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Thursday, August 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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New Life Version

Judges 17:7

Now there was a young man of Bethlehem in Judah. He was a Levite, of the family of Judah, and he was staying there.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Bethlehem;   Jonathan;   Minister, Christian;   Thompson Chain Reference - Jonathan;   Sojourners;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Jonathan;   Judges;   Teraphim;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Bethlehem;   Gershom;   Levites;   Manasseh (2);   Pentateuch;   Priest;   Samuel;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Bethlehem;   Judges, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Bethlehem;   Gershom;   Israel;   Kohath, Kohathites;   Levi;   Micah, Micaiah;   Priests and Levites;   Samson;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Bethlehem;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Bethlehem ;   Ephrathite ;   Jonathan ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Jonathan;   Micah;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Beth'lehem;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Bethlehem;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Reign of the Judges;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Bethlehem;   Ezekiel;   Israel, History of the People;   Israel, Religion of;   Jonathan (1);   Judges, Period of;   Micah (1);   Priests and Levites;   Stranger and Sojourner (in the Old Testament);   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Bethlehem;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Beth-Lehem-Judah;   Elkanah;   Levi ;   Micah;   Priest;   Sacrifice;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for August 3;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
There was a young man, a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, who was staying within the clan of Judah.
Hebrew Names Version
There was a young man out of Beit-Lechem-Yehudah, of the family of Yehudah, who was a Levite; and he sojourned there.
King James Version
And there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.
Lexham English Bible
There was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, from the clan of Judah; he was a Levite and was dwelling as a foreigner there.
English Standard Version
Now there was a young man of Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.
New Century Version
There was a young man who was a Levite from the city of Bethlehem in Judah who was from the people of Judah.
New English Translation
There was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah. He was a Levite who had been temporarily residing among the tribe of Judah.
Amplified Bible
Now there was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, from the family [of the tribe] of Judah, who was a Levite; and he was staying there [temporarily].
New American Standard Bible
Now there was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he was staying there.
Geneva Bible (1587)
There was also a yong man out of Bethlehem Iudah, of the familie of Iudah: who was a Leuite, and soiourned there.
Legacy Standard Bible
En daar was 'n jongman van Betlehem-Juda, uit die geslag van Juda; hy was 'n Leviet wat daar as vreemdeling vertoef het.
Contemporary English Version
One day a young Levite came to Micah's house in the hill country of Ephraim. He had been staying with one of the clans of Judah in Bethlehem, but he had left Bethlehem to find a new place to live where he could be a priest.
Complete Jewish Bible
There was a young man from Beit-Lechem in Y'hudah, from the family of Y'hudah, who was a Levi. He had been staying
Darby Translation
And there was a young man out of Bethlehem-Judah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.
Easy-to-Read Version
There was a young man who was a Levite from the city of Bethlehem in Judah. He had been living among the tribe of Judah.
George Lamsa Translation
Now there was a young man from Bethlehem of Judah, whose name was Levi, and he sojourned there.
Good News Translation
At that same time there was a young Levite who had been living in the town of Bethlehem in Judah.
Literal Translation
And there was a young man of Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah; and he was a Levite. And he resided there.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
There was a yoge man of Bethleem Iuda, amoge the kynreds of Iuda, and he was a Leuite, and was a straunger there.
American Standard Version
And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem-judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he sojourned there.
Bible in Basic English
Now there was a young man living in Beth-lehem-judah, of the family of Judah and a Levite, who was not a townsman of the place.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And there was a young man out of Bethlehem Iuda, of the kynred of Iuda, which young man was a Leuite, & soiourned there.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem in Judah--in the family of Judah--who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.
King James Version (1611)
And there was a young man out of Bethlehem Iudah, of the family of Iudah, who was a Leuite, and he soiourned there.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And there was a young man in Bethleem of the tribe of Juda, and he was a Levite, and he was sojourning there.
English Revised Version
And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem-judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.
Berean Standard Bible
And there was a young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, who had been residing within the clan of Judah.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Also another yonge wexynge man was of Bethleem of Juda, of the kynrede therof, `that is, of Juda, and he was a dekene, and dwellide there.
Young's Literal Translation
And there is a young man of Beth-Lehem-Judah, of the family of Judah, and he [is] a Levite, and he [is] a sojourner there.
Update Bible Version
And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem-judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he sojourned there.
Webster's Bible Translation
And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem-judah of the family of Judah, who [was] a Levite, and he sojourned there.
World English Bible
There was a young man out of Beth-lehem-judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he sojourned there.
New King James Version
Now there was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah; he was a Levite, and was staying there.
New Living Translation
One day a young Levite, who had been living in Bethlehem in Judah, arrived in that area.
New Revised Standard
Now there was a young man of Bethlehem in Judah, of the clan of Judah. He was a Levite residing there.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And there was a young man out of Bethlehem-judah, of the family of Judah, - he, being a Levite, and, he, being a sojourner there.
Douay-Rheims Bible
There was also another young man of Bethlehem Juda, of the kindred thereof: and he was a Levite, and dwelt there.
Revised Standard Version
Now there was a young man of Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he sojourned there.
THE MESSAGE
Meanwhile there was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah and from a family of Judah. He was a Levite but was a stranger there. He left that town, Bethlehem in Judah, seeking his fortune. He got as far as the hill country of Ephraim and showed up at Micah's house.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now there was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he was staying there.

Contextual Overview

7 Now there was a young man of Bethlehem in Judah. He was a Levite, of the family of Judah, and he was staying there. 8 He left the city of Bethlehem in Judah to find a place to live. As he traveled he came to the house of Micah in the hill country of Ephraim. 9 Micah said to him, "Where do you come from?" He answered, "I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I am going to stay where I may find a place." 10 Then Micah said to him, "Live with me. Be a father and a religious leader to me. I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, new clothes, and your living." So the Levite went in. 11 The Levite agreed to live with the man. And the young man was like a son to Micah. 12 So Micah set apart the Levite. The young man became his religious leader and lived in Micah's house. 13 Then Micah said, "Now I know that the Lord will bring good to me because I have a Levite as my religious leader."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Beth-lehem-judah, Judges 19:1, Judges 19:2, Genesis 35:19, Joshua 19:15, Ruth 1:1, Ruth 1:2, Micah 5:2, Matthew 2:1, Matthew 2:5, Matthew 2:6

of the family: That is, of the tribe of Judah by his mother; and of that of Levi by his father.

Reciprocal: 2 Chronicles 11:6 - Bethlehem

Cross-References

Genesis 15:18
The Lord made an agreement with Abram on that day. He said, "I have given this land to your children and to their children's children, from the river of Egypt as far as the big Euphrates River,
Genesis 17:5
No more will your name be Abram. But your name will be Abraham. For I will make you the father of many nations.
Genesis 17:6
Many will come from you. I will make nations of you. Kings will come from you.
Genesis 17:7
I will make My agreement between Me and you and your children after you through their whole lives for all time. I will be God to you and to your children's children after you.
Genesis 17:8
I will give to you and your children after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan for yourselves forever. And I will be their God."
Genesis 17:9
Then God said to Abraham, "You must keep My agreement, you and your children after you for all time.
Genesis 17:11
In this religious act the skin is cut off from the end of your sex part. This will be the special act of the agreement between Me and you.
Genesis 17:16
And I will bring good to her. I will give you a son by her. I will bring good to her. And she will be the mother of nations. Kings of many people will come from her."
Genesis 17:17
Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed. He said to himself, "Will a child be born to a man who is 100 years old?
Genesis 28:13
And he saw the Lord standing above them. He said, "I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham, and the God of Isaac. I will give to you and your children after you the land where you are lying.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah,.... 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.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The Hebrew words for “he sojourned there” are, שׁם גר gêr shām, which words are used Judges 18:30 in the genealogy of this young Levite, whose name was “Jonathan, the son of Gershom” (גרשׁם gêreshôm). Hence, some read here, “the son of Gershom.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 17:7. Of the family of Judah — The word family may be taken here for tribe; or the young man might have been of the tribe of Judah by his mother, and of the tribe of Levi by his father, for he is called here a Levite; and it is probable that he might have officiated at Shiloh, in the Levitical office. A Levite might marry into any other tribe, providing the woman was not an heiress.


 
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