Judges 3:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly.

NIV: Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king's belly.

NASB: Then Ehud reached out with his left hand and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly.

CSB: Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon's belly.

NLT: Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled out the dagger strapped to his right thigh, and plunged it into the king’s belly.

KJV: And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly:

NKJV: Then Ehud reached with his left hand, took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly.

This is the moment Ehud, Israel's deliverer by the hand of God, has been waiting for (Judges 3:15–16). He has gained an audience with the king of Moab, Israel's oppressor, by telling King Eglon that he has a secret message from God. In response, Eglon has cleared the room of all attendants and guards. He has stood up to receive the message (Judges 3:18–20). This act virtually seals his fate, giving Ehud an open path for attack.

Ehud is proficient with his left hand: either entirely left-handed or ambidextrous. He has concealed a specially made weapon under his robes, on his right thigh. He now reaches underneath his clothes with his left hand, grabs the sword, and thrusts it directly into Eglon's midsection, catching the morbidly obese king (Judges 3:17) completely off guard. The blow is devastatingly effective, as the next verse describes in graphic detail (Judges 3:22).

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).

Accessed 4/29/2024 1:49:32 PM