Even the handle sank in after the blade, and Eglon's fat closed in over it, so that Ehud did not withdraw the sword from his belly. And Eglon's bowels emptied. Even the handle sank in after the bladeThis phrase vividly describes the depth and force with which Ehud thrust the sword into Eglon, the Moabite king. The Hebrew word for "handle" is "נִצָּב" (nitsav), which refers to the hilt or grip of a sword. The imagery here is stark and graphic, emphasizing the completeness of the act. In the ancient Near Eastern context, such a detailed description underscores the finality and decisiveness of Ehud's action. It also highlights the divine empowerment Ehud received to deliver Israel from oppression, as the act was not just a physical feat but a fulfillment of God's deliverance plan. and his bowels spilled out
The Hebrew term for "bowels" is "פַּרְשְׁדֹנָיו" (parshdonav), which refers to the intestines or inner parts. This gruesome detail serves to illustrate the totality of Eglon's defeat and the thoroughness of God's judgment against the oppressors of Israel. In the ancient world, the spilling of one's bowels was seen as a sign of utter defeat and humiliation. This act not only signifies the physical death of Eglon but also symbolizes the end of Moabite dominance over Israel, as God intervenes through Ehud to restore His people. Ehud did not pull the sword out
The decision of Ehud to leave the sword embedded in Eglon is significant. The Hebrew verb "מָשַׁךְ" (mashach) means to draw or pull out. By not retrieving the weapon, Ehud ensures that the act remains hidden for a time, allowing him to escape and rally Israel against the Moabites. This strategic move reflects Ehud's wisdom and cunning, qualities that God used to bring about deliverance. It also highlights the theme of divine strategy and timing in the book of Judges, where God often uses unexpected means and people to achieve His purposes. and the fat closed over it
The phrase "the fat closed over it" is a vivid depiction of Eglon's corpulence, which is mentioned earlier in the narrative. The Hebrew word for "fat" is "חֵלֶב" (chelev), indicating the physical bulk that enveloped the sword. This detail not only serves to emphasize the completeness of the act but also the irony of Eglon's downfall. Despite his size and power, he is unable to defend himself against God's chosen deliverer. This imagery reinforces the biblical theme that human strength and might are no match for the power and plans of God. It serves as a reminder that God often uses the weak and seemingly insignificant to accomplish His purposes, turning worldly expectations upside down. Persons / Places / Events 1. EhudA left-handed judge of Israel from the tribe of Benjamin, chosen by God to deliver the Israelites from Moabite oppression. 2. EglonThe king of Moab, who oppressed Israel for eighteen years. He is described as a very fat man. 3. MoabA nation east of Israel, which, under King Eglon, subjugated the Israelites. 4. The ChamberThe private upper room where Ehud met Eglon under the pretense of delivering a secret message from God. Teaching Points God Uses the UnlikelyEhud's left-handedness, considered a disadvantage, was used by God for a strategic advantage. God often uses what the world sees as weakness to accomplish His purposes. Courage in ObedienceEhud's boldness in carrying out God's plan, even at great personal risk, demonstrates the importance of courage in following God's call. Divine DeliveranceThe account of Ehud and Eglon reminds us that God is the ultimate deliverer, capable of freeing His people from oppression in unexpected ways. The Consequences of SinIsrael's subjugation under Eglon was a result of their disobedience to God, highlighting the importance of faithfulness to God's commands. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Ehud's left-handedness play a crucial role in the account, and what does this teach us about God's use of our unique traits? 2. In what ways can we see God's hand in the deliverance of Israel through Ehud, and how does this encourage us in our personal struggles? 3. Compare Ehud's courage to other biblical figures who acted boldly for God. What can we learn from their examples? 4. How does the account of Ehud and Eglon illustrate the consequences of Israel's disobedience, and how can we apply this lesson to our lives today? 5. Reflect on a time when God used an unexpected person or situation to bring about His purposes in your life. How does this account encourage you to trust in God's plan? Connections to Other Scriptures Judges 3:15-30Provides the broader context of Ehud's mission and the deliverance of Israel from Moabite oppression. 1 Samuel 17The account of David and Goliath, another instance where God uses an unlikely hero to deliver Israel. 2 Corinthians 12:9Paul speaks of God's power being made perfect in weakness, paralleling how God used Ehud's perceived weakness (left-handedness) for a mighty deliverance. | A Distinct Message | Spurgeon, Charles Haddon | Judges 3:12-30 | | A Message from God | W. Rudder, D. D. | Judges 3:12-30 | | A Message from God | J. Cumming, D. D. | Judges 3:12-30 | | A Message from God | J. B. C. Murphy, B. A. | Judges 3:12-30 | | A Sermon Upon Keys | John Mitchell. | Judges 3:12-30 | | Application of the Truth | | Judges 3:12-30 | | Effective Preachers Compared to Ehud | John McNeill. | Judges 3:12-30 | | Ehud: Left-Handedness | J. Parker, D. D. | Judges 3:12-30 | | God's Messages | J. P. Millar. | Judges 3:12-30 | | I have a Message from God unto Thee | T. Raffles, D. D. | Judges 3:12-30 | | Lessons from the Death of Eglon | T. De Witt Talmage. | Judges 3:12-30 | | Sin -- Suffering; Penitence and Deliverance Repeated | J. P. Millar. | Judges 3:12-30 | | The Christian Minister Bearing a Message from God to Man | H. S. Plumptre, M. A. | Judges 3:12-30 | | The Gospel Message | D. Johnston, D. D. | Judges 3:12-30 | | The Gospel Message | E. Cooper, M. A. | Judges 3:12-30 | | The Summer Parlour | W.F. Bishop. | Judges 3:12-30 | | Unexpected Perils | S. Baring-Gould, M. A. | Judges 3:12-30 | | Ehud | A.F. Muir | Judges 3:15-26 |
People Amalek, Amalekites, Ammonites, Amorites, Anath, Aram, Canaanites, Chushanrishathaim, Chushan-rishathaim, Eglon, Ehud, Gera, Hittites, Hivite, Hivites, Israelites, Jebusites, Kenaz, Moabites, Othniel, Perizzites, Shamgar, Sidonians, ZidoniansPlaces Canaan, Gilgal, Jordan River, Lebanon, Lebo-hamath, Mesopotamia, Moab, Mount Baal-hermon, SeirahTopics Behind, Belly, Blade, Body, Closed, Dagger, Didn't, Dirt, Draw, Drawn, Drew, Ehud, Entered, Fat, Fundament, Haft, Handle, Hand-part, Hilt, Joined, Pull, Refuse, Sank, Shutteth, Stomach, SwordDictionary of Bible Themes Judges 3:22 5127 back Judges 3:15-26 5941 secrecy Judges 3:17-22 5858 fat Library Use what You Have
Few people really are and do their best. Nature has blessed a few with great talents and abilities. These persons often become proud, self-centered, and feel themselves to be superior, and for that reason many times they fail to make the proper use of their abilities. How often are they used in a bad or foolish way, so that what might be a blessing to the world fails to be such! There are many others who realize they do not possess these natural gifts. They look upon those who have them, and envy …
Charles Wesley Naylor—Heart TalksGifts and Talents.
"And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him."--Judges iii. 10. We now consider the Holy Spirit's work in bestowing gifts, talents, and abilities upon artisans and professional men. Scripture declares that the special animation and qualification of persons for work assigned to them by God proceed from the Holy Spirit. The construction of the tabernacle required capable workmen, skilful carpenters, goldsmiths, and silversmiths, and masters in the arts of weaving and embroidering. Who will furnish Moses …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit Whether Baptism Should Take Away the Penalties of Sin that Belong to this Life?
Objection 1: It seems that Baptism should take away the penalties of sin that belong to this life. For as the Apostle says (Rom. 5:15), the gift of Christ is farther-reaching than the sin of Adam. But through Adam's sin, as the Apostle says (Rom. 5:12), "death entered into this world," and, consequently, all the other penalties of the present life. Much more, therefore, should man be freed from the penalties of the present life, by the gift of Christ which is received in Baptism. Objection 2: Further, …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica "This Then is the Message which we have Heard of Him, and Declare unto You, that God is Light,"
1 John i. 5.--"This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light," &c. The great design of the gospel is to make up the breach of man's joy, and open up the way to the fulness of it, and therefore it is the good news and glad tidings of great joy, the only best message that ever came to the world. Now it shows unto us the channel that this river of gladness and joy runs into, it discovers what is the way of the conveyance of it to the soul, and what are …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Whether the Old Law Enjoined Fitting Precepts Concerning Rulers?
Objection 1: It would seem that the Old Law made unfitting precepts concerning rulers. Because, as the Philosopher says (Polit. iii, 4), "the ordering of the people depends mostly on the chief ruler." But the Law contains no precept relating to the institution of the chief ruler; and yet we find therein prescriptions concerning the inferior rulers: firstly (Ex. 18:21): "Provide out of all the people wise [Vulg.: 'able'] men," etc.; again (Num. 11:16): "Gather unto Me seventy men of the ancients of …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica The Country of Jericho, and the Situation of the City.
Here we will borrow Josephus' pencil, "Jericho is seated in a plain, yet a certain barren mountain hangs over it, narrow, indeed, but long; for it runs out northward to the country of Scythopolis,--and southward, to the country of Sodom, and the utmost coast of the Asphaltites." Of this mountain mention is made, Joshua 2:22, where the two spies, sent by Joshua, and received by Rahab, are said to "conceal themselves." "Opposite against this, lies a mountain on the other side Jordan, beginning from …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica The Prophecy of Obadiah.
We need not enter into details regarding the question as to the time when the prophet wrote. By a thorough argumentation, Caspari has proved, that he occupies his right position in the Canon, and hence belongs to the earliest age of written prophecy, i.e., to the time of Jeroboam II. and Uzziah. As bearing conclusively against those who would assign to him a far later date, viz., the time of the exile, there is not only the indirect testimony borne by the place which this prophecy occupies in …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament The Doctrine of Angels.
I. THEIR EXISTENCE. 1. THE TEACHING OF JESUS. 2. THE TEACHING OF THE APOSTLES. II. THEIR NATURE. 1. CREATED BEINGS. 2. SPIRITUAL BEINGS. 3. GREAT POWER AND MIGHT. 4. VARIOUS GRADES. 5. THE NUMBER OF ANGELS. III. THE FALL OF ANGELS. 1. TIME AND CAUSE. 2. THE WORK OF FALLEN ANGELS. 3. THE JUDGMENT OF FALLEN ANGELS. IV. THE WORK OF ANGELS. 1. THEIR HEAVENLY MINISTRY. 2. THEIR EARTHLY MINISTRY. a) In Relation to the Believer. b) In Relation to Christ's Second Coming. THE DOCTRINE OF ANGELS. We are not …
Rev. William Evans—The Great Doctrines of the Bible Judges
For the understanding of the early history and religion of Israel, the book of Judges, which covers the period from the death of Joshua to the beginning of the struggle with the Philistines, is of inestimable importance; and it is very fortunate that the elements contributed by the later editors are so easily separated from the ancient stories whose moral they seek to point. That moral is most elaborately stated in ii. 6-iii. 6, which is a sort of programme or preface to iii. 7-xvi. 31, which constitutes …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Judges 3:22 NIVJudges 3:22 NLTJudges 3:22 ESVJudges 3:22 NASBJudges 3:22 KJV
Judges 3:22 Commentaries
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