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.

JUDGES 17:2KJV
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Judges 17:2 (KJV)

What does Judges 17:2 mean?

Judges 17:2 describes a man confessing to his mother that he took her eleven hundred pieces of silver, which she had cursed when it went missing, and now he is returning it. His mother responds by blessing him in the name of the LORD, showing forgiveness and relief.

In this verse, the speaker is Micah, talking to his mother after taking a large amount of her silver. Earlier, she had pronounced a curse because the silver was stolen, and Micah admits he was the one who took it. Instead of being angry, his mother blesses him, which sets the stage for the events that follow in the chapter, including the making of an idol from the silver.

The Hebrew behind Judges 17:2

  • "Cursedst" (אָרָה, ’arah): This word means to pronounce a curse or utter a strong negative declaration. The mother’s curse was serious and public enough that Micah felt compelled to confess.
  • "Blessed" (בָּרוּךְ, barukh): The mother’s blessing here is a formal reversal of her earlier curse, invoking the LORD’s favor on her son now that the silver is returned.
  • "LORD" (יְהוָה, YHWH): The mother specifically uses God’s personal name, showing the religious tone of her response and connecting her blessing to Israel’s God.

Why Judges 17:2 matters

  • This verse highlights the seriousness of curses and blessings in ancient Israelite culture, especially when connected to God’s name.
  • The confession and the mother’s reaction reveal family dynamics and set up the moral confusion that characterizes the rest of Micah’s story.
  • The mention of such a large sum of silver and the religious language foreshadow the idolatry and spiritual confusion that will unfold in the following verses.