Judges 17:2

said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have the silver here with me; I took it.” Then his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the LORD!”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Micah confesses to his mother that he took the eleven hundred shekels of silver she had cursed him over, and she responds by pronouncing a blessing on him in the name of the LORD.

The words — The text foregrounds לֻֽקַּֽח (lu.kach), "it was taken," and הַ/כֶּ֜סֶף (ha./Ke.sef), "the silver," to anchor the confession in the specific object of the theft.

The thread — The mother’s blessing formula parallels the covenantal benedictions in Ruth 3:10 and 1 Samuel 23:21, where divine favor is invoked following a recognized act of loyalty.

Why it lands — The narrative records a direct confession of theft met with a religious blessing, demanding the reader note the immediate theological contradiction before the mother dedicates the funds to manufacture an idol in Judges 17:3.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

King James Version

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.

Cross-references

Nehemiah 13:25 I rebuked them and called down curses on them. I beat some of these men and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath before God and said, “You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves!
Ruth 3:10 Then Boaz said, “May the LORD bless you, my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before, because you have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.
1 Samuel 23:21 “May you be blessed by the LORD,” replied Saul, “for you have had compassion on me.
Matthew 26:74 At that he began to curse and swear to them, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed.
2 John 1:11 Whoever greets such a person shares in his evil deeds.
Genesis 14:19 and he blessed Abram and said: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,
Genesis 24:30 As soon as he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and heard Rebekah’s words, “The man said this to me,” he went and found the man standing by the camels near the spring.
Exodus 20:7 You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.
Deuteronomy 27:16 ‘Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
Judges 5:23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ says the angel of the LORD. ‘Bitterly curse her inhabitants; for they did not come to help the LORD, to help the LORD against the mighty.’