Judges 3:17-26 · Bible study
Judges 3:17-26 Commentary: Ehud and Eglon
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why Eglon's fatness matters: this study unpacks the physical detail, the left-handed trick, and how God delivers through the unexpected.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Ehud, a left-handed Benjamite, assassinates the Moabite king Eglon, using a hidden sword and the cover of a private audience, then escapes to rally Israel.
- Key words: bari’ (fat, v.17), pesilim (idols/quarries, v.19), aliyyat hammqerah (cool upper room, v.20), chelev (fat, v.22), has (silence, v.19).
- Main debate: Whether Ehud’s deception (“I have a message from God”) is a permissible wartime stratagem or a case of lying for a good cause.
- Theological theme: God raises deliverers from unexpected places, using human weakness (left-handedness) and hidden means to overturn proud oppressors.
- Best use: A vivid example of the “cry-deliverance-rest” pattern in Judges; ideal for showing how God works through flawed, surprising instruments.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
17and brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was an obese man.
18After Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he ushered out those who had carried it.
19But upon reaching the idols near Gilgal, he himself turned back and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” “Silence,” said the king, and all his attendants left him.
20Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in the coolness of his upper room. “I have a word from God for you,” Ehud said, and the king rose from his seat.
21And Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon’s belly.
22Even 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.
23Then Ehud went out through the porch, closing and locking the doors of the upper room behind him.
24After Ehud was gone, Eglon’s servants came in and found the doors of the upper room locked. “He must be relieving himself in the cool room,” they said.
25So they waited until they became worried and saw that he had still not opened the doors of the upper room. Then they took the key and opened the doors—and there was their lord lying dead on the floor.
26Ehud, however, had escaped while the servants waited. He passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah.
WEB World English Bible 2000
17He offered the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.
18When Ehud had finished offering the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute.
19But he himself turned back from the stone idols that were by Gilgal, and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” The king said, “Keep silence!” All who stood by him left him.
20Ehud came to him; and he was sitting by himself alone in the cool upper room. Ehud said, “I have a message from God to you.” He arose out of his seat.
21Ehud put out his left hand, and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his body.
22The handle also went in after the blade; and the fat closed on the blade, for he didn’t draw the sword out of his body; and it came out behind.
23Then Ehud went out onto the porch, and shut the doors of the upper room on him, and locked them.
24After he had gone, his servants came and saw that the doors of the upper room were locked. They said, “Surely he is covering his feet in the upper room.”
25They waited until they were ashamed; and behold, he didn’t open the doors of the upper room. Therefore they took the key and opened them, and behold, their lord had fallen down dead on the floor.
26Ehud escaped while they waited, passed beyond the stone idols, and escaped to Seirah.
KJV King James Version 1769
17And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man.
18And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bare the present.
19But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him.
20And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat.
21And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly:
22And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out.
23Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlour upon him, and locked them.
24When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlour were locked, they said, Surely he covereth his feet in his summer chamber.
25And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he opened not the doors of the parlour; therefore they took a key, and opened them: and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.
26And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Seirath.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
17And he offered the tribute unto Eglon king of Moab: now Eglon was a very fat man.
18And when he had made an end of offering the tribute, he sent away the people that bare the tribute.
19But he himself turned back from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king. And he said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him.
20And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting by himself alone in the cool upper room. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat.
21And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his body:
22and the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, for he drew not the sword out of his body; and it came out behind.
23Then Ehud went forth into the porch, and shut the doors of the upper room upon him, and locked them.
24Now when he was gone out, his servants came; and they saw, and, behold, the doors of the upper room were locked; and they said, Surely he is covering his feet in the upper chamber.
25And they tarried till they were ashamed; and, behold, he opened not the doors of the upper room: therefore they took the key, and opened them; and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.
26And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Seirah.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
17and he bringeth near the present to Eglon king of Moab, and Eglon is a very fat man.
18And it cometh to pass, when he hath finished to bring near the present, that he sendeth away the people bearing the present,
19and he himself hath turned back from the graven images which are at Gilgal, and saith, `A secret word I have unto thee, O king;' and he saith, `Hush!' and go out from him do all those standing by him.
20And Ehud hath come unto him, and he is sitting in the upper chamber of the wall which he hath for himself, and Ehud saith, `A word of God I have unto thee;' and he riseth from off the throne;
21and Ehud putteth forth his left hand, and taketh the sword from off his right thigh, and striketh it into his belly;
22and the haft also goeth in after the blade, and the fat shutteth on the blade, that he hath not drawn the sword out of his belly, and it goeth out at the fundament.
23And Ehud goeth out at the porch, and shutteth the doors of the upper chamber upon him, and hath bolted it ;
24and he hath gone out, and his servants have come in, and look, and lo, the doors of the upper chamber are bolted, and they say, `He is only covering his feet in the inner chamber of the wall.'
25And they stay till confounded, and lo, he is not opening the doors of the upper chamber, and they take the key, and open, and lo, their lord is fallen to the earth--dead.
26And Ehud escaped during their tarrying, and hath passed by the images, and is escaped to Seirath.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
17And he brought the gift to Eglon king of Moab; now Eglon was a very fat man.
18And it came to pass when he had ended offering the gift, he sent away the people that had borne the gift.
19But he turned from the graven images that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret word unto thee, O king. And he said, Be silent! And all that stood by him went out from him.
20And Ehud came to him; now he was sitting in the cool upper-chamber, which was for him alone. And Ehud said, I have a word from God unto thee. And he arose from the seat.
21Then Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the sword from his right hip, and thrust it into his belly;
22and the haft also went in after the blade, and the fat closed upon the blade; for he did not draw the sword out of his belly, and it came out between the legs.
23And Ehud went out into the portico, and shut the doors of the upper-chamber upon him, and bolted them.
24And when he was gone out, the servants of the [king] came and saw, and behold, the doors of the upper-chamber were bolted. And they said, Surely he is covering his feet in the summer chamber.
25And they waited till they were ashamed; and behold, he opened not the doors of the upper-chamber, and they took the key, and opened [them], and behold, their lord lay dead on the earth.
26And Ehud had escaped while they lingered, and passed beyond the graven images, and escaped to Seirah.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
17And he presented the gifts to Eglon, king of Moab Now Eglon was exceeding fat.
18And when he had presented the gifts unto him he followed his companions that came along with him.
19Then returning from Galgal, where the idols were, he said to the king: I have a secret message to thee, O king. And he commanded silence: and all being gone out that were about him,
20Aod went in to him: now he was sitting in a summer parlour alone, and he said: I have a word from God to thee. And he forthwith rose up from his throne.
21And Aod put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly,
22With such force that the haft went in after the blade into the wound, and was closed up with the abundance of fat. So that he did not draw out the dagger, but left it in the body as he had struck it in: and forthwith, by the secret parts of nature, the excrements of the belly came out.
23And Aod carefully shutting the doors of the parlour, and locking them,
24Went out by a postern door. And the king's servants going in, saw the doors of the parlour shut, and they said: Perhaps he is easing nature in his summer parlour.
25And waiting a long time, till they were ashamed, and seeing that no man opened the door, they took a key: and opening, they found their lord lying dead on the ground.
26But Aod, while they were in confusion, escaped, and passed by the place of the idols from whence he had returned. And he came to Seirath:
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Judges 3:17
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that the description of Eglon as “a very fat man” (Hebrew ish bari me’od, Jud 3:17) is not a casual detail. Adam Clarke notes it prepares the reader for the graphic account of the assassination, the handle of the sword “also went in after the blade” because Eglon’s bulk allowed it (v.22). The fat closing over the blade (v.22, chelev) both conceals the wound and prevents Ehud from withdrawing his weapon, adding to the realism of the escape.
The narrator also highlights Ehud’s left-handedness (v.15). Because the sword was worn on the right thigh (v.16), a left-handed man could draw it undetected, right-handed guards would expect a weapon on the left side. Matthew Henry and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown both call this a sign of God’s providence working through an apparent weakness. Keil & Delitzsch emphasize that the whole sequence, the secret message, the king’s rising, the swift thrust, shows Ehud’s confidence that he was acting as God’s agent.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The text presents Ehud as a deliverer raised by God to free Israel from Moabite oppression, and the physical details—Eglon’s fatness, Ehud’s left-handedness, the locked door—are essential to the plot, not ornamental.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of ‘pesilim’ (v.19) | The Hebrew word refers to cut or hewn objects, likely idols or stone markers. | Older translations like KJV render it ‘quarries’; modern versions and most scholars read it as ‘graven images’ or ‘idols.’ The difference affects whether Ehud is turning back from a quarry (a neutral landmark) or from Moabite cult objects (a provocation). |
| Ehud’s deception about the message from God | The narrator presents Ehud as a deliverer raised by God after Israel cried out (v.15). The message, though ambiguous, fulfills God’s purposes. | Some commentators (e.g., Matthew Henry) see Ehud’s claim as truthful in a prophetic sense, he was indeed acting on God’s behalf. Others argue Ehud used a ruse to get close to the king, and the text does not condemn the stratagem. A minority question whether killing a defenseless man in private can be justified. |
| Significance of Eglon’s fatness | The detail is intended to explain the physical effect of the sword thrust (v.22) and to underscore the king’s indulgence and self-satisfaction. | Some connect it to a wider Old Testament motif linking fatness with arrogance and judgment (Ps 73:7; Jer 5:28). Others treat it as purely narrative foreshadowing, the fat conceals the blade, delaying discovery. |
| The euphemism ‘covering his feet’ | The phrase is a polite way to refer to relieving oneself (v.24; see 1 Sam 24:3). | A minority of older commentators (e.g., the KJV note) think it could mean ‘taking a nap,’ but the parallel passages and the servants’ subsequent assumption of a natural bodily function make the scatological reading more likely. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The main action takes place at Jericho, the “city of palm trees” captured in Joshua’s day (Jdg 3:13). Eglon, king of Moab, has held court there for eighteen years after conquering the city. Gilgal, just east of Jericho, was the first campsite of the Israelites in the Promised Land; the “stone idols” (Hebrew pesilim, also translated “quarries” in some versions) refer either to Moabite cult statues set up in defiance or to boundary markers carved with images. Barnes and the Geneva Bible read them as idols, noting that the sight of them may have stirred Ehud’s resolve.
Ehud’s weapon was a short, two-edged sword, one cubit long (about 45 cm), small enough to hide under clothes. Because he was left-handed, he wore it on his right thigh, the opposite side from a right-handed fighter. When the king’s attendants left at the command “Silence!” (Hebrew has, v.19), Ehud was alone with Eglon in an upper room, a “chamber of cooling” (aliyyat hammqerah, v.20) used for afternoon rest. The king’s rising from his throne was probably a reflexive gesture of respect for a “word from God” (v.20). Ehud’s escape route took him past the same idols, then into the wooded highlands of Ephraim (Seirah, meaning “the shaggy” or forested), where he mustered troops (v.27, 28).
Cultural background: Tribute processions involved many carriers making a formal presentation; Ehud sent them home so he could act alone. The servants’ euphemism “covering his feet” (v.24) likely refers to relieving oneself, later translations make it explicit. The unexpected delay gave Ehud time to cross the Jordan before Moab could mount a pursuit.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note two minor textual variants. In verse 22, the final clause differs across manuscripts: KJV reads “and the dirt came out,” while WEB translates “and it came out behind.” The Hebrew parshedonah (H6574) is a hapax legomenon, with uncertain meaning, most modern versions render it as “excrement” or “bowels.” The YLT has “goeth out at the fundament”; Darby reads “between the legs.” The semantic range suggests that the fatal wound was so deep it pierced the intestines.
Additionally, the word pesilim in verse 19 is translated “quarries” in older versions (KJV, ASV) but “idols” or “graven images” in modern ones (BSB, WEB, YLT). The root pasal means “to hew or engrave,” so both readings are lexically possible. The context of a Moabite occupation at Gilgal, where Joshua had earlier set up twelve stones (Josh 4), makes the idol interpretation strong.
Reception History
Judges 3:17, 26 has been read across Christian traditions as a vivid example of God’s deliverance through an unexpected agent. Early Jewish interpreters in the Talmud praised Ehud’s cunning, while the Church Fathers like Augustine read the story typologically: Eglon’s fatness represented the pride of the oppressor, and the left-handed slayer prefigured Christ’s victory over sin through an unexpected way. During the Reformation, commentators (Calvin, Geneva Bible) emphasized that Ehud’s deed was a legitimate act of war against a tyrant who held Israel in bondage. In art, the story appears in medieval illuminated manuscripts and in Rembrandt’s drawing Ehud Stabbing Eglon, which focuses on the dramatic moment of the assassination. Modern readers often struggle with the violence, but the narrative’s willingness to show God working through a morally ambiguous figure remains a provocation to every generation.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God sees the hidden weakness. Ehud’s left-handedness, a seemingly minor trait, becomes the means of deliverance. Society often values the strong and right-handed, but God specializes in using the overlooked.
- Fatness can be a gauge of overconfidence. Eglon’s bulk symbolizes his smug oppression. He has grown rich and comfortable on Israel’s tribute, blind to the threat within his own court. Prosperity without dependence on God leads to complacency.
- Deliverance comes through a decisive moment. The private audience, the secret word, the single thrust, Ehud seizes the moment God gives. He does not hesitate. Our faithful obedience often turns on a moment of courage.
Five-point outline
- The backstory: eighteen years of oppression (v.14). God’s people cry out; God raises a deliverer.
- The set-up: a tribute, a left-handed man, a hidden sword (vv.15, 16).
- The encounter: the double meaning of “message from God” (v.20). Physical sword and spiritual warrant meet.
- The assassination: fatness that hides the wound, lock the door, a calm escape (vv.21, 23).
- The aftermath: the servants’ delay, the escape to Seirah, the call to arms (vv.24, 26; 27, 30).
Illustration hooks
- The underestimated opponent. A small-business owner who, because of a quiet manner, is dismissed by a larger competitor, then wins the contract through an overlooked detail.
- The locked bathroom door. Almost every family knows the awkward silence when a sibling or spouse does not come out of the bathroom. The servants’ wait feels painfully familiar.
- The hidden weapon. Think of a pocket knife carried in an unusual pocket; an airline security check would never look there.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is this story too violent for my children? Should we include it in Sunday school?
- Did Ehud lie when he said “I have a message from God”? Was the assassination morally justified?
- Why does the Bible spend so many verses on the physical details of a killing?
Leading a Discussion
This passage is one of the most visually detailed stories in the Book of Judges. It invites us to see God at work in the mundane, a left hand, a short sword, a locked door. Ask your group to sit with the physicality of the text before moving to application. No two readers will notice the same nuance.
Discussion questions
- What does the narrator gain by telling us Eglon was “a very fat man”? Is the detail purely descriptive, or does it carry weight? (Observe the other verses that mention fatness, e.g., Job 15:27; Ps 73:7; Jer 5:28.)
- Ehud’s left-handedness is mentioned three times (Jdg 3:15, 21; see also 20:16). How does this physical trait shape the whole strategy of the assassination? What does it tell us about how God chooses his instruments?
- The phrase “I have a message from God to you” (v.20) is delivered just before Ehud strikes. In what sense was this true? In what sense was it a ruse? How do you decide when a word from God requires you to act, and when it might be a cover for your own agenda?
- Verse 19 says Ehud “turned back from the stone idols.” What do those idols represent in the story? (Compare the mention of idols with the spiritual state of Israel in Jdg 2:11, 13.) Might the idols be a silent commentary on the real battle, between the true God and false gods?
- The servants’ euphemism “He is covering his feet” (v.24) buys Ehud crucial time. How do small misperceptions, or even awkward silences, sometimes become part of God’s deliverance in your own life?
- If you were in Ehud’s sandals, what would have been your greatest fear? Are there areas in your life where you need to trust God to give you courage for a single, decisive step?
- After the assassination, Ehud blows a trumpet and rallies Israel (v.27, 28). What does this say about the relationship between individual courage and corporate action in God’s kingdom?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Judges 3:29 | They struck at that time about ten thousand men of Moab, every strong man and every man of valor. No man escaped. |
| I Samuel 2:29 | Why do you kick at my sacrifice and at my offering, which I have commanded in my habitation, and honor your sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel my people?’ |
| Job 15:27 | because he has covered his face with his fatness, and gathered fat on his thighs. |
| Psalms 73:7 | Their eyes bulge with fat. Their minds pass the limits of conceit. |
| Psalms 73:19 | How they are suddenly destroyed! They are completely swept away with terrors. |
| Jeremiah 5:28 | They have grown fat. They shine; yes, they excel in deeds of wickedness. They don’t plead the cause, the cause of the fatherless, that they may prosper; and they don’t defend the rights of the needy. |
| Jeremiah 50:11 | “Because you are glad, because you rejoice, O you who plunder my heritage, because you are wanton as a heifer that treads out the grain, and neigh as strong horses, |
| Ezekiel 34:20 | “Therefore the Lord Yahweh says to them: ‘Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that Eglon's summer parlor was a separate apartment above the gate with a private staircase to the street, allowing Ehud's escape unseen. He also highlights the rare Hebrew word parshedonah for the dirt that came out, indicating an involuntary bowel evacuation from shock or the wound.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that Ehud's claim to have a message from God was both a genuine conviction of divine mandate and a tactical ruse to make Eglon rise. He also interprets the obscure phrase "covereth his feet" as simply a way of saying the king took sleep.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible commentary treats this as one of the oldest narratives in Judges, noting its fresh, vigorous Hebrew storytelling. It sees a local Benjamite hero tale later edited by the Deuteronomist compiler to describe a deliverance affecting all Israel, with Ehud's clever use of the "idols" at Gilgal as a pretext for his private audience with the king.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill insists that Ehud acted as a judge of Israel under a direct divine impulse, making his killing of Eglon a unique commission, not a precedent for assassination. He notes the servants assumed the locked doors meant the king was either relieving nature or napping, using a modest euphemism.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB clarifies that the "quarries" were actually carved images of Moabite idols. He highlights Ehud's calm, unhurried composure after killing Eglon, noting that locking the doors and carrying off the key showed his deep confidence that he was acting in God's service.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch draws a careful moral distinction: although God raised up Ehud to deliver Israel, the treacherous assassination of King Eglon is not presented as an act of the Spirit of God. They note that the text never says the Spirit came upon Ehud for that deed, and the means Ehud chose were neither commanded nor approved by Jehovah.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange observes that Scripture calls Ehud a deliverer but deliberately withholds the phrase "the Spirit of Jehovah was upon him." The narrative does not endorse his method, treating it as a wartime act rather than a divine model. No political assassination can claim Ehud as a precedent, since his motive alone was pure.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that God deliberately chose a left-handed deliverer, a detail he sees as providential rather than incidental. Ehud's unusual trait let him conceal the dagger on his right thigh, where guards would not expect it, and his claim to have a message from God gave him the king's full attention.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley rejects Matthew Henry's claim that the goodness of God's promised land will intensify the punishment of those who perish. He argues that this reasoning fails under predestination: if some are not elected, they never had a genuine offer, and if all the elect are saved, the grant was never free to the others.