Overview of Ehud’s Role in Judges

Following the death of the judge Othniel (Judg 3:11), Israel again turns from God and consequently falls under Moabite rule (Judg 3:12–13). Israel serves King Eglon of Moab for 18 years (Judg 3:14), until God raises up a deliverer for them: Ehud, a “left-handed man” (Judg 3:15; see also Judg 20:15–16; 1 Chr 12:2). Ehud delivers the tribute of the people to the king, “a very fat man” (Judg 3:17; LXX, “handsome man,” Schneider, Judges, 50). Ehud, who appears to have had an ongoing relationship with the king, arranges a moment alone with Eglon to deliver a secret “message from God” (Judg 3:20). Alone with the king, Ehud carries out his assassination by drawing a hidden sword from his right thigh with his left hand and burying it in the oversized stomach of the ruler (Judg 3:21). After a complex escape, Ehud leads the Israelites in a victory over the Moabites at the Jordan, initiating an 80-year span of independence (Judg 3:26–30).