And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an {c} ephod, and {d} teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

(c) He would serve both God and idols.

(d) By Teraphim some understand certain idols, having the likeness of a man, but others understand by it all manner of things and instruments belonging to those who sought an answer at God's hands, as in Jud 18:5,6.

Wesley's Notes

17:5 Of gods - That is, an house consecrated for the service of God in this manner. Teraphim - A sort of images so called. One of his sons - Because the Levites in that corrupt estate of the church, neglected the exercise of their office, and therefore they were neglected by the people, and others put into their employment.

King James Translators' Notes

consecrated: Heb. filled the hand

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

5. the man Micah had an house of gods-Hebrew, "a house of God"-a domestic chapel, a private religious establishment of his own.

an ephod-(see on [224]Ex 28:6).

teraphim-tutelary gods of the household (see Ge 31:19 and see on [225]Ge 31:26).

consecrated one of his sons who became his priest-The assumption of the priestly office by any one out of the family of Aaron was a direct violation of the divine law (Nu 3:10; 16:17; De 21:5; Heb 5:4).

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

17:1-6 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. Jud 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 made her so unkind to her son, as to curse him. Outward losses drive good people to their prayers, but bad people to their curses. This woman's 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 up idol worship in their family. See the cause of this corruption. Every man did that which was right in his own eyes, and then they soon did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.