Chapter
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Verse

Judges 18:24

ESV And he said, “You take my gods that I made and the priest, and go away, and what have I left? How then do you ask me, ‘What is the matter with you?’”
NIV He replied, 'You took the gods I made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you ask, 'What's the matter with you?''
NASB And he said, 'You have taken my gods which I made, and the priest, and have gone away; what more do I have? So how can you say to me, ‘What is the matter with you?’?'
CSB He said, "You took the gods I had made and the priest, and went away. What do I have left? How can you say to me, 'What's the matter with you? ' "
NLT What do you mean, ‘What’s the matter?’' Micah replied. 'You’ve taken away all the gods I have made, and my priest, and I have nothing left!'
KJV And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee?

What does Judges 18:24 mean?

A traveling convoy from the tribe of Dan has stolen all the supposedly sacred items from Micah's house (Judges 18:14–20), along with his Levite priest (Judges 17:7–13). The Danites know Micah understands they are responsible. With a group of his neighbors, Micah has chased them down as they journey north and has now caught up to them (Judges 18:21–23). The Danites asked why Micah has aggressively approach with so many men. With a sarcastic sort of intimidation, they have asked "what is the matter with you?"

Micah can't believe they are pretending not to know why he has come. The desperate response reveals how deeply he has been trusting in his homemade religion. He seems genuinely surprised that his false idols and hired cleric could not protect him from harm and bring him blessing. His belief is real, in a sense, but incredibly foolish. He has been worshipping something he created and expecting it to take care of him (Isaiah 2:8). Centuries later, the silversmiths of Ephesus will complain that Paul is ruining their idol-making business by teaching everyone that "gods made with hands are not gods" (Acts 19:26). Micah would have known this truth already if he had paid attention to the commands of the Lord or if his priest had told him about them (Exodus 20:3–17).
Expand
Expand
Expand
What is the Gospel?
Download the app: