Commentaries, Commentary on Judges · Chapter 3 · Verses 16-19 – Verses 29-30
16 And Ehud made him a ſword with two edges, of a cubite lēgth, and he girded it vnderunder his raymente, vponupon his right thigh.
17 He preſented the preſent vntounto Eglon King of Moab. And Eglon was a very fatte man.
18 And when he had preſented the preſente, he ſent away the people that bare the preſent.
19 But he himſelf returned agayne from the quarry of ſtones that was in Gilgal, and ſayd: I hauehave a ſecret errand vntounto thee O King: whoe aunſwered: Kepe ſilence. And all they that ſtoode neere went forth.
Ehud made him a two edged ſworde, whiche hauing a moſt ſharpe edge on both ſides, mighte both eaſlye pearſe and cutte, and alſo quickely ſtrike through the bodye. He cauſed it alſo to be made but a Cubite in length that he might the eaſlier hide it.What is the ſtature of Pigmeians. Neyther is this woorde Gamar any other thing with the Hebrewes than Amah. Wherefore the Pigmeians in Ezechiell the .xxvii. Chapiter are called Gamerim, and therfore ſo called, bicauſe they are but a Cubite in ſtature. And ſuch a ſhort ſworde the Latines call Sica that is, a ſcayne. He hidde it vnderunder his garments: for if he had worne hys ſworde openlye, eyther he ſhoulde hauehave bene compelled to laye awaye his ſworde, or elles he ſhoulde hauehave had no acceſſe vntounto the Kyng. For Tirannes will not eaſely admitte armed men priuately to talke with them. Furthermore if it had bene marked that at hys departure when he had killed the King, he caryed not hys ſworde with hym as he broughte it, hys enterpriſe woulde eaſelye hauehave beene ſuſpected. He gyrded the ſhorte ſworde vppon hys ryghte thye, that he myght handſomly take it with his left hand, which only he was able to vſe.
Eglon was a very groſſe man It is no ſtraunge thing that Princes are troubled with ouermuch fatneſſe. For they liue delicately, they eate and drinke aboundauntly, and very litle exerciſe theyr minde and bodye. Agag the Kyng of Amalek, is in the fyrſte booke of Samuell deſcribed to hauehave beene ſuche an other.
And he ſent the people awaye, namely thoſe whiche broughte the gifte And returned from the place of grauen Images which were by Gilgall. Thoſe men which Ehud ſent away, were eyther fellowes of the meſſage or they which bare the gift that ſhould be offred vntounto the king. By good aduiſe he ſent thoſe away frō him, bicauſe he would talke with the king alone & without any arbiterers. And he ſaw that whē he had finiſhed his purpoſe he ſhould by flying away a great deale better ſaue himſelf being alone, thā he ſhuld do if he had many ioyned with him,Conſpiracies cōmunicated to many hauehave ſeldome good ſucceſſe. bycauſe then he ſhould not hauehave bene carefull onelyonly howe to ſaue himſelf, but alſo how to ſaue others. Farther conſpiracies whē they are communicated to many, hauehave very ſeldome good ſucceſſe. Peraduenture alſo he woulde endaunger but himſelfe only, and not bring others into daunger with him. Wherefore he ſent them awaye that if any daunger ſhoulde peraduenture happen, they might be in ſafetye. And the place fro whence he retourned is called Peſilim of this verbe Paſall, which is to cut or graue, bycauſe peraduenture there were in that place eyther a quarrey of ſtones, or elles ſome Idoles of late ſet vp by Eglon. For Gilgal was among the Iewes counted a religious place.
For the arke of the couenaunt remayned there a while, and we read that the Iſraelites after they were paſſed ouer Iordane reſted firſt in that place, and celebrated a general circumciſion there. Wherfore it might eaſlye come to paſſe ye Eglon in contempte of the Hebrewes, had there placed images and idoles.
Ehud when he had there ſent away his fellowes, returned againe alone vntounto the king, to whom he ſayd, I hauehave a ſecret buſineſſe to tell thee O Kyng. As touching the propre ſignification of his talke, he tolde the truth as it was. For Dabar ſignifieth with the Hebrewes not only a word, but alſo a thing and buſineſſe. But bicauſe Eglon was thereby deceaued, and he ſpake theſe thinges to deceaue, he made a lye alſo. The King when he heard thys anſwered, Holde thy peace. Beckening vntounto him to tell it him ſecretly & not to ſpeake it before all them which ſtoode then by.
20 And Ehud came vntounto him, and he ſat in a ſommer parler alone, and Ehud ſaid: I hauehave a meſſage vntounto thee from God. And he aroſe out of his ſeate.
21 Then Ehud put forth his left hand, and toke the ſworde frō hys right ſide, and thruſt it into his bellye.
22 And the haft went after the blade, and the fat cloſed the hafte, ſo yt he could not draw the ſword out of hys belly, & the dirte came out.
As ſoone as they vnderſtoode the will of the King they went all forth, and Ehud was lefte alone with the King. And he ſatte in a colde parler, that is, as they tranſlate it, in a ſommer parler. The Hebrew interpreters do ſay that that place was therfore the colder, bicauſe it had very many windowes, ſo that the ayre did the eaſſier come into it. When Ehud ſayd: I hauehave a meſſage vntounto the from God, he ſayde not a meſſage from Iehouah but from Elohim whiche is a general name and is alſo attributed vntounto idoles, he lieth againe although he depart not from the ſignification of the wordes. He deceaued the king, and that he might the better beguile him he ſpake after this ſorte. Eglon when mentiō was made of the worde of God, he roſe vp & honoured it. And as it is to be thoughte, the manner was ſo at that time in thoſe regions. And in oure daies we ſee oftentymes, that very many Princes whiche otherwyſe are farre from religion, yet to fayne themſelues moſt religious, will vncouer their hed at the name of God and of Chriſt, and come to holy ſeruices ſhewing greate reuerence vntounto ſuche rites rather of hipocriſye, thereby to deceaue the common people and where as they are vngodlye they woulde bee counted verye Godlye. Thys dyd Eglon as farre as I ſuppoſe: althoughe I knowe that the Hebrew Rabines hauehave far otherwiſe fayned. For they ſay that bycauſe of this honor which he gaue vntounto the name of God, it came afterwardes to paſſe,A lye of … bin…. that the daughter of Eglon Ruth I ſay, was conuerted to the Iewiſhe religion, and was the great grandmother of Dauid. That is altogether a fayned thing, bycauſe it hath no teſtimony out of the holy Scriptures. And yet I ſpeake not this,God beſ…oweth benefi… s vponupon men for kep…g outw…rd … pline. as though I knewe not that God geueth vntounto men aboundant benefites for obſeruyng of outward diſcipline. Farther I marke yt Ehud got thre cōmodityes by ye things whiche he thus did. Firſt, as a Prophet he ſpake vntounto the king ſtandyng, wheras otherwiſe he ought to hauehave ſpoken with him either proſtrate or elles knelyng. Secondly the kyng myght eaſelyer be ſtriken to death ſtandyng than ſyttyng. Laſtly whileſt he was ryſing he could not ſo well marke Ehud plucking out his ſhorte ſworde. And the ſtroken was ſo vehement that not onelyonly the ſworde, but alſo the haft perſed into the body of the kyng. Yea & the whole ſkayn was ſo cloſed in with fat or greace that he was not able to plucke it out. And the king was killed with the ſelfe ſame ſtroke. It is added alſo that dyrte came frō him, which thinges is wont to happen to thoſe whiche dye violently.
23 And Ehud got him out thorough the porche, and ſhut the dores of the parler about him, and locked them.
24 When he was gone out, his ſeruauntes came, and looked and beholde the dores of the parler were locked. Then they ſayd: Surely he couereth his feete in his ſommer chamber.
25 And they taryed till they were aſhamed, and beholde he opened not the doores of the parler. Wherefore they toke a kay and opened thē. And behold their Lord was fallen down dead on the earth.
Ehud when he went forth plucked the doores after hym and locked them: for there is a certayn kynd of lockes made in ſuch ſort, yt wtout a kay, of a mā plucke the dores after him, they wil ſtraightway locke.Auguſtine. And Auguſtine writyng of this place, ſayth that they are in Affrike eueryevery where called Verudata. The ſeruaunts of Egl n when Ehud was come forth, ſuſpected no euill, bycauſe as it is moſt lykely, he neuer chaunged his countenance when he went forth but went hys way fayre and ſoftly as thoughe he had committed no wicked acte. And they thought that the king had ſhut Thedores, bycauſe peraduenture he would eaſe him ſelfe. And that is ment by the Hebrew phraſe wherin they ſay. He peraduē ture couereth his feete. For in that worke men vſed to couer their feete with garmentes like a tabernacle or tente. And whileſt the ſeruauntes of Eglon taryed and wayted, Ehud had good leaſure to flye. But at the length when they were aſhamed, they tooke a kay and opened the doores. They vſe in courtes to hauehave many kayes of the kinges chamber, whiche the chamberlaynes diligently kepe: and that is it whiche is here ſayde that they tooke a kaye. But when they ſawe their king ſo vily and miſerably ſlayne, we muſt beleue that they were amaſed, ſo that they could not well tell what was to be doone. The thing was ſo ſtraūge whiche had happened. Peraduenture alſo they a while mourned and lamented or elles prouided to ſaue them ſelues by flyght, bycauſe they had not well kepte the kyng.
26 And Ehud eſcaped whileſt they taryed, and was paſſed ouer the quarrey of ſtones (or place of grauen images) and eſcaped into Seirath.
27 And when he was come to hys, he blewe a trompet in mount Ephraim. And the children of Iſraell went downe with him from the hill and he went before them.
28 And he ſayd vntounto them: Follow me, for the Lord hath deliuered your enemies the Moabites into your handes: and they deſcended after him and tooke the paſſages of Iordan towarde Moab, and ſuffred not a man to paſſe ouer.
This place Seirath, whiche is here mencioned, is not the mount Seir in Idumea, but is a place not farre from mount Ephraim, as the wordes which follow do manifeſtly declare. And Ehud beyng of a noble courage when he had ſlayne the tyranne, left not his matters halfe done and halfe vndone, as did Brutus and Caſsius long ſins when they had ſlayne Ceſar, with a trumpet he called together the Ephraites, whiche were men very expert in warres, and thoſe by his authoritie he exhorted to battayle, makyng them aſſured ye God had graunted him the victory. They therfore ſtopped ye paſſages of Iordane, that ye Moabites, which were in the kyngdome of ye Iſraelites, & had gotten part of it as it is already declared, ſhould not flye away. And leſt others of the coūtrey of Moab ſhould paſſe ouer the riuer, to ſuccor their owne men, whiche were among the Hebrues.
29 And they ſlewe of the Moabites the ſame tyme, aboute a ten thouſande men whiche were all fat, and all ſtrong men, and there eſcaped not a man.
30 So Moab was ſubdued that day vnderunder the hande of Iſraell: and the land had reſt lxxx. yeares.
Whē they had ſtopped the paſſages of ye riuer of Iordane, they ſlew x. thouſād Moabites, which at ye tyme dwelt in ye dominiōs of the Hebrues. And they which were ſlayne were no common men, but in our hiſtory, are called Fattemen, not that they were fat in body but in richeſſe. For they were riche and very ſtrōg. For by their myght and warlike power the Iſraelites were brought into bondage. Wherfore it is very aptly a litle afterward ſayd, that ye Hebrues when they had gotten this victory, were in quiet a very lōg tyme after: for the Moabites wer ſo cōſumed and worne away, by reaſon their notable and excellent captaynes wer loſt,Auguſtine. What peace of the Romanes was lōger thē other. that they were not able to renew warre agayne. And therfore it is ſayde, That Moab was ſubdued vnderunder the hand of Iſraell. Auguſtine diligently conſideryng, that the lād was at reſt lxxx. yeares, hath learnedly noted, yt the Romanes had neuer peace aboue the ſpace of xl. yeares, which they had in ye tyme of Numa Pompilius. For ye king ſetting aſide the ſtudy of making warre, applied himſelf wholy to inſtitute ceremonies. Wherfore therby he concludeth yt the affaires of the Iſraelites were longer in quiet, thā were ye affaires of ye Romanes. Howbeit the Hebrues thinke, that in that ſūme of lxxx. yeres are cōprehended thoſe xviii yeares, wherin the Hebrues ſerued the kyng of Moab, that the ſupputation of the tyme might agree more iuſtly.
There are two thinges whiche are to be marked in this place. Firſt ye Ehud was of a valeant, ſtrong, & noble courage, whereunto was adioyned a ſingular prudēce. And of thoſe giftes, faith was the principall foūdatiō, for vnleſſe he had effectually beleued god whē he called him & alſo his promiſe he wold neuer hauehave put his life & goods into ſo great ieopardies. The ſecond thing is, yt all thinges had therfore happy ſucceſſe, bycauſe god neuer faileth thoſe, which obey him, followyng their vocation, wherby they feele that by him they are called to accompliſhe any thyng.
But now that we hauehave briefly touched ye hiſtory, there are thre places or queſtiōs offred vntounto vsus whiche may not by any meanes be left vnſpokē of. For foras much as Ehud (as we hauehave heard) vſed guile, & ye euill guile, made alſo a lye, & drew hys ſworde agaynſt hys prince, me thinketh it is worthy to be declared, whether it be lawfull for Chriſtiā & godly mē to vſe guile. Secondly whether it be lawful to lye, laſtly, whether ye ſubiectes may inuade their prīce for any cauſe.