Judges 3:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But he himself turned back at the idols near Gilgal and said, "I have a secret message for you, O king." And he commanded, "Silence." And all his attendants went out from his presence.

NIV: But on reaching the stone images near Gilgal he himself went back to Eglon and said, "Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you." The king said to his attendants, "Leave us!" And they all left.

NASB: But he himself turned back from the idols which were at Gilgal, and said, 'I have a secret message for you, O king.' And the king said, 'Silence!' And all who were attending him left him.

CSB: At the carved images near Gilgal he returned and said, "King Eglon, I have a secret message for you." The king said, "Silence!" and all his attendants left him.

NLT: But when Ehud reached the stone idols near Gilgal, he turned back. He came to Eglon and said, 'I have a secret message for you.' So the king commanded his servants, 'Be quiet!' and he sent them all out of the room.

KJV: But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him.

NKJV: But he himself turned back from the stone images that were at Gilgal, and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” He said, “Keep silence!” And all who attended him went out from him.

Ehud (Judges 3:15–18) is on a mission to kill the king of Moab. As the one selected to bring Israel's tribute to the king, Ehud has gained an audience with Eglon at his palace in Jericho. That has already taken place, and Ehud has begun the journey back home with those who carried the tribute. This is not a missed opportunity, but the exact situation for which Ehud has planned.

He stops, sending the others on their way. Ehud turns back toward Eglon's palace at a place where some idols stood near Gilgal. These idols may have been part of the pagan worship that had taken root in Israel (Judges 3:6). In any case, they had become a landmark in the region. Gilgal was only about two miles from Jericho. Archaeologists in the 1930s uncovered the remains of a large structure in Jericho now believed to be the palace of Eglon. The dimensions were about 40 by 50 feet, or 12 by 15 meters, and the site included expensive pottery and a cuneiform tablet.

Ehud gains another audience with the king by reporting that he has a secret message for Eglon. This, apparently, is how he explains returning to the palace after leaving with his companions earlier in the day. Eglon wants to know the message. He commands "silence;" in this context, that means leaving the room empty so no one else can hear the secret. Attendants and guards leave the room and, apparently, close the door behind them. This leaves Ehud alone with Eglon the king.

Judges 3:12–30 describes another phase of sin, judgment, and deliverance in Israel. The people again provoke God's anger, so He strengthens Eglon, the king of Moab, to defeat and enslave them. After eighteen years, He raises up Ehud as the deliverer. In an infamously graphic assassination, Ehud kills Eglon in his palace in Jericho, then leads an army of Ephraim fighters to take the fords of the Jordan River. Having cut off the Moabites' escape route, the Israelites wipe out the Moabite army, leading to eighty years of peace.

God leaves several Canaanite nations in and around the Promised Land to test Israel's reliance on Him. Some live among the people, others are part of unconquered territories. The Israelites immediately ignore God's commands and begin serving other gods. First, the Lord subjects them to Mesopotamia. After eight years, the first judge, Othniel, leads them to victory and peace. Israel again rebels and is conquered by Moab for 18 years. Ehud's brutal assassination of the Moabite king sparks another period of freedom and peace. In a single brief statement, the obscure Shamgar is celebrated for his victory.

After Israel's failure to complete their mission, as described in chapters 1 and 2, chapter 3 begins by describing the idolatrous nations God left intact to test Israel. In the first of many such cycles, the people sin, are conquered, then are rescued by a "judge." This chapter describes the victories of Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar. Chapter 4 mentions the first of the truly famous names among the judges, describing the careers of Deborah and Barak. This is followed in chapter 6, which introduces Gideon.

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).