And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee.

JUDGES 17:3KJV
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Judges 17:3 (KJV)

What does Judges 17:3 mean?

Judges 17:3 describes a son returning eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, and the mother declaring that she had completely dedicated this silver to the LORD for her son, intending it to be used to make a carved and a cast image, and now she is giving it back to him for that purpose. The verse highlights both the act of returning the money and the mother's religious intentions for it.

In this verse, the mother is speaking to her son after he returns a large sum of silver that had previously been missing. She explains that she had set apart the silver as a special offering to the LORD (the God of Israel), but her plan was to use it to create religious images for her son. This sets the stage for the story of Micah and his household shrine, showing a mix of devotion and misunderstanding of proper worship in Israel at that time.

The Hebrew behind Judges 17:3

  • "Wholly dedicated" comes from קָדַשׁ (qadash), which means to set apart or make something holy. Here, the mother claims she has entirely set apart the silver for a religious purpose, showing her intention was not just a casual gift but a full dedication.
  • "LORD" is יְהוָה (YHWH), the specific name for the God of Israel. The mother says her dedication is to YHWH, even though her actions (making images) do not align with what the law of YHWH allowed.
  • "Graven image" (פֶּסֶל, pesel) and "molten image" (מַסֵּכָה, masekah) refer to two types of idols: one carved from wood or stone, and one cast from metal. The use of both terms shows she intended to make physical objects for worship, which was forbidden in Israelite law.

Why Judges 17:3 matters

  • Judges 17:3 reveals the confusion and blending of religious practices in Israel during the time of the judges, where people sometimes tried to honor God in ways that actually went against His commands.
  • The verse sets up the story of Micah and his household idols, highlighting the personal and family-level choices that contributed to Israel's spiritual decline.
  • By showing the mother’s intention to dedicate the silver to the LORD but use it for making images, the verse illustrates how sincere intentions can still lead to actions that are not in line with God's instructions.

Where else these words appear

“image” Hebrew H4541 · used in 28 verses

  • Exodus 32:4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
  • Judges 18:14 Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do.
  • Psalms 106:19 They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image.

“image” Hebrew H6459 · used in 31 verses

  • Exodus 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
  • Judges 18:18 And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye?
  • Isaiah 44:9 They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed.