John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 3. And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother , etc.] The whole sum, having embezzled none of it: 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 ; this she had done either before it was stolen, and it troubled her the more, and caused her the rather to curse the man that had taken it; or after it was stolen, that if it should be recovered again she would appropriate it to such an use; so Abarbinel; and by the Lord, or Jehovah, she doubtless meant the true God; for she had no intention to forsake him, but to worship him in and by these images, and which she designed for the use of her son and his family, that they might not go so far as Shiloh to worship at the tabernacle there: therefore I will restore it unto thee ; for that use, and so gave him the money again, to be laid out in images, or to make images of it.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-6 - What is related in this, and the rest of the chapters to the end of this book, was done soon after the death of Joshua: see chap. Ju 20:28. That it might appear how happy the nation was under the Judges here is showed how unhappy they were when there was no Judge. The love of money made Micah so undutiful to his mother as to rob her, and mad her so unkind to her son, as to curse him. Outward losses drive goo people to their prayers, but bad people to their curses. This woman' silver was her god, before it was made into a graven or a molten image Micah and his mother agreed to turn their money into a god, and set u idol worship in their family. See the cause of this corruption. Ever man did that which was right in his own eyes, and then they soon di that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.
Original Hebrew וישׁב7725 את853 אלף505 ומאה3967 הכסף3701 לאמו517 ותאמר559 אמו517 הקדשׁ6942 הקדשׁתי6942 את853 הכסף3701 ליהוה3068 מידי3027 לבני1121 לעשׂות6213 פסל6459 ומסכה4541 ועתה6258 אשׁיבנו׃7725
