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Texts -- Judges 3:15-31 (NET)

Context
3:15 When the Israelites cried out for help to the Lord , he raised up a deliverer for them. His name was Ehud son of Gera the Benjaminite , a left-handed man . The Israelites sent him to King Eglon of Moab with their tribute payment . 3:16 Ehud made himself a sword – it had two edges and was eighteen inches long . He strapped it under his coat on his right thigh . 3:17 He brought the tribute payment to King Eglon of Moab . (Now Eglon was a very fat man .) 3:18 After Ehud brought the tribute payment, he dismissed the people who had carried it. 3:19 But he went back once he reached the carved images at Gilgal . He said to Eglon, “I have a secret message for you, O king .” Eglon said , “Be quiet !” All his attendants left . 3:20 When Ehud approached him, he was sitting in his well-ventilated upper room all by himself . Ehud said , “I have a message from God for you.” When Eglon rose up from his seat , 3:21 Ehud reached with his left hand , hand , pulled the sword from his right thigh , and drove it into Eglon’s belly . 3:22 The handle went in after the blade , and the fat closed around the blade , for Ehud did not pull the sword out of his belly . 3:23 As Ehud went out into the vestibule , he closed the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them. 3:24 When Ehud had left , Eglon’s servants came and saw the locked doors of the upper room . They said , “He must be relieving himself in the well-ventilated inner room .” 3:25 They waited so long they were embarrassed , but he still did not open the doors of the upper room . Finally they took the key and opened the doors. Right before their eyes was their master , sprawled out dead on the floor ! 3:26 Now Ehud had escaped while they were delaying . When he passed the carved images , he escaped to Seirah . 3:27 When he reached Seirah, he blew a trumpet in the Ephraimite hill country . The Israelites went down with him from the hill country , with Ehud in the lead . 3:28 He said to them, “Follow me, for the Lord is about to defeat your enemies , the Moabites !” They followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan River opposite Moab , and did not let anyone cross . 3:29 That day they killed about ten thousand Moabites – all strong, capable warriors ; not one escaped . 3:30 Israel humiliated Moab that day , and the land had rest for eighty years . 3:31 After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath ; he killed six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad and, like Ehud, delivered Israel .

Pericope

NET
  • Jdg 3:12-31 -- Deceit, Assassination, and Deliverance

Bible Dictionary

  • Ehud

    [ebd] union. (1.) A descendant of Benjamin (1 Chr. 7:10), his great-grandson. (2.) The son of Gera, of the tribe of Benjamin (Judg. 3:15). After the death of Othniel the people again fell into idolatry, and Eglon, the king of Moab...
    [isbe] EHUD - e'-hud (ehudh, "united," "strong"): A Benjamite, son of Gera, deliverer of Israel from oppression by Moab (Jdg 3:15-30). Gaining access alone to the presence of King Eglon under pretense of a secret errand connected w...
    [smith] (union). Ehud son of Bilhah, and great-grandson of Benjamin the patriarch. (1 Chronicles 7:10; 8:6) Ehud son of Gera, of the tribe of Benjamin, (Judges 3:15) the second judge of the Israelites. (B.C. about 1370.) In the B...
    [nave] EHUD 1. A descendant of Benjamin, 1 Chr. 8:6. Called Ehi, Gen. 46:21. Probably identical with Ahiram, mentioned in Num. 26:38, and Aharah, 1 Chr. 8:1, and Ahoah, v. 4, and Ahiah, v. 7, and Aher, 1 Chr. 7:12. 2. Son of Bil...

  • God

    [nave] GOD. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Access to; Compassion of; Creator; Creator of Mankind; Eternity of; Faithfulness of; Fatherhood of; Favor of; Foreknowledge of; Glory of; Goodness of...

  • Judge

    [nave] JUDGE Appointed by Persians, Ezra 7:25. Kings and other rulers as, 2 Sam. 8:15; 15:2; 1 Kin. 3:16-28; 10:9; 2 Kin. 8:1-6; Psa. 72:1-4; Matt. 27:11-26; Acts 23:34, 35; 24; 25:11, 12. Priests and Levites as, Deut. 17:9; 2 Ch...

  • MOAB

    [ebd] the seed of the father, or, according to others, the desirable land, the eldest son of Lot (Gen. 19:37), of incestuous birth. (2.) Used to denote the people of Moab (Num. 22:3-14; Judg. 3:30; 2 Sam. 8:2; Jer. 48:11, 13). (3....
    [smith] (of his father), Mo?abites. Moab was the son of the Lot?s eldest daughter, the progenitor of the Moabites. Zoar was the cradle of the race of Lot. From this centre the brother tribes spread themselves. The Moabites first inha...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • Moabite

    [ebd] the designation of a tribe descended from Moab, the son of Lot (Gen. 19:37). From Zoar, the cradle of this tribe, on the south-eastern border of the Dead Sea, they gradually spread over the region on the east of Jordan. Rame...

  • JUDGES, PERIOD OF

    [isbe] JUDGES, PERIOD OF - || I. SOURCES II. CHRONOLOGY III. GENERAL POLITICAL SITUATION 1. The Canaanites 2. Foes Without IV. MAIN EVENTS 1. Struggles of Individual Tribes 2. Civil Strife 3. The Six Invasions 4. Need of Central Go...

  • Deception

    [nave] DECEPTION. Instances of By Satan, Gen. 3:4. Abraham, in stating that Sarah was his sister, Gen. 12:13; 20:2. Isaac, in stating that his wife was his sister, Gen. 26:7. Jacob and Rebekah, in imposing Jacob on his father,...

  • Eglon

    [nave] EGLON 1. King of Moab. Assassinated by Ehud, Judg. 3:12-30. 2. An ancient city of Canaan. Taken by Joshua, Josh. 10:23, 35. Allotted to Judah, Josh. 15:39.

  • PARLOR

    [isbe] PARLOR - par'-ler: This word in the King James Version, occurring in Jdg 3:20-25; 1 Sam 9:22; 1 Ch 28:11, is in every instance changed in the Revised Version: in Judges into "upper room," in 1 Samuel into "guest-chamber," in...
    [smith] a word in English usage meaning the common room of the family, and hence probably in Authorized Version denoting the king?s audience-chamber, so used in reference to Eglon. (Judges 3:20-25)

  • Gilgal

    [nave] GILGAL 1. Place of the first encampment of the Israelites W. of the Jordan, Josh. 4:19; 9:6; 10:6, 43; 14:6. Monument erected in, to commemorate the passage of the Jordan by the children of Israel, Josh. 4:19-24. Circumcis...

  • Hypocrisy

    [nave] HYPOCRISY. Job 8:13-15; Job 13:16; Job 15:31, 33, 34; Job 17:8; Job 20:4, 5 vs. 6-18.; Job 27:8-10 vs. 13-18.; Job 31:33, 34; Job 34:30; Job 36:13, 14; Psa. 5:9; Psa. 50:16, 17; Psa. 52:4; Psa. 55:12-14, 20, 21, 23; Psa. 78...

  • Confidence

    [nave] CONFIDENCE. Betrayed Instances of: Joshua, by the Gibeonites, Josh. 9:3-15. Eglon, by Ehud, Judg. 3:15-23. Ahimelech, by David, 1 Sam. 21:1-9. Abner, by Joab, 2 Sam. 3:27. Amasa, by Joab, 2 Sam. 20:9, 10. The worship...

  • Assassination

    [nave] ASSASSINATION David's abhorrence of, 2 Sam. 4:9-12. Laws prohibiting, Deut. 27:24. Instances of Of Eglon, by Ehud, Judg. 3:15-22; Abner, by Joab, 2 Sam. 3:27; Ish-bosheth, by the sons of Rimmon, 2 Sam. 4:5-7; Amnon, by Ab...

  • Regicide

    [nave] REGICIDE Of Ehud, Judg. 3:16-23. Of Saul, 2 Sam. 1:16. Of Ish-bosheth, 2 Sam. 4:5-8. Of Nadab, 1 Kin. 15:27-29. Of Elah, 1 Kin. 16:9-11. Of Joram, 2 Kin. 9:24. Of Ahaziah, 2 Kin. 9:27. Of Joash, 2 Kin. 12:20, 21. Of ...

  • CRIME; CRIMES

    [isbe] CRIME; CRIMES - krim, krimz: This. term is used in English as the equivalent of the Hebrew mishpaT, "judgment," "verdict" (Ezek 7:23); zimmah, "a heinous crime" (Job 31:11); 'asham = "a fault," "sin" (Gen 26:10, English Vers...

  • Lies and Deceits

    [nave] LIES AND DECEITS Ex. 23:1; Lev. 6:2-7; Lev. 19:11, 12, 16 Ex. 20:16. Job 13:4; Job 21:34; Job 27:4; Job 31:5, 6, 33; Job 36:4; Psa. 5:6, 9; Psa. 10:7; Psa. 12:2, 3; Psa. 28:3; Psa. 31:18; Psa. 34:13 1 Pet. 3:10. Psa. 36:3; P...

  • Homicide

    [nave] HOMICIDE. Accidental Ex. 21:13, 28-32; Num. 35:11-15, 22-28, 32 Deut. 4:41-43; 19:1-10. Josh. 20:1-9 Felonious or Murder: Gen. 4:9-11 v. 12.; Gen. 9:5, 6; Gen. 49:7; Ex. 20:13 Deut. 5:17; Rom. 13:9. Ex. 21:29-32; Num. 35...

  • Dagger

    [nave] DAGGER, a short sword, Judg. 3:16-22 See: Knife.

  • Seirath

    [ebd] woody district; shaggy, a place among the mountains of Ephraim, bordering on Benjamin, to which Ehud fled after he had assassinated Eglon at Jericho (Judg. 3:26, 27).
    [smith] (the shaggy), the place to which Ehud fled after his murder of Eglon. (Judges 3:26,27) It was in "Mount Ephraim," ver. 27, a continuation, perhaps, of the same wooded, shaggy hills which stretched even so far south as to ente...
    [nave] SEIRATH, a city of unknown location, Judg. 3:26.
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • I. The reason for Israel's apostasy 1:1-3:6A. Hostilities between the Israelites and the Canaanites after Joshua's death 1:1-2:51. Initial successes and failures ch. 12. The announcement of God's discipline 2:1-5B. Israel's c...
  • The first major section in the book (1:1-3:6) explains very clearly why the period of the judges was a dark chapter in Israel's history. God revealed the reasons for Israel's apostasy and consequent national problems in terms...
  • Israel's JudgesJudgeScriptureIsrael's OppressorsLength in YearsNation(s)King(s)OppressionJudgeshipPeaceOthniel3:7-11MesopotamiaCushan-rishathaim8(ca. 1358-1350 B.C.)40(ca. 1350-1310 B.C.)Ehud3:12-30Moab (with Ammon & Amal...
  • The first of six periods of oppression by Israel's enemies began while Othniel, Caleb's younger brother, was still alive and strong (cf. Josh. 15:17; Judg. 1:13). The writer identified each of these periods with the phrase "t...
  • The Moabites and Ammonites were not only neighbors who both lived to the southeast of Canaan, but they were also descendants of the same ancestor, Lot. The Amalekites lived on Israel's southern border and were descendants of ...
  • Several factors suggest that Shamgar's victory took place sometime during the 98 years described in the previous section (vv. 12-30). First, 4:1 refers to Ehud, not Shamgar. Second, there is no reference to Israel doing evil ...
  • The writer of Judges structured this book so the story of Gideon would be its focal center."Within the main body of the book, seven major narrative blocks can be noted. Moreover, there are certain parallel features between th...
  • The Israelites felt the main influence of the Ammonites on the east side of the Jordan River that bordered Ammon (v. 8). However the Ammonites also attacked the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim west of the Jordan (v. 9)...
  • The translation "again did"in verse 1 implies that the Philistine oppression followed the Ammonite oppression chronologically. However the Hebrew idiom these words translate does not necessarily mean that. It can also mean, a...
  • Note again that the Spirit of God gave Samson his supernatural strength (v. 14). He slew 1,000 of the enemy (or one unit) on this occasion (v. 15). The unlikely instrument Samson used, a dead donkey's dentures, proved more th...
  • The following two extended incidents (ch. 17-21) differ from the records of the judges just completed (chs. 3-16). They are not accounts of the activities of any of Israel's judges. They are the record of events that took pla...
  • The Danites' defeat of the inhabitants of Laish appears cruel and unjustified (cf. 9:45-49). The town that seemed so desirable to the spies was really vulnerable and isolated. Its advantages proved to be weaknesses. Since God...
  • The Book of Joshua recorded Israel's victory over her enemies through trust in and obedience to God. The Book of Judges shows the defeat of the nation by its enemies from without and within due to refusal to trust and obey Go...
  • Aharoni, Yohanan. Land of the Bible. Phildelphia: Westminster Press, 1962.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1977.Albright, William Foxwell. The...
  • God eventually withdrew the famine from Judah (v. 6) probably in response to His people's calling out to Him for deliverance (cf. Judg. 3:9, 15; 4:3; 6:6; 10:10; 16:28). This verse sounds one of the major themes of the story:...
  • Mizpah (lit. watchtower, signifying an elevated site) was about two miles northwest of Samuel's hometown, Ramah, on the central Benjamin plateau. Pouring out water symbolized the people's feeling of total inability to make an...
  • 106:6 The psalmist confessed that Israel had been unfaithful to God. This was true of his own generation as it had been true of former generations. This confession introduced a review of specific iniquities and wickedness.106...
  • This oracle clarifies that God's purposes for Egypt, another nation the Judeans wanted to trust for help during this time of Assyrian expansion, would involve judgment followed by blessing. The passage consists of three palis...
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