Judges 3:16

16 And Aod made himself a dagger of two edges, of a span long, and he girded it under his cloak upon his right thigh.

Judges 3:16 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 3:16

But Ehud made him a dagger, which had two edges, of a cubit
length
A little sword, as Josephus calls it ^F25, with two edges, that it might cut both ways, and do the execution he designed by it, and was about half a yard long; which he could the more easily conceal, and use for his purpose:

and he did gird it under his raiment;
that it might not be seen, and give occasion of suspicion; this was a military garment, the "sagum", as the Vulgate Latin version, which was coarse, and made of wool, and reached to the ankle, and was buttoned upon the shoulder, and put over the coat ^F26; the Septuagint makes use of a word Suidas ^F1 interprets a coat of mail:

upon his right thigh;
whereas a sword is more commonly girt upon the left; though some observe, from various writers, that the eastern people used to gird their swords on their right thigh; or this was done that it might be the less discernible and suspected, and chiefly as being most convenient for him, a lefthanded man, to draw it out upon occasion.

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 Ibid. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 4. sect. 2.)
F26 Vid. Valtrinum de re militar. Roman. l. 3. c. 13.
F1 In voce (manduav) .

Judges 3:16 In-Context

14 And the children of Israel served Eglom the king of Moab eighteen years.

15 And the children of Israel cried to the Lord; and he raised up to them a saviour, Aod the son of Gera a son of Jemeni, a man who used both hands alike: and the children of Israel sent gifts by his hand to Eglom king of Moab.

16 And Aod made himself a dagger of two edges, of a span long, and he girded it under his cloak upon his right thigh.

17 And he went, and brought the presents to Eglom king of Moab, and Eglom a very handsome man.

18 And it came to pass when had made an end of offering his gifts, that he dismissed those that brought the gifts.