Ehud
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Judges in Bible |
|---|
| In the Book of Judges |
| Othniel |
| Ehud |
| Shamgar |
| Deborah and Barak |
| Gideon |
| Abimelech |
| Tola |
| Jair |
| Jephtha |
| Ibzan |
| Elon |
| Abdon |
| Samson |
| In the First Book of Samuel |
| Eli |
| Samuel |
- For other people named Ehud, see Ehud (disambiguation).
Ehud ben‑Gera (Hebrew: אֵהוּד בֶּן‑גֵּרָא, Standard Ehud ben‑Gera Tiberian ʾĒhûḏ ben‑Gērāʾ; from the Hebrew root א‑ה‑ד, "liking, sympathy, support"), in the Biblical Book of Judges (3:12-4:1) was the Judge who fought against the Moabites, which were ruled by King Eglon. Ehud had made a short double edged sword about a foot and a half long useful for a stabbing thrust. He then hid the sword by strapping it to his right thigh under his clothing and met the king under the pretenses of giving him tribute. Being left-handed, he could conceal the sword on the side where it was not expected.
Ehud then tricked Eglon by saying he had a secret message intended for the king. Eglon sent all of his attendants away and Ehud drew his sword and stabbed the king, who was apparently so fat that even the hilt of the blade sank in. Eglon was eviscerated by the blow, which punctured his intestines: "and the dirt came out." ("Dirt" here euphemistically refers to excrement; NOAB, Judges 3:21-22, footnote.)
After killing Eglon, Ehud locked the doors to the king's chamber and left. Eglon's assistants came back to check on the king but when they found the doors locked they assumed the king was relieving himself. They "waited to the point of embarrassment" until they finally unlocked the door and went in, where they found their king dead. Ehud escaped during this time and made it to the town of Seriah. He then led the tribe of Ephraim to seize the fords of the Jordan River, where they killed about 10,000 Moabite soldiers.
Ehud can be looked at as the opposite of the later judge Samson. He was just a normal man who was strengthened by God to kill the king of Moab. After the death of Eglon, king of Moab, there was peace in the land for eighty years.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Articles:
- Book of Judges article (Jewish Encyclopedia)
- The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran (Chronology for Israel's Period of the Judges 1412 BCE to 1039 BCE)
| Tribe of Ephraim | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Othniel |
Judge of Israel | Succeeded by Shamgar |
