Judges 3:16-26

16 Ehud made himself a double-edged sword eighteen inches long and strapped it to his right thigh under his clothes.
17 Then he presented the tribute to 'Eglon king of Mo'av. Now 'Eglon was a very fat man.
18 When he had finished presenting the tribute, he dismissed the people who had brought it.
19 But he himself, after reaching the quarries at Gilgal, went back and said, "King, I have a secret message for you." The king commanded silence, and all his attendants withdrew.
20 Ehud came to him; he was sitting alone by himself in his upstairs room, where it was cool. Ehud said: "I have a message from God for you." As the king arose from his seat,
21 Ehud reached out with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into the king's belly.
22 The hilt too went in after the blade, and the fat closed around the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly, so that it came out behind.
23 Then Ehud went out onto the porch, shut the doors of the upstairs room behind him and locked them.
24 After Ehud had left, the king's servants came. Seeing that the doors of the upper room were locked, they said, "He must be relieving himself in the inner part of the cool room."
25 They waited until they became embarrassed, but he still didn't open the doors of the upstairs room. So they took the key and opened them; and there before them lay their master, dead on the ground.
26 But while they were delaying, Ehud escaped- he passed beyond the quarries and arrived safely in Se'irah.

Judges 3:16-26 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.

Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.