Judges 3:24-31

24 When he had gone out, his servants came and looked, and behold, the doors of the roof chamber were locked; and they said, "¹He is only relieving * himself in the cool room."

25 They waited until they became anxious; but behold, he did not open the doors of the roof chamber. Therefore they took the key and opened them, and behold, their master had fallen to the floor dead.

26 Now Ehud escaped while they were delaying, and he passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah.

27 It came about when he had arrived, that ²he blew the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was in front of them.

28 He said to them, "Pursue them, for the LORD has given your enemies the Moabites into your hands." So they went down after him and seized ³the fords of the Jordan opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross.

29 They struck down at that time about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men; and no one escaped.

30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land was undisturbed for eighty years.

Shamgar Delivers from Philistines

31 After him came ⁴Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad; and he also saved Israel.

Read Chapter Compare

Judges 3:24-31 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 3

This chapter gives an account of the nations left in Canaan to prove Israel, and who became a snare unto them, Jud 3:1-7; and of the servitude of Israel under the king of Mesopotamia for their sins, from which they were delivered by Othniel, Jud 3:8-11; and of their subjection to the Moabites, from which they were freed by Ehud, who privately assassinated the king of Moab, and then made his escape, Jud 3:12-30; and of the destruction of a large number of Philistines by Shamgar, with an ox goad, Jud 3:31.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 4

1. 1 Samuel 24:3
2. Judges 6:34; 1 Samuel 13:3
3. Judges 7:24; Judges 12:5
4. Judges 5:6

Footnotes 3

[a]. Lit "covering his feet"
[b]. Lit "were ashamed"
[c]. Lit "earth"