John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 7. And there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah , etc.] As there were two Bethlehems, one in the tribe of Zebulun, ( Joshua 19:15) and another in the tribe of Judah, the place here designed, Judah is added to it, to distinguish it from the other: of the family of Judah : which refers either to the young man, who was by his father’s side a Levite, and by his mother’s side, as Jarchi thinks, of the tribe of Judah, which seems very probable, though the genealogies of families were not reckoned from the mother; wherefore he might be so called because he had lived chiefly in the tribe of Judah, and particularly at Bethlehem; but Kimchi, and several other Jewish commentators, refer this to the city of Bethlehem, that was of the tribe of Judah, family being put for the tribe; or belonged to the children of Judah; though one would think there was no need to have added this, since it was fully expressed before by calling it Bethlehemjudah; the former sense therefore seems best: who was a Levite ; his father being, as before observed, of that tribe, though his mother might be of the tribe of Judah: and he sojourned there; that is, at Bethlehem; he was not a native, nor an inhabitant there, but a sojourner, it not being a Levitical city.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 7-13 - Micah thought it was a sign of God's favour to him and his images, tha a Levite should come to his door. Thus those who please themselves with their own delusions, if Providence unexpectedly bring any thing to their hands that further them in their evil way, are apt from thence to think that God is pleased with them _________________________________________________
Original Hebrew ויהי1961 נער5288 מבית לחם1035 יהודה3063 ממשׁפחת4940 יהודה3063 והוא1931 לוי3881 והוא1931 גר1481 שׁם׃8033
