thou hadst taken away from me.

Vers. 3. His mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the Lord, &c.] Micahs mother here tells him, that she had wholly dedicated the silver unto the Lord, Jehovah as it is in the Hebrew, and yet withall she addes, that it was to make idols for him, to make a graven image and a molten image; whereby it is evident, that in these times, when many of the Israelites were become idolaters, yet they pretended and intended the worship of the true God in their idol-service, not esteeming those

dumb and dead images gods, but onely representations and remembrances of the true God. Some question whether this which she spake, of a graven image, and a molten image, was meant of two severall images, that she intended should be made of her silver, one graven and another molten; or of one image which is called a gra∣ven and a molten image, onely because they did melt their silver, and cast it into the form of an image, and then did afterwards polish and finish it with graving tools; but that two severall images are here intended, is evident in the following chapter, vers. 18. where it is plain that they are named severally, And these went into Mi∣cahs house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the Teraphim, and the mol∣ten image.

Vers. 4. Yet he restored the money unto his mother.] Though she now gave it him freely, yet he would not keep it, as fearing the disquiet of his conscience, if she would bestow it as she vowed, she might, but he would be sure to rid his hands of it.

And his mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image, and a molten image, &c.] The other nine hun∣dred shekels were therefore it seems laid out in providing an ephod and other orna∣ments for the priest in providing their teraphim, and whatsoever else was requisite for the idolatrous worship o•• the•• false gods.

Vers. 5. And the man Micah had an house of gods, &c.] That is, a chappel con∣secrated to these superstitious devotions; and made an ephod, under which are com∣prehended all other garments for the priests; and teraphim, now these teraphim were a speciall sort of images, distinguished by that name from all other sorts of i∣mages: 2. Kings 23.24. Moreover the workers with familiar spirits, and the wiz∣ards, and the images, (the teraphim it is in the originall) and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah, and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away. It seems they had the shape of men: 1. Sam. 19.13. And Michael took an image and laid in the bed (for there also Michaels image is in the originall called teraphim) and that they made use of them as oracles, and received from them an∣swers what to do in doubtfull cases: Ezek. 21.21. The king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two wayes, to use divination: he made his ar∣rows bright he consulted with images, or teraphim: Zach. 10.2. The idols (or te∣raphim) have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams: and it may well be, that this made the Danites enquire at Micahs house con∣cerning the successe of their journey.

Vers. 6. In those dayes there was no king in Israel, &c.] That is, in those dayes when Micah did this before related: But when was this? The time is not expressely set down; some conceive this was done after Samsons death, and that therefore it is next related in the course of the history; but the most probable opinion is, that both this, and all that followeth to the end of this book, were done long before Samsons death, and are here onely related apart by themselves, that the story of the Judges, the main thing intended in the former part of the book, might not be interrupted: first, because it is not probable that the Danites being a populous ••••be, and straiten∣ed in their dwelling, by reason of the Amorites so long before, Judg. 1.34. And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain, for they would not let them come into the valley; would stay so many years ere they would look out to

enlarge their borders, which how they did, and how they stole away Micahs gods, is related in the following chapter But especially because in the warre of Israel against Benjamin (which is largely related in the three last chapters of this book) Phinehas ministred before the Lord, chap. 20.28. And Phinehas the sonne of Ele∣azar, the sonne of Aaron, stood before it in those dayes, saying, Shall I yet again go out to battel against the children of Benjamin my brother, who killed Zimri and Cozbi, Numb. 25.7. above three hundred years before Samsons death: It seems therefore, either this was done immediately after the death of Joshua, and those elders, who all their time kept the people from revolting from God, Judg. 2.7. And the people served the Lord all the dayes of Joshua, and and all the dayes of the elders that outlived Joshua; who had seen all the great works of the Lord which he did for Israel: and then the meaning of the words may be (there was no King in Israel) that there was no ordinary supreme magistrate, nei∣ther King nor Judge, to restrain the people from these wicked courses, or else that it was done in the time of some of the Judges, that followed next after Joshua; and then the meaning of the words must be, that in those dayes there was no King in Israel; that is, no supreme Magistrate armed with such sovereigne authoritie, to pu∣nish offenders that transgressed the law, as the Kings afterwards had; the Judges ra∣ther governing the people by counsell, shewing them what was the law and will of God, then by the sword of justice, at least, in those times of the Judges, when they were in subjection to those neighbouring nations that tyrannised over them.

Vers. 7. And there was a young man out of Bethlehem-Judah, &c.] That is, Bethlehem in the tribe of Judah, (which was called Bethlehem Ephratah, Mich. 5.2.) to distinguish it from that Bethlehem which was in the tribe of Zebulun, Josh. 19.15. But why is it said in the next words that he was a Levite, and yet withall too of the familie of Judah? I answer, because though he was a Levite, yet he was born and bred up amongst them of the familie of Judah. It may be true which some conceive, that his father being a Levite, and sojourning there, marryed a wife of the familie of Judah: but it is not usuall in Scripture, to style men by the mothers familie, and therefore the meaning is, that there he had his birth and breeding: for which cause, he is also said to have sojourned there; because he was not of that tribe, neither was Bethlehem one of the Levites cities, but there he lived as a stranger, as the Levites it seems did in many other places. Afterwards his name is expressed, and of what familie he was; to wit, that his name was Jonathan, and that he was the sonne of Gershom, the sonne of Manasseh.

Vers. 8. And the man departed out of the city from Bethlehem-Judah, to so∣journ where he could find a place, &c.] This shews the corruptions of those times; God had provided liberally for the tribe of Levi; but in these idolatrous times, the people had in a great measure forsaken the Tabernacle; and so their appointed main∣tenance of tythes, it seems, was not yielded them; for then this Levite needed not have wandered up and down, to procure means of livelyhood. See the like, Neh. 13.10, 11. And I perceived that the portion of the Levites had not been given them; for the Levites, and the singers that did the work, were fled every one to his field. Then I contended with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? and I gathered them together, and put them in their places.

Vers. 10. And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father, and a priest, &c.] Though he had consecrated his sonne to execute the priests office, in his idolatrous chappel, yet because he thought it would be a great honour to his idol-worship, to have one of the tribe of Levi to his priest; either he was content to put his sonne out of that place, and to put in this Levite in his room; or else meant to joyn him with his sonne; and so began to treat with him to this purpose. But yet observable it is, that though he promised to reverence this Levite as a father (not∣withstanding his youth) if he would be his priest, be unto me saith he a father and a priest: yet it was but a poore salarie that he tendered him for his service. I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the yeare, and a suit of apparell, and thy victuals: eleven hundred shekels of silver were set apart, to make their idols, and the appurtenances thereto belonging, and yet ten shekels of silver were thought enough for the priests wages. Indeed had not the time when this was done been extremely corrupt, a Le∣vite would never have prostituted himself to such a base service, as to be a priest to their idol-dunghill-gods, and that too upon such base terms; but hunger will snap at any thing, when there is no grace to restrain men; for so it follows in the next verse, and the Levite was content to dwell with the man, &c.

Vers. 11. And the young man was unto him as one of his sonnes, &c.] Though he reverenced him as a father, as he had promised him before, vers. 10, yet it is said here, that the young man was unto him as one of his sonnes, that is, he loved him, and used him as if he had been his own child.

Vers. 13. Now I know that the Lord will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.] But how much he was deceived, the following chapter sheweth.