Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 3:28

And he said unto them, Follow after me: for the LORD hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over.

28. Follow after me ] lit. pursue after me; the slight correction of the LXX come down after me, cf. clause b, is generally accepted.

against the Moabites ] Cf. Jdg 7:24, Jdg 12:5, i.e. so as to prevent the Moabites on the west side of the river ( Jdg 3:13) from crossing to their own country. Of the three fords near Jericho, the southernmost near Gilgal is probably meant; cf. Jos 2:7, 2Sa 19:15.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Ehud went down from the mountain of Ephraim into the Jordan valley beneath it, straight to the Jordan fords Jos 2:7, so as to intercept all communication between the Moabites on the west side and their countrymen on the east.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 28. Took the fords of Jordan] It is very likely that the Moabites, who were on the western side of Jordan, hearing of the death of Eglon, were panic-struck, and endeavoured to escape over Jordan at the fords near Jericho, when Ehud blew his trumpet in the mountains of Ephraim, and thus to get into the land of the Moabites, which lay on the east of Jordan; but Ehud and his men, seizing the only pass by which they could make their escape, slew ten thousand of them in their attempt to cross at those fords. What is called here the fords was doubtless the place where the Israelites had passed Jordan when they (under Joshua) took possession of the promised land.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

The fords, where they passed over Jordan, that neither the Moabites that were got into Canaan might escape, nor any more Moabites come over Jordan to their succour.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

28. they went down after him, andtook the fords(See on Jos 2:7).With the view of preventing all escape to the Moabite coast, and bythe slaughter of ten thousand men [Jud3:29], Ehud rescued his country from a state of ignominiousvassalage.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

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 went down after him: from the mountain of Ephraim:

and took the fords of Jordan towards Moab; where the river was fordable, and there was a passage into the country of Moab, which lay on the other side Jordan; this they did to prevent the Moabites, which were in the land of Israel, going into their own land upon this alarm, and those in the land of Moab from going over to help them:

and suffered not a man to pass over; neither out of Israel into Moab, nor out of Moab into Israel.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(28) The Lord hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.Comp. Jdg. 7:9-15; 1Sa. 17:47; 1Ki. 22:12.

Took the fords of Jordan.This was a matter of extreme importance. The fords of Jordan were few, and far distant from each other. (Jos. 2:7.) The steep ravine through which it flows forms a natural barrier to Western Palestine, and by securing the fords they cut off from the Moabites all chance of succour. The vehement rapidity of Ehuds movements had rendered their escape impossible.

Suffered not a man to passover.Comp. Jdg. 12:5-6. It was a massacre of vengeance, like the Sicilian Vespers, or the massacre of the English of the Pale in Ireland, or that of the Danes in England on St. Brices day.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

28. Took the fords of Jordan toward Moab That is, the fords by which the Moabites stationed at Jericho must pass to escape to their own land, on the east of the Jordan. Eglon occupied Jericho, and had built a palace there, (see note on Jdg 3:13.) and had ten thousand men (Jdg 3:29) with him. It was of the first importance for the Israelites to get possession of these fords, and thus cut off the retreat of the Moabite army to the eastern side of the Jordan.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Jdg 3:28 And he said unto them, Follow after me: for the LORD hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over.

Ver. 28. And he said unto them, Follow after me. ] This was captain-like spoken. Caesar never said to his soldiers, Ite, Go ye, but Venite, Come along: I will lead you, neither shall ye go farther than ye have me before you. Hannibal was wont to be first in the battle, and last out. a

a Princeps proelium inibat: ultimus conserto proelio excedebat. – Liv.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)