1And these are the nations which Jehovah left in order to test Israel by them, all who did not know all the wars of Canaan; 2only that the generations of the sons of Israel might know, to teach them war, only those who did not before know them: 3five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that lived in Mount Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to the entering of Hamath. 4And they existed to test Israel by them, to know whether they would listen to the commands of Jehovah, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. 5And the sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 6And they took their daughters to themselves for wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and they served their gods. 7And the sons of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and forgot Jehovah their God, and served the Baals and the Asherahs. 8And the anger of Jehovah glowed against Israel. And He gave them over into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia. And the sons of Israel served Chushan-rishathaim eight years. 9And when the sons of Israel cried to Jehovah, Jehovah raised up a deliverer to the sons of Israel, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, who saved them. 10And the Spirit of Jehovah was put on him, and he judged Israel. And he went out to war, and Jehovah gave Chushan-rishathaim the king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand had power over Chushan-rishathaim. 11And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died. 12And the sons of Israel did evil again in the sight of Jehovah. And Jehovah made Eglon the king of Moab strong against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of Jehovah. 13And he gathered to him the sons of Ammon and Amalek, and went and struck Israel. And they possessed the city of palm trees. 14And the sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. 15And the sons of Israel cried to Jehovah, even Jehovah raised up a deliverer to them, Ehud the son of Gera, a son of the Benjamite, a man with his right hand impeded. And the sons of Israel sent a present by his hand to Eglon the king of Moab. 16And Ehud made a sword for himself, and it had two edges, a cubit in length. And he girded it under his long robe, on his right thigh. 17And he brought the present to Eglon the king of Moab; and Eglon was a very fat man. 18And it happened, when he had finished offering the present, he sent away the people, the bearers of the present. 19And he himself turned back from the carved images at Gilgal, and said, I have a secret word for you, O king. And he said, Be silent! And all those standing beside him went out from him. 20And Ehud came to him. And he was sitting by himself in the cool roof room which was his. And Ehud said, I have a word from God to you. And he rose out of his seat. 21And Ehud put out his left hand and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into Eglon's belly. 22And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed on the blade; for he did not draw the sword out of his belly. And it came out behind. 23Then Ehud went out to the porch, and shut the doors of the roof room on him, and locked them. 24And when he had gone out, his servants came. And they looked, and, behold, the doors of the roof room were locked. And they said, Surely he is covering his feet in the cool roof room. 25And they waited until they were ashamed. And, behold! He did not open the doors of the room. So they took the key and opened them. And, behold, their master had fallen down to the earth dead. 26And Ehud escaped while they waited. And he had passed by the images, and had slipped away to Seirath. 27And it happened, when he had come, he blew a horn in the hills of Ephraim. And the sons of Israel came down with him from the hills, and he before them. 28And he said to them, Follow me, for Jehovah has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him and took the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites. And they did not allow a man to pass over. 29And they struck about ten thousand men of Moab at that time, every lusty man, all mighty men. And not a man escaped. 30So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest eighty years. 31And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad. And he also delivered Israel.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 NATIONS LEFT TO PROVE ISRAEL. (
Judg 3:1-
Judg 3:4)
these are the nations which the Lord left, to prove Israel--This was the special design of these nations being left, and it evinces the direct influence of the theocracy under which the Israelites were placed. These nations were left for a double purpose: in the first instance, to be instrumental, by their inroads, in promoting the moral and spiritual discipline of the Israelites; and also to subserve the design of making them acquainted with war, in order that the young, more especially, who were total strangers to it, might learn the use of weapons and the art of wielding them.
5 BY COMMUNION WITH THESE THE ISRAELITES COMMIT IDOLATRY. (
Judg 3:5-
Judg 3:7)
the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites--The two peoples by degrees came to be on habits of intercourse. Reciprocal alliances were formed by marriage till the Israelites, relaxing the austerity of their principles, showed a growing conformity to the manners and worship of their idolatrous neighbors.
8 OTHNIEL DELIVERS ISRAEL. (
Judg 3:8-
Judg 3:11)
sold them--that is, "delivered them"
into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim--or, Chushan, "the wicked." This name had been probably given him from his cruel and impious character.
served Chushan-rishathaim eight years--by the payment of a stipulated tribute yearly, the raising of which must have caused a great amount of labor and privation.
9 when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord--In their distress they had recourse to earnest prayer, accompanied by humble and penitent confession of their errors.
Othniel--(See on
Josh 15:16;
Judg 1:13). His military experience qualified him for the work, while the gallant exploits he was known to have performed, gained him the full confidence of his countrymen in his ability as a leader.
10 The Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he judged Israel, and went out to war--Impelled by a supernatural influence, he undertook the difficult task of government at this national crisis--addressing himself to promote a general reformation of manners, the abolition of idolatry, and the revival of pure religion. After these preliminary measures, he collected a body of choice warriors to expel the foreign oppressors.
the Lord delivered Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushan-rishathaim--No details are given of this war, which, considering the resources of so potent a monarch, must have been a determined struggle. But the Israelitish arms were crowned through the blessing of God with victory, and Canaan regained its freedom and independence.
11 Othniel . . . died--How powerful the influence of one good man is, in church or state, is best found in his loss [BISHOP HALL].
12 EHUD SLAYS EGLON. (Jdg. 3:12-30)
the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord--The Israelites, deprived of the moral and political influences of Othniel, were not long in following their native bias to idolatry.
the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab--The reigning monarch's ambition was to recover that extensive portion of his ancient territory possessed by the Israelites. In conjunction with his neighbors, the Ammonites and the Amalekites, sworn enemies of Israel, he first subjected the eastern tribes; then crossing the Jordan, he made a sudden incursion on western Canaan, and in virtue of his conquests, erected fortifications in the territory adjoining Jericho [JOSEPHUS], to secure the frontier, and fixed his residence there. This oppressor was permitted, in the providence of God, to triumph for eighteen years.
15 Ehud the son of Gera--descended from Gera, one of Benjamin's sons (
Gen 46:21).
left-handed--This peculiarity distinguished many in the Benjamite tribe (
Judg 20:16). But the original word is rendered in some versions "both-handed," a view countenanced by
1Chr 12:2.
by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab--the yearly tribute, which, according to Eastern fashion, would be borne with ostentatious ceremony and offered (
Judg 3:18) by several messengers.
16 Ehud made him a dagger . . . and he did gird it . . . upon his right thigh--The sword was usually worn on the left side; so that Ehud's was the more likely to escape detection.
19 quarries--rather, "graven images" (
Deut 7:25;
Jer 8:19;
Jer 51:52); statues of Moabite idols, the sight of which kindled the patriotic zeal of Ehud to avenge this public insult to Israel on its author.
I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence--"Privacy"--a signal for all to withdraw.
20 a summer parlour--Hebrew, "chamber of cooling"--one of those retired edifices which Oriental grandees usually have in their gardens, and in which they repose during the heat of the day.
21 Ehud put forth his left hand--The whole circumstance of this daring act--the death of Eglon without a shriek, or noise--the locking of the doors--the carrying off the key--the calm, unhurried deportment of Ehud--show the strength of his confidence that he was doing God service.
27 he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim--summoned to arms the people of that mountainous region, which, adjoining the territory of Benjamin, had probably suffered most from the grievous oppression of the Moabites.
28 they went down after him, and took the fords--(See on
Josh 2:7). With the view of preventing all escape to the Moabite coast, and by the slaughter of ten thousand men [
Judg 3:29], Ehud rescued his country from a state of ignominious vassalage.
31 after him was Shamgar--No notice is given of the tribe or family of this judge; and from the Philistines being the enemy that roused him into public service, the suffering seems to have been local--confined to some of the western tribes.
slew . . . six hundred men with an oxgoad--This instrument is eight feet long and about six inches in circumference. It is armed at the lesser end with a sharp prong for driving the cattle, and on the other with a small iron paddle for removing the clay which encumbers the plough in working. Such an instrument, wielded by a strong arm, would do no mean execution. We may suppose, however, for the notice is very fragmentary, that Shamgar was only the leader of a band of peasants, who by means of such implements of labor as they could lay hold of at the moment, achieved the heroic exploit recorded.