Judges 3 · Verse 15

Judges 3:15

But when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.
Judges 3:15, King James Version

Judges 3:15 in other translations

BSBAnd again they cried out to the LORD, and He raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjamite, as their deliverer. So they sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.
WEBBut when the children of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised up a savior for them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. The children of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.
ASVBut when the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah, Jehovah raised them up a saviour, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a man left-handed. And the children of Israel sent tribute by him unto Eglon the king of Moab.
YLTAnd the sons of Israel cry unto Jehovah, and Jehovah raiseth to them a saviour, Ehud son of Gera, a Benjamite (a man--shut of his right hand), and the sons of Israel send by his hand a present to Eglon king of Moab;
DARBYAnd the children of Israel cried to Jehovah, and Jehovah raised them up a saviour, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a man left-handed. And by him the children of Israel sent a gift to Eglon king of Moab.
BBEThen when the children of Israel made prayer to the Lord, he gave them a saviour, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man; and the children of Israel sent an offering by him to Eglon, king of Moab.
WebsterBut when the children of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjaminite, a man left-handed: and by him the children of Israel sent a present to Eglon king of Moab.

What does Judges 3:15 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
15. Ehud the son of Gera--descended from Gera, one of Benjamin's sons (Ge 46:21). left-handed--This peculiarity distinguished many in the Benjamite tribe (Jud 20:16). But the original word is rendered in some versions "both-handed," a view countenanced by 1Ch 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 (Jud 3:18) by several messengers.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 15 Ehud the son of Gera - a man left handed - איש אטר יד ימינו ish itter yad yemino, a man lame in his right hand, and therefore obliged to use his left. The Septuagint render it ανδρα αμφοτεροδεξιον, an ambidexter, a man who could use both hands alike. The Vulgate, qui utraque manu pro dextera utebatur, a man who could use either hand as a right hand, or to whom right and left were equally ready. This is not the sense of the original, but it is the sense in which most interpreters understand it. It is well known that to be an ambidexter was in high repute among the ancients: Hector boasts of it: - Αυταρ εγων εν οιδα μαχας τ,ανδροκτασιας τε· Οιδ' επι δεξια, οιδ' επ' αριστερα νωμησαι βων Αζαλεην, το μοι εστι ταλαυρινον πολεμιζειν. Iliad, lib. vii., ver. 237. "But am in arms well practiced; many a Greek Hath bled by me, and I can shift my shield From right to left; reserving to the last Force that suffices for severest toil." Cowper. Asteropaeus is also represented by Homer as an ambidexter, from which he derives great advantages in fight: - Ὡς φατ' απειλησας· ὁ δ' ανεσχετο διος Αχιλλευς Πηλιαδα μελιην· ὁ δ' ὁμαρτη δουρασιν αμφις Ἡρως Αστεροπαιος, επει περιδεξιος ηε. Iliad, lib. xxi., ver. 161. So threatened he. Then raised Achilles high The Pelian ash: - and his two spears at once Alike, (a practiced warrior), with both hands Asteropaeus hurled." Cowper. We are informed by Aristotle, that Plato recommended to all soldiers to acquire by study and exercise an equal facility of using both hands. Speaking of Plato, he says: Και την εν τοις πολεμικοισασκεσιν, ὁπως αμφιδεξιοι γινωνται κατα την μελετην, ὡς δεον μη την μεν χρησιμον ειναι ταιν χεροιν, την δε αχρηστον. - De Repub., lib. ii., cap. 12. "He (Plato) also made a law concerning their warlike exercises, that they should acquire a habit of using both hands alike; as it is not fit that one of the hands should be useful and the other useless." In Jdg 20:16 of this book we have an account of seven hundred men of Benjamin, each of whom was אטר יד ימינו itter yad yemino, lame of his right hand, and yet slinging stones to a hair's breadth without missing: these are generally thought to be ambidexters. Sent a present unto Eglon - This is generally understood to be the tribute money which the king of Moab had imposed on the Israelites.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Judges 3:12-30

When Israel sins again, God raises up a new oppressor. The Israelites did ill, and the Moabites did worse; yet because God punishes the sins of his own people in this world, Israel is weakened, and Moab strengthened against them. If lesser troubles do not do the work, God will send greater. When Israel prays again, God raises up Ehud. As a judge, or minister of Divine justice, Ehud put to death Eglon, the king of…

Read the full comment on Judges 3:12-30 →

Judges 3:15 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיִּזְעֲק֣וּvai.yiz.'a.Kuand they cried outH2199
בְנֵֽי\־ve.nei-[the] people ofH1121
יִשְׂרָאֵל֮Yis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
אֶל\־'el-toH413
יְהוָה֒Yah.wehYahwehH3068
וַיָּקֶם֩vai.ya.Kemand he raised upH6965
יְהוָ֨הYah.wehYahwehH3068
לָהֶ֜םla.Hemfor <the> them
מוֹשִׁ֗יעַmo.Shi.a'a delivererH3467
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
אֵה֤וּד'e.HudEhudH164
בֶּן\־ben-[the] son ofH1121
גֵּרָא֙ge.Ra'GeraH1617
בֶּן\־ben-[the] Ben-H1145
הַיְמִינִ֔יhay.mi.Ni<the> jaminiteH1145
אִ֥ישׁ'isha manH376
אִטֵּ֖ר'i.TerimpededH334
יַד\־yad-[the] hand ofH3027
יְמִינ֑וֹye.mi.Noright hisH3225
וַיִּשְׁלְח֨וּvai.yish.le.Chuand they sentH7971
בְנֵי\־ve.nei-[the] people ofH1121
יִשְׂרָאֵ֤לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
בְּיָדוֹ֙be.ya.Doby hand hisH3027
מִנְחָ֔הmin.ChahtributeH4503
לְעֶגְל֖וֹןle.'eg.Lonto EglonH5700
מֶ֥לֶךְMe.lekh[the] king ofH4428
מוֹאָֽב\׃mo.'AvMoabH4124

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Judges 3:15

  • Judges 3:9

    And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.

  • Psalms 78:34

    When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God.

  • Judges 20:16

    Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.

  • Isaiah 36:16

    Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me: and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern;

  • Jeremiah 33:3

    Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

  • Psalms 50:15

    And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

  • Proverbs 18:16

    A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.

  • Jeremiah 29:12-13

    Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

  • 1 Chronicles 12:2

    They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows out of a bow, even of Saul’s brethren of Benjamin.

  • Proverbs 19:6

    Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.

  • Proverbs 21:14

    A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath.

  • 1 Samuel 10:27

    But the children of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
A.M. 2679. B.C. 1325. An. Ex. Is. 166. cried unto.
9; Ps 50:15; 78:34; 90:15; Jer 29:12,13; 33:3
a Benjamite. or, the son of Jemini. left-handed. Heb. shutof his right hand. This Hebrew phrase intimates that, either through disease or disuse, he made little or no use of the right hand, but of his left only, and so was the less fit for war, because he would most likely wield a dagger awkwardly: yet God chose this left-handed man to be the minister of his retributive justice. It was God's right hand that gained Israel the victory, Ps 44:3; not the right hand of the instruments he employed.
20:16; 1Ch 12:2
sent a present.
1Sa 10:27; Pr 18:16; 19:6; 21:14; Isa 36:16

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Judges 3:14

    So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

  • Judges 3:15

    But when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.

  • Judges 3:16

    But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh.

Read all of Judges 3

Judges 3:15 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y clamaron los hijos de Israel á Jehová; y Jehová les suscitó salvador, á Aod, hijo de Gera, Benjamita, el cual tenía cerrada la mano derecha. Y los hijos de Israel enviaron con él un presente á Eglón rey de Moab.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et les fils d’Israël crièrent à l’ Éternel; et l’ Éternel leur suscita un sauveur, Éhud, fils de Guéra, le Benjaminite, qui était gaucher. Et les fils d’Israël envoyèrent par lui un présent à Églon, roi de Moab.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und die Kinder Israel schrien zu Jehova; und Jehova erweckte ihnen einen Retter, Ehud, den Sohn Geras, einen Benjaminiter, einen Mann, der links war. Und die Kinder Israel sandten durch ihn ein Geschenk an Eglon, den König von Moab.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et postea clamaverunt ad Dominum, qui suscitavit eis salvatorem vocabulo Aod, filium Gera, filii Jemini, qui utraque manu pro dextera utebatur. Miseruntque filii Israël per illum munera Eglon regi Moab.