And the priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.
The priest was pleased and happy about this. He gathered up the ephod, the household gods, and the carved idol, and joined the group of people.
The priest was delighted to go with the Danites and eagerly took the religious objects with him to serve as their priest.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs during the period when the Danite tribe was migrating to find new territory, having taken these religious items and priest from a man named Micah. During the time of the Judges, Israel had no central religious authority, and people often created their own places of worship with hired priests. The ephod was a priestly garment, teraphim were household idols, and the graven image was a carved idol - all representing the religious syncretism common in this chaotic period.
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