Judges 3:17

📚 Historical Context

In the Book of Judges, the Israelites were under the oppression of King Eglon of Moab for eighteen years as a consequence of their repeated idolatry and disobedience to God, reflecting the cycle of sin and deliverance common in that era. Ehud, a left-handed judge from the tribe of Benjamin, was chosen to deliver tribute to Eglon as an act of submission, setting the stage for a dramatic assassination plot that follows in the narrative. The description of Eglon as a very fat man highlights physical details that were often noted in ancient Near Eastern texts to emphasize character or foreshadow events.