Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 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.

16. a sword of a cubit length ] The measure, a gmed, does not occur again in the O.T.; Jewish interpreters explain it as a short cubit, i.e. the length from the elbow to the knuckles, about 13 in. (Gk. ). This is the measure required; Ehud’s weapon was a short two-edged sword, or long dagger, without a cross-piece (to judge from Jdg 3:22), such as could be buried, hilt and all, in the belly of the corpulent king.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Upon his right thigh – The proper side for a left-handed man. It would give him the appearance of being unarmed. The narrative shows clearly that his action was premeditated Jdg 3:21.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 16. A dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length] The word gomed, which we translate cubit, is of very doubtful signification. As the root seems to signify contracted, it probably means an instrument made for the purpose shorter than usual, and something like the Italian stiletto. The Septuagint translate it by , a span, and most of the versions understand it in the same sense.

Upon his right thigh.] Because he was left-handed. Ordinarily the sword is on the left side, that it may be readily drawn out by the right hand; but as Ehud was left-handed, to be convenient his sword must be on the right side.

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

A cubit length; long enough for his design, and not too long for carriage and concealment.

Upon his right thigh; which was most convenient, both for the use of his left hand, and for the avoiding of suspicion.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

16. Ehud made him a dagger . . . andhe did gird it . . . upon his right thighThe sword was usuallyworn on the left side; so that Ehud’s was the more likely to escapedetection.

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

But Ehud made him a dagger, which had two edges, of a cubit length,…. A little sword, as Josephus calls it y, with two edges, that it might cut both ways, and do the execution he designed by it, and was about half a yard long; which he could the more easily conceal, and use for his purpose:

and he did gird it under his raiment; that it might not be seen, and give occasion of suspicion; this was a military garment, the “sagum”, as the Vulgate Latin version, which was coarse, and made of wool, and reached to the ankle, and was buttoned upon the shoulder, and put over the coat z; the Septuagint makes use of a word Suidas a interprets a coat of mail:

upon his right thigh; whereas a sword is more commonly girt upon the left; though some observe, from various writers, that the eastern people used to gird their swords on their right thigh; or this was done that it might be the less discernible and suspected, and chiefly as being most convenient for him, a lefthanded man, to draw it out upon occasion.

y Ibid. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 4. sect. 2.) z Vid. Valtrinum de re militar. Roman. l. 3. c. 13. a In voce .

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Ehud availed himself of the opportunity to approach the king of the Moabites and put him to death, and thus to shake off the yoke of the Moabites from his nation. To this end he provided himself with a sword, which had two edges ( from , like , Deu 22:1, from ), a cubit long ( , . . , signified primarily a staff, here a cubit, according to the Syriac and Arabic; not “a span,” , lxx), and “ did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh.”

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

(16) Made him a dagger which had two edges.Probably, as in other servitudes, the children of Israel had been disarmed. The two edges (comp. Rev. 1:16) show that it was not a mere knife (comp. Psa. 144:6; Heb. 4:12). Jerome, in the Vulgate, after rightly rendering the word ancipitem, adds, having a handle in the midst, which seems useless and meaningless, and has no equivalent in the Hebrew.

A cubit length.The LXX. and Vulgate render it a span long (spithams, palm; Luther, eine elle lang). The Hebrew word is not ammh, the usual word for a cubit, but gmed. A dagger of a span long hardly, however, suits the following narrative, and perhaps gmed is an archaic word for ammh. It meant originally a staff.

Under his raiment.The LXX. and Vulgate have under his war-cloak (LXX. manduan, Vulg. sagum). The LXX., however, are only adopting a method very common with themof choosing a Greek or, as in this case, a Persian (Hesych.) word which resembles the Hebrew word (maddim) in sound. The root of the Hebrew word shows that a long flowing robe (vests talaris) is intended. Dean Stanley suggests that he wore it as leader of the tribe. Prudentius describes Discord as hiding a dagger under her robe.

Upon his right thigh.This would avert all suspicion. Doubtless the war-cloak was flung in folds over the left shoulder, and Eglon, unaware that the bearer of the tribute was left-handed, would see that the side at which arms were usually worn was covered with a flowing robe, and would not suspect the dagger hidden at the right side. Daggers were often, however, worn at the right side, when a sword was slung to the left. Amasa fell by a similar act of treachery. Joab, advancing to kiss him, clasped his beard with his right hand, while with his unsuspected left he gave the deadly thrust (2Sa. 20:9-10).

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

16. Of a cubit length The Hebrew gomed, here rendered cubit, means a span, (Septuagint,) or a hand’s length, (Vulgate.) It occurs nowhere else in Scripture. Luther translates it an elle twenty-three inches, a dagger too long to be hidden on the thigh.

Upon his right thigh Where it would not be looked for by the king, and yet where it could be most easily unsheathed with the left hand.

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

‘ And Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, of a cubit length, and he slung it under his clothing on his right thigh.’

The short sword he made for himself was between one foot (thirty centimetres) and one foot six (forty five centimetres) in length, depending whether it means the short cubit or the long cubit. It was double-edged. He hid it under his clothing and because he was left-handed it was slung at his right side. It was made so that it could be more easily concealed than a normal sword, but be long enough to pierce the over-fat king to the heart. It was all carefully planned.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Every circumstance related in this transaction, manifests that it was of God. Eglon was overawed at the supposed message from God, so as to arise. His servants were blinded to any thoughts of suspicion, from this visit of an enemy. And the event, in Ehud’s safety, until he had escaped beyond the power of seizing him, carries evidence to the same purpose. And lastly, added to all, the destruction of Moab after Eglon’s death, plainly testified that the thing was of the Lord. But oh! what a sweet thought is it to the oppressed of the true Israelites, that when the Holy Ghost awakens the cry for mercy, and deliverance, in the hearts of his people, how all things conspire to give sure conquest, in the name and strength of Jesus. That is a sweet scripture to this effect, in which the promise runs, For the oppression of the poor, and the sighing of the needy, now will I arise saith the Lord. Psa 12:5 .

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Jdg 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.

Ver. 16. Upon his right thigh. ] As more convenient for him that was left handed; as those that are right handed used always to wear their weapons on the left side. Hence among the Turks for place the left hand is held uppermost, for a soldier: because it giveth a man possession of his companion’s sword. a

a Sir H. Blunt’s Voy. into Lev.

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