And Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household idols (וּמִיכָה הָיָה־לוֹ בֵית־אֱלֹהִים וַיַּעַשׂ אֵפוֹד וּתְרָפִים), and installed one of his sons, who became his priest (וַיְמַלֵּא אֶת־יַד אַחַד מִבָּנָיו וַיְהִי־לוֹ לְכֹהֵן). Micah establishes a household shrine containing the molten image and other religious objects. The ephod (אֵפוֹד) and household idols or ``teraphim'' (תְרָפִים) evoke the religious paraphernalia of Canaanite worship and home religion. The phrase ``house of God'' (בֵית־אֱלֹהִים) is used, suggesting that Micah frames his shrine as legitimate worship. His installation of one of his sons as priest is particularly significant: the Levitical priesthood, established by Moses and centered on the tabernacle, is replaced by a son-priest serving a household shrine. The privatization and domestication of Israel's religious life is complete. Micah's actions appear pious to him—he has ``filled the hand'' (וַיְמַלֵּא אֶת־יַד) of his son, using the idiom of priestly consecration—yet he is actually violating multiple covenantal stipulations regarding centralized worship and the Levitical priesthood.

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