Judges 3 · The Lantern

Nations Left to Test Israel

Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan;

Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew its nothing;

Namely, five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baal-hermon to the entrance of Hamath.

And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would listen to the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.

And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites:

And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

Othniel

And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgot the LORD their God, and served the Baals and the Asherah poles.

Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushan-rishathaim eight years.

And when the children of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.

And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the LORD delivered Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushan-rishathaim.

And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

Ehud

And 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.

And he gathered to him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and struck Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees.

So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

But when the children of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man left-handed: and by him the children of Israel sent a present to Eglon the king of Moab.

For these "eighteen years" of servitude also passed, and it is not recounted that "they cried out to the Lord" or were converted from their wickedness, but after eighteen years it is again said that: "the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up for them a Savior, Ehud the son of Gera, the son of Gemini, a man ambidextrous." Behold what manner of man thi…

What did you mean by saying, two thousand fall at the side? Naturally, when the right hand is designated and the left is not, the side is named in place of the left hand.

These are the persons, then, who are referred to in holy Scripture as amphoterodexioi—that is, as ambidextrous. Ehud, "who used either hand as if it were his right hand," is described as such in the book of Judges.

But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his apparel upon his right thigh.

And he brought the present to Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man.

And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bore the present.

But he himself turned again from the idols that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand to you, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him.

And Ehud came to him; and he was sitting in a cool upper room, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God to you. And he arose out of his seat.

And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly:

And the handle 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 entrails came out.

Then Ehud went forth through the portico, and shut the doors of the room upon him, and locked them.

When he had gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, look, the doors of the room were locked, they said, Surely he covers his feet in his summer room.

And they stayed till they were ashamed: and he opened not the doors of the room; therefore they took a key, and opened them: and their lord had fallen down dead on the earth.

And Ehud escaped while they stayed, and passed beyond the idols, and escaped to Seirath.

And it happened, when he had 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.

And he said to them, Follow after me: for the LORD has 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.

And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valor; and there escaped not a man.

So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest eighty years.

Shamgar

And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.