Ehud Delivers Israel from Moab

A left-handed Benjamite smuggled a hidden dagger into the palace of Moab's king. He came out alone, locked the doors behind him, and led Israel to freedom.

Because Israel did evil, the LORD strengthened Eglon king of Moab, who joined with Ammon and Amalek, took the city of palm trees, and ruled Israel for eighteen years. When the people cried to the LORD, He raised up Ehud, a left-handed Benjamite. Ehud made a two-edged dagger a cubit long and strapped it to his right thigh, then brought Israel's tribute to Eglon, a very fat man. Returning alone with 'a secret errand', he told the king, 'I have a message from God unto thee,' and thrust the dagger into his belly. Ehud locked the doors of the summer parlour and escaped while the servants waited outside. He blew a trumpet in mount Ephraim, declared that the LORD had delivered Moab into Israel's hand, and seized the fords of the Jordan. About ten thousand Moabites fell, and the land had rest for eighty years.

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Details

Era: Judges Period
Category: Judges
Participants: Israel (Ehud) vs. Moab (Eglon)
Outcome: Eglon killed, ten thousand Moabites slain, eighty years of rest
Divine Intervention: No

Key Chapters

Judges 3 Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar 5 min read God raises up an unlikely deliverer, a left-handed man whose hidden dagger ends ...

Key Passages

A Message from God

Judges 3:12-25

God raises up an unlikely deliverer, a left-handed man whose hidden dagger ends eighteen years of oppression.

A¹²nd the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.

¹³ And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees. ¹⁴ So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. ¹⁵ But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab. ¹⁶ But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh. ¹⁷ And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man. ¹⁸ And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bare the present. ¹⁹ But 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. ²⁰ And 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. ²¹ And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly: ²² And 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. ²³ Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlour upon him, and locked them. ²⁴ When 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. ²⁵ And 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.

The Fords of Jordan

Judges 3:26-30

Ehud rallies Israel with the words 'the LORD hath delivered your enemies', and the land has rest for eighty years.

A²⁶nd Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Seirath.

²⁷ And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mount, and he before them. ²⁸ And he said unto them, Follow after me: for the LORD hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over. ²⁹ And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valour; and there escaped not a man. ³⁰ So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.