Judges 3:21

21 And Ehud held forth his left hand, and took his sword from his right hip; and he put it into the king's womb so strongly,

Judges 3:21 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 3:21

And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from
his right thigh
Being, as before observed, a lefthanded man; ( Judges 3:15 ) , and this he could the better do, without being taken notice of by the king, who, if he saw him move his left hand, would have no suspicion of his going to draw a dagger with it, and which also was hidden under his raiment, ( Judges 3:16 ) ;

and thrust it into his belly;
Josephus F4 says into his heart; it is certain the wound was mortal, and must have been in a part on which, life depended.


FOOTNOTES:

F4 Antiqu. l. 5. c. 4. sect. 2.

Judges 3:21 In-Context

19 and he turned again from Gilgal, where (the graven) idols were, and he said to the king, O king, I have a privy word to thee (but he turned back at Gilgal, where the carved stones were, and when he had come before the king, he said, O king, I have a private word for thee). And the king commanded silence. And when all men were gone out, that were about him,
20 Ehud entered (un)to him; and the king sat alone in a summer parlour. And Ehud said, I have the word of God to thee (And Ehud said, I have a word from God for thee). The which rose at once from his throne.
21 And Ehud held forth his left hand, and took his sword from his right hip; and he put it into the king's womb so strongly,
22 that the pommel, either hilt, followed the iron in(to) the wound, and was holden strait in the thickest fatness within; and Ehud drew not out the sword, but so as he had smitten Eglon (but as he had so struck Eglon), he left it in his body; and at once by the privates of (man)kind, the turds of the womb burst out.
23 Forsooth when the doors of the parlour were closed most diligently, and fastened with lock, (And when he had quietly closed the parlour doors, and fastened them with a lock,)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.