Judges 17:10

father A title of honour given to a priest Judges 18:19, a counsellor Genesis 45:8, cf. [Apocr.] Esther 16:11, 1Ma 11:32, a prophet 2 Kings 2:12; 2 Kings 6:21, a master 2 Kings 5:13, a king 1 Samuel 24:11.

tenpieces of silver … victuals The Levite has to seek a home and maintenance; and he receives a payment of money for his services, cf. 1 Samuel 2:36. At the more important sanctuaries, however, or when the cultus was more developed, the priests derived their income from portions of the sacrifices and offerings, cf. 1 Samuel 2:13 ff., 1 Samuel 2:28. This was the rule in the Babylonian and Phoenician cults, and the Deuteronomic law reflects a similar custom: -no portion nor inheritance" is allowed to the Levitical priests (Deuteronomy 10:9 etc., cf. Numbers 18:23 P); they are dependent upon firstfruits, sacrificial feasts, tithes; and their support is a moral charge on the community, Deuteronomy 12:18 f., Deuteronomy 14:25-29; Deuteronomy 16:11; Deuteronomy 18:1-8. In a supplementary law of the Priestly Code a change was introduced, and 48 cities were assigned to the Levites (Numbers 35:1-8; Joshua 21:1-42), but there is no evidence that this regulation was ever carried out.

So the Levite went in Hebr. went away, departed, as in Judges 17:8; but this gives a wrong sense. Moreover, no writer could have composed anything so clumsy as and the Levite departed, and the Levite was content(Judges 17:11). The first phrase may be a stray fragment of one of the two narratives, or it is merely a doublet of the phrase which follows (Studer and others). The Vulgate omits and the L. departed; the LXX in Judges 17:11 reads and he was content.

11b. and the young man was Continuing Judges 17:7.

12a. consecrated installed, Judges 17:5 n., continuing 11b: and was in the house of M.continues 11a.