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And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man.
Judges 3:17 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB He offered the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.
  • BSB and brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was an obese man.
  • NKJV So he brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. (Now Eglon was a very fat man.)
  • NASB Then he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.
  • NLT He brought the tribute money to Eglon, who was very fat.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Ehud presents Israel's tribute to the very obese king Eglon.

Overview

The required tribute marks the humiliation of Israel's servitude. The mention of Eglon's fatness, recalling a fattened calf, hints at his coming slaughter and ironic judgment. The scene shows the contrast between Moab's bloated power and the slim deliverer God has appointed.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 8

  • Job 15:27Because he covereth his face with his fatness, and maketh collops of fat on his flanks.
  • Ezek 34:20Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle.
  • Jer 50:11Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls;
  • Ps 73:19How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.
  • Jer 5:28They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.
  • Judg 3:29And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valour; and there escaped not a man.
  • Ps 73:7Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.
  • 1 Sam 2:29Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (11)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Judges videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Judges 3:17YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JudgesMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Israel's cycle of sin and rescue through flawed deliverers cries out for a Savior who never fails — the true and final Judge and Deliverer who saves his people not for a season but forever.

How Judges 3:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.