Judges 3:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not pull the sword out of his belly; and the dung came out.

NIV: Even the handle sank in after the blade, and his bowels discharged. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it.

NASB: The hilt of the sword also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade because he did not pull the sword out of his belly; and the refuse came out.

CSB: Even the handle went in after the blade, and Eglon’s fat closed in over it, so that Ehud did not withdraw the sword from his belly. And the waste came out.

NLT: The dagger went so deep that the handle disappeared beneath the king’s fat. So Ehud did not pull out the dagger, and the king’s bowels emptied.

KJV: And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out.

NKJV: Even the hilt went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the dagger out of his belly; and his entrails came out.

Ehud has done what he came to do. The Lord has raised Ehud up as Israel's deliverer (Judges 3:15–16), and now Ehud has thrust his sword into the obese guts of Israel's enslaver, King Eglon of Moab (Judges 3:18–21). The two are alone in a room in the king's palace with the doors closed.

Here, the writer of Judges adds detail to the stabbing that evokes both disgust and a vivid ring of truth. This is sometimes referred to as one of the "grossest" or most graphic statements in the Bible. We've been told the king is a very fat man (Judges 3:17). Ehud stabs his homemade blade, about the length from a man's elbow to the tip of the fingers, into the king's belly. The blow is so powerful, and the wound so deep, that the fat of the king's stomach closes around the hilt, swallowing the sword whole.

The text is simultaneously unclear and explicit about what happens next. Out of Eglon's body comes something described using the term parshadon, which is obscure. The word includes the idea of "scattering," and seems to be associated with filth. Given the massive injury and Eglon's enormous obesity, it's possible Ehud's attack literally disemboweled the Moabite king. Or, that death caused his bowels to empty themselves. At the very least, the wound immediately proves fatal. Given that Ehud can escape secretly (Judges 3:23–26), Eglon appears to have dropped dead without a sound.

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).