There was at that time a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Michas.
וַֽיְהִי־אִ֥ישׁ מֵֽהַר־אֶפְרָ֖יִם וּשְׁמ֥וֹ מִיכָֽיְהוּ׃
2 Church Fathers comment on this verse
I believe it is significant that the author of this account chose to position the initial occurrences at the end. He intended to first present the lineage of judges, detailing who reigned first, second, and third, before introducing the two accounts: one concerning Micah and Laisa, and the other regarding the wife who perished from the depraved desires of the wicked.
In the Book of Judges, following the accounts of Samson and Himegar, we find two significant narratives. The first, located in chapters 17 and 18, recounts the story of Micah and the idol he fashioned. The second, in chapters 19 and 20, describes the horrific events surrounding the Levite's wife, who was violated by immoral men and dismembered by her husband, leading to conflicts in Israel against the tribe of Benjamin. Scholars of Sacred Scripture generally suggest that these events transpired after the death of Joshua and prior to the judgment of Othniel in Israel. This scholarly view is grounded in specific observations.
Micah's silver idol was created during a period when the land had not yet been fully allocated among the Israelite tribes, particularly when the tribe of Dan sought a territory among the others. Men were dispatched to scout a suitable area for Dan's settlement, which occurred several years subsequent to Joshua’s passing. This act of crafting an idol marked the onset of idolatry among the Israelites. Consequently, the Lord’s anger resulted in their subjugation under King Cushan-Rishathaim of Aram for eight years (Judges 3:8), from which they were later delivered through the judge Othniel.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS