And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly:
Parallel translations
- WEB Ehud put out his left hand, and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his body:
- BSB And Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon’s belly.
- NKJV Then Ehud reached with his left hand, took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly.
- NASB Then Ehud reached out with his left hand and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly.
- NLT Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled out the dagger strapped to his right thigh, and plunged it into the king’s belly.
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 draws his hidden sword with his left hand and drives it into Eglon's body.
Overview
The concealed weapon, undetected because of Ehud's left-handedness, accomplishes the deliverance. The swift, decisive act portrays God's judgment on the oppressor of His people. Within the violent realities of the period, the text presents Ehud as the Lord's instrument of justice.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 1 Sam 15:33And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.
- Num 25:7–8And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand;
- Job 20:25It is drawn, and cometh out of the body; yea, the glittering sword cometh out of his gall: terrors are upon him.
- Zech 13:3And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.
- 2 Cor 5:16Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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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 3:21 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.