And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, 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: now therefore I will restore it unto thee.
After he gave back the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, she said, 'I had completely set apart this silver for the LORD, giving it from my own hand for my son's sake, to make a carved idol and a cast metal image. So now I will give it back to you.'
The mother reveals she had originally intended to use the stolen silver to make idols for her son, claiming this was somehow for the LORD.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs during the chaotic period of the Judges when 'everyone did what was right in their own eyes.' The Israelites had abandoned proper worship at the tabernacle and were mixing pagan idol-making with claims of serving the LORD. Making graven images was explicitly forbidden in the Ten Commandments, yet this family saw no contradiction in dedicating silver 'to the LORD' while planning to craft idols.
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