Questions about Ehud killing Eglon, King of Moab.

Judges 3:12-20

12 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and because they did this evil the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. 13 Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms.[That is, Jericho] 14 The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.

15 Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab. 16 Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a cubit[That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters] long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. 17 He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man. 18 After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way those who had carried it. 19 But on reaching the stone images near Gilgal he himself went back to Eglon and said, “Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.”

The king said to his attendants, “Leave us!” And they all left.

20 Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his palace[The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain; also in verse 24.] and said, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king rose from his seat, 21 Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly. 22 Even the handle sank in after the blade, and his bowels discharged. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it. 23 Then Ehud went out to the porch[The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.]; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.

24 After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, “He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the palace.” 25 They waited to the point of embarrassment, but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their lord fallen to the floor, dead.

26 While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the stone images and escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them.

28 “Follow me,” he ordered, “for the Lord has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands.” So they followed him down and took possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab; they allowed no one to cross over. 29 At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not one escaped. 30 That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years.

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• Do you think that Ehud was acting under God's orders? It is possible when Ehud told Eglon that he had a message from God, that this was a euphemism. I can't help but smile and think about Dan Akyroyd and John Belushi in the Blues Brothers movie, claiming to be on a holy quest, a "Mission From God."
  
  
  But I tend to think God actually DID tell Ehud him to do this. There are other examples, such as with Jehu. But I notice that he went to the king, then left, then went back. So perhaps he was nervous about carrying out the plan? If God did not specifically tell Ehud to do this, would it still be morally OK?
  
  
• The logistics of the sword puzzle me. I am 6'4" tall, and the distance from my hip to my knee is 14". So I am trying to figure out how the 18" sword was positioned. I found this image which shows how it could extend above the hip, and still allow one to walk. But then the sword was UNDER his clothing. It seems it would have been difficult to conceal it if it was on his outer thigh. But perhaps with a bulky / loose fitting robe it was possible. Perhaps also, the first time he went into the king, he wasn't wearing the sword and after noting poor security around the king, retrieved the sword before going back. Next, I don't understand how he drew the sword. It specifically says that Ehud was left handed, and the sword was on his right thigh. This seems to create a situation like trying to get one's keys out of one's right pocket with the left hand. Very awkward, and I don't see how this could be done secretly. I guess king Eglon wouldn't have realized he was left handed, and Ehud was able to distract the king with his right hand, while the left hand was (seemingly awkwardly) drawing the sword for the kill.
  
  
  
• UPDATE: I found this image here that makes it perhaps not so difficult as I supposed. Though the backhand draw and the the curved nature of the sword shown might make stabbing more difficult. Easy enough to reposition the dagger/sword in the hand after drawing I suppose.
  
  
  
• Next is escape. The translation seems to be uncertain on a few words, but it seems we have an upper room, a door that is locked with a key, and restroom (toilet) facilities in the room. First a consideration of the lock on the door. According to this site, the dating of Ehud seems to be about 1250 BC. So I wonder what the technology of locks was at that time. For example how big were the keys? Modern small keys require precision machining, likely not available then. I found this site about the history of locks which states that crude locks were found about 2000BC in Egypt, but by about 1000 BC the technology was starting to improve. And this site also mentions that early locks had very bulky keys. So the question is, did Ehud leave by the main door, and lock it behind him? Did the locking process require a key? If so, how did he get the key? And if leaving by the door, were there no attendants waiting outside and seeing him leave? I am suspecting that he locked it from the inside and then escaped via a balcony. If so, he would have had to jump down etc, since the room was on an upper floor.
  
  
• Next is the toilet aspect of this. Other than the commands in Deuteronomy for the Israelites to bury their poop, I think this is the only other mention of using the toilet in the Bible. I am wondering if the king received Ehud in his throne room? Would this have been in an upper room? Or was the king in his private suites and after Ehud came back a second time, he didn't want to bother making things formal? The kings attendants didn't initially think anything was amis, meaning that it was not unusual for the king to be using the toilet at that location. Poop stinks, and there wouldn't have been flushing toilets at that time. My elderly mother grew up on a farm that had an outhouse -- an outdoor toilet facility (a seat over a poop pit). But perhaps a king would have a chamber pot that his servants would later dispose of? Below is a Italian chamber pot from Pompeii, which would have been > 1,000 yr later, but the technology likely has not changed much. It does mention that when Ehud stabbed Eglon, his bowels discharged. That is not an uncommon response to someone dying traumatically. I suspect this would have been stinky, and perhaps the attendants outside the door could smell that leading them to be confused?
  
  
  
• When I first started thinking about this, I wondered if the king had a setup like found in later medieval castles, and if Ehud had then escaped by climbing out the toilet hole. But upon reflection, this is highly unlikely.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• And lastly, there is the killing aspect of all this. A simple stab won't quickly kill a person. If the bowels are perforated, this can allow infection to set up, but that takes time. In order for someone to die quickly, a major artery would need to be struck. A big vein would also work, but more slowly. And since the king was so obese it is possible that Ehud could have missed one. I think the horrible practice of Japanese Harikari (suicide with a sword) involved sweeping the sword inside so that the aorta (main artery) is cut. I guess in an era where swords were a key military tool, this sort of thing must have been well known. But I imagine it must have been a scary and horrible thing to kill someone up close and personal, as they cry out and poop all over the floor. Yuk! And that raises the question as to why the king's cries where not heard? Perhaps Ehud clamped a hand over his mouth??