References (4)
And the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord (Yahweh), and the Lord (Yahweh) strengthened Eglon [meaning: "like a calf" and also similar to the word for round/rounded], king of Moab, against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord (Yahweh).
[The Moabites are not mentioned among the peoples whom the Lord had left to test the Israelites, see . The Moabites are descended from Lot's eldest daughter, who had an incestuous relationship with her father after he "ate and drank," see . The name Eglon means "like a calf" in Hebrew, and is similar to the word agol, which means round or rounded. No Israelite could fail to notice the caricatured description of Eglon, who becomes a clown-like figure. In , the Hebrew word bari is used, which describes fat cattle, and here with an intensifier that describes him as "enormously fat." Every time his name appears in , he is described as "the king of Moab," but after , the author avoids that title. This man was "someone" during the 18 years he reigned, but is then reduced to a nameless "he" who dies a humiliating death.]
And the sons of Israel served Eglon, king of Moab, for 18 years.
But when the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord (Yahweh), the Lord (Yahweh) raised up a savior (deliverer), Ehud, the son of Gera, the son of Benjamin, a left-handed man, and the sons of Israel sent a gift with him to Eglon, king of Moab.
[The name Benjamin literally means "son of the right hand." The author notes that Ehud was left-handed, a trait that would prove decisive for the outcome of this story, see and 21. The Benjaminites were known for their skill in using slings with their left hand (). Left-handed people are mentioned on three occasions in the Book of Genesis; all of them are from the tribe of Benjamin (“sons of right-handed men”). Ehud, the 700 Benjaminites (), and 48 warriors who supported David ().]
And he offered the gift to Eglon, king of Moab. Eglon was a very well-fed (literally "fat/large abundance/more/much" – Hebr. bari meód) man. [The same expression is used about the seven fat cows in Joseph's dream, see .]
