Hakim-hakim 3:7-9

Othniel: A Model Leader

3:7 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. ¹  They forgot the Lord their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs. ²  3:8 The Lord was furious with Israel ³  and turned them over to ⁴  King Cushan-Rishathaim ⁵  of Aram-Naharaim. They were Cushan-Rishathaim’s subjects ⁶  for eight years. 3:9 When the Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, he ⁷  raised up a deliverer for the Israelites who rescued ⁸  them. His name was Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. ⁹ 

Hakim-hakim 3:12-15

Deceit, Assassination, and Deliverance

3:12 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight. ¹⁰  The Lord gave King Eglon of Moab control over Israel ¹¹  because they had done evil in the Lord’s sight. 3:13 Eglon formed alliances with ¹²  the Ammonites and Amalekites. He came and defeated Israel, and they seized the City of Date Palm Trees. 3:14 The Israelites were subject to ¹³  King Eglon of Moab for eighteen years.

3:15 When the Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, he ¹⁴  raised up a deliverer for them. His name was Ehud son of Gera the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. ¹⁵  The Israelites sent him to King Eglon of Moab with their tribute payment. ¹⁶ 

[3:7]  ¹ tn Heb “in the eyes of the Lord.”

[3:7]  ² sn The Asherahs were local manifestations of the Canaanite goddess Asherah.

[3:8]  ³ tn Or “The Lord’s anger burned (or raged) against Israel.”

[3:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “sold them into the hands of.”

[3:8]  ⁵ tn Or “Cushan the Doubly Wicked.”

[3:8]  ⁶ tn Or “they served Cushan-Rishathaim.”

[3:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “the Lord.”

[3:9]  ⁸ tn Or “delivered.”

[3:9]  ⁹ tn “Caleb’s younger brother” may refer to Othniel or to Kenaz (in which case Othniel is Caleb’s nephew).

[3:12]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “in the eyes of the Lord” (also later in this verse).

[3:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “strengthened Eglon…against Israel.”

[3:13]  ¹² tn Heb “and he gathered to him.”

[3:14]  ¹³ tn Or “the Israelites served Eglon.”

[3:15]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the Lord.” This has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[3:15]  ¹⁵ tn The phrase, which refers to Ehud, literally reads “bound/restricted in the right hand,” apparently a Hebrew idiom for a left-handed person. See Judg 20:16, where 700 Benjaminites are described in this way. Perhaps the Benjaminites purposely trained several of their young men to be left-handed warriors by restricting the use of the right hand from an early age so the left hand would become dominant. Left-handed men would have a distinct military advantage, especially when attacking city gates. See B. Halpern, “The Assassination of Eglon: The First Locked-Room Murder Mystery,” BRev 4 (1988): 35.

[3:15]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “The Israelites sent by his hand an offering to Eglon, king of Moab.”