Judges 3:13-30 ASV

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 3:22

And the haft went in, after the blade ,.... The handle of the dagger, as well as the blade; so strong and violent was the thrust, he determining to do his business effectually: and the fat closed upon the blade ; being an excessive fat man, the wound made by the dagger closed up at once upon it, through the fat: so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly ; being not able to take hold of the haft or handle, that having slipped in through the fat after the blade, so that he... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 3:23

Then Ehud went forth through the porch ,.... Which the Targum interprets by "exedra", a place, as Kimchi, where there were many seats, either for the people to sit in while waiting to have admittance into the presence of the king, or where the guards sat, and may be called the guard room; through this Ehud passed with all serenity and composure of mind imaginable, without the least show of distress and uneasiness in his countenance, being fully satisfied that what he had done was right, and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 3:24

When he was gone out, his servants came ,.... When Ehud was gone through the porch, and out of the palace, the servants of Eglon, who had been put out, came to the parlour door to reassume their former place, and finish their business with the king, or in order to wait upon him as usual: and when they saw that behold the doors of the parlour were locked ; which they supposed were done by the king himself with inside, having no suspicion of Ehud: they said, surely , or "perhaps", as... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 3:25

And they tarried until they were ashamed ,.... And knew not what to think of it, or what methods to take to be satisfied of the truth of the matter, and what should be the meaning of the doors being kept locked so long: and, behold, he opened not the doors of the parlour ; this was what surprised them, and threw them into this confusion of mind, that they knew not what course to take for fear of incurring the king's displeasure, and yet wondered the doors were not opened for so long a... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 3:26

And Ehud escaped while they tarried ,.... While the servants of the king of Moab tarried waiting for the opening of the doors of the parlour, this gave him time enough to make his escape, so as to be out of the reach of pursuers; or else the sense is, that even when they had opened the doors, and found the king dead, while they were in confusion at it, not knowing what to ascribe it to, the dagger being enclosed in the wound, and perhaps but little blood, if any, issued out, being closed up... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 3:27

And it came to pass, when he was come , That is, to Seirath, Judges 3:26 , in the tribe of Ephraim: that be blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim ; which being an high mountain, the sound of the trumpet was heard afar off; and if Ehud's design was known to the Israelites, what he intended to do, this might be the token agreed on, should he succeed, to call them together, see Jeremiah 31:6 , and the children of Israel went down with him from the mount, and he before them ;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 3:28

And he said unto them, follow after me ,.... This he said to encourage them, putting himself at the head of them showing himself ready to expose his own life, if there was any danger: for the Lord hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hands ; which he concluded from the success he had had in cutting off the king of Moab which had thrown the Moabites into great confusion and distress, and from an impulse on his mind from the Lord, assuring him of this deliverance: and they... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 3:29

And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men ,.... Who had been sent into the land of Israel to keep it in subjection, or had settled themselves there for their better convenience, profit, and pleasure; it is very probable there were some of both sorts: all lusty, and all men of valour ; the word for "lusty" signifies "fat", living in ease for a long time, and in a plentiful country were grown fat; and, according to Ben Gersom, it signifies rich men, such as had acquired... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 3:30

So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel ,.... Or the Moabites were broken, as the Targum, that is, their forces in the land of Israel; for the land of Moab itself was not subdued and brought into subjection to the Israelites; but they were so weakened by this stroke upon them, that they could not detain the Israelites under their power any longer: and the land had rest fourscore years ; eighty years, which, according to Ben Gersom, are to be reckoned from the beginning of... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Judges 3:13

The city of palm trees - This the Targum renders the city of Jericho; but Jericho had been destroyed by Joshua, and certainly was not rebuilt till the reign of Ahab, long after this, 1 Kings 16:34 . However, as Jericho is expressly called the city of palm trees, Deuteronomy 34:3 , the city in question must have been in the vicinity or plain of Jericho, and the king of Moab had seized it as a frontier town contiguous to his own estates. Calmet supposes that the city of palm trees... read more

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 3:22

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 3:23

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 3:24

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 3:25

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 3:26

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 3:27

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 3:28

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 3:29

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 3:30

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Judges 3:13

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