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 verses 3-6. 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 verses 12-17, 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 verses 16 and 21. The Benjaminites were known for their skill in using slings with their left hand ().]
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 .]
