Text -- Judges 3:23-31 (NET)

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.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Jdg 3:23

¹ tn Again the precise meaning of the Hebrew word, used only here in the OT, is uncertain. Since it is preceded by the verb “went out” and the next clause refers to Ehud closing doors, the noun is probably an architectural term referring to the room (perhaps a vestibule; see HALOT 604 s.v. מִסְדְּרוֹן) immediately outside the king’s upper chamber. As v. 24 indicates, this vestibule separated the upper room from an outer room where the king's servants were waiting.

NET Notes: Jdg 3:24

¹ tn Heb “his.”

² tn Heb “covering his feet” (i.e., with his outer garments while he relieves himself).

³ tn The Hebrew expression translated “well-ventilated inner room” may refer to the upper room itself or to a bathroom attached to or within it.

NET Notes: Jdg 3:25

¹ tn The words “the doors” are supplied.

² tn Heb “See, their master, fallen to the ground, dead.”

NET Notes: Jdg 3:27

¹ tn Heb “When he arrived.”

² tn That is, “mustered an army.”

³ tn Heb “now he was before them.”

NET Notes: Jdg 3:28

¹ tn Heb “for the Lord has given your enemies, Moab, into your hand.” The verb form (a Hebrew perfect, indicating completed action from the standpoint of the speaker) emphasizes the certainty of the event. Though it had not yet taken place, the Lord speaks of it as a “done deal.”

² tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarity.

³ tn Or “against Moab,” that is, so as to prevent the Moabites from crossing.

NET Notes: Jdg 3:29

¹ tn Heb “They struck Moab that day – about ten thousand men.”

NET Notes: Jdg 3:31

¹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Ehud) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “was.”

³ tn Heb “also he”; the referent (Ehud) has been specified in the translation for clarity.