Difference between revisions of "Ehud's Assassination of Eglon/2"
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<point><b>Why were the Moabites not suspicious of Ehud?</b> According to Josephus, since Ehud lived in Yericho<fn>Josephus contends that the city was co-inhabited by both Israleites and Moabites.  Prof. Elizur suggests that Josephus is influenced by the Greek polis of his day, where Greeks and Jews lived side by side.</fn> and continuously endeared himself to the Eglon through his gifts, he had become a familiar face in the palace.  Moreover, he arrived during the heat of the day,<fn>Though this is not mentioned anywhere in the text, the fact that Eglon was sitting "בַּעֲלִיַּת הַמְּקֵרָה", commonly translated as a "cooling room" (see, for example, Rashi and R"Y Kara), suggests that it was hot out at the time.</fn> when the guards were less alert.</point> | <point><b>Why were the Moabites not suspicious of Ehud?</b> According to Josephus, since Ehud lived in Yericho<fn>Josephus contends that the city was co-inhabited by both Israleites and Moabites.  Prof. Elizur suggests that Josephus is influenced by the Greek polis of his day, where Greeks and Jews lived side by side.</fn> and continuously endeared himself to the Eglon through his gifts, he had become a familiar face in the palace.  Moreover, he arrived during the heat of the day,<fn>Though this is not mentioned anywhere in the text, the fact that Eglon was sitting "בַּעֲלִיַּת הַמְּקֵרָה", commonly translated as a "cooling room" (see, for example, Rashi and R"Y Kara), suggests that it was hot out at the time.</fn> when the guards were less alert.</point> | ||
<point><b>"דְּבַר אֱלֹהִים לִי אֵלֶיךָ "</b> – Josephus maintains that Ehud said this to get the king to stand up, fearing that if he stabbed the king while sitting, he would not be able to inflict a mortal wound.</point> | <point><b>"דְּבַר אֱלֹהִים לִי אֵלֶיךָ "</b> – Josephus maintains that Ehud said this to get the king to stand up, fearing that if he stabbed the king while sitting, he would not be able to inflict a mortal wound.</point> | ||
| − | <point><b>"וַיָּבֹא גַם הַנִּצָּב אַחַר הַלַּהַב"</b> – Josephus might agree</point> | + | <point><b>"וַיָּבֹא גַם הַנִּצָּב אַחַר הַלַּהַב"</b> – Josephus might agree with the possibility brought by Ralbag that Ehud intentionally stuck the handle into Eglon's body along with the blade to ensure that the blade reached deep enough to pierce Eglon's internal organs and kill him.</point> |
<point><b>"וַיָּחִילוּ עַד בּוֹשׁ"</b> – Josephus suggests that the guards did not only wait long enough for Eglon to relieve himself (which would have provided Ehud with just a few extra minutes) but until evening, as they assumed that the king had gone to sleep.<fn>This is consistent with Josephus' suggestion that Ehud arrived midday, during dinnertime.  It is logical that afterwards the king might lie down for an afternoon siesta, especially in the heat of summer.</fn></point> | <point><b>"וַיָּחִילוּ עַד בּוֹשׁ"</b> – Josephus suggests that the guards did not only wait long enough for Eglon to relieve himself (which would have provided Ehud with just a few extra minutes) but until evening, as they assumed that the king had gone to sleep.<fn>This is consistent with Josephus' suggestion that Ehud arrived midday, during dinnertime.  It is logical that afterwards the king might lie down for an afternoon siesta, especially in the heat of summer.</fn></point> | ||
<point><b>"וַיִּתְקַע בַּשּׁוֹפָר בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם"</b> – The servants' delay and the proximity of the palace to the Israelites (some of whom lived in Yericho itself) meant that had Ehud sufficient time to rally them to rebellion, capture the fords of the Jordan and surprise the Moabites.<fn>See the arguments of Prof. Moshe Garsiel against this logic below.</fn></point> | <point><b>"וַיִּתְקַע בַּשּׁוֹפָר בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם"</b> – The servants' delay and the proximity of the palace to the Israelites (some of whom lived in Yericho itself) meant that had Ehud sufficient time to rally them to rebellion, capture the fords of the Jordan and surprise the Moabites.<fn>See the arguments of Prof. Moshe Garsiel against this logic below.</fn></point> | ||
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<p>Ehud's every action was planned meticulously in advance as part of a nation-wide rebellion.  Even before the assassination, a rebel army was in place to attack, and messengers were ready to give word to the rest of the population.</p> | <p>Ehud's every action was planned meticulously in advance as part of a nation-wide rebellion.  Even before the assassination, a rebel army was in place to attack, and messengers were ready to give word to the rest of the population.</p> | ||
<mekorot>M. Garsiel,</mekorot> | <mekorot>M. Garsiel,</mekorot> | ||
| − | <point><b>Where was Eglon's palace?</b> Garsiel argues that the | + | <point><b>Where was Eglon's palace?</b> Garsiel argues against Josephus, claiming that he murder could not have taken place in Yericho since whatever Moabite army was stationed there would have automatically heard of the death almost immediately, not giving Ehud any time at all for a surprise attack.  he thus posits that the assassination must have taken place as far as possible on the other side</point> |
</category> | </category> | ||
</approaches> | </approaches> | ||
</page> | </page> | ||
</aht-xml> | </aht-xml> | ||
Version as of 11:14, 7 August 2016
Ehud's Assassination of Eglon
Exegetical Approaches
Murder Mistaken for Natural Death
Eglon was killed in such a way that it was not obvious that he had been murdered, leading the Moabites to assume that he had died a natural death. Many hours passed before they understood that there had been an assassination and acted upon it.
Sources:Prof. Y. Elitzur
Where was Eglon's palace? According to Prof. Elitzur, the murder took place in Eglon's palace on the Eastern side of the Jordan, in Moav proper. As such, it should have been very difficult for Ehud to to return to Mt. Ephraim, gather the troops, capture the fords, and still take the Moabites by surprise. This leads Prof. Elitzur to suggest that the Moabites must not have recognized that a rebellion was under way until much after Eglon's death.
"וַיִּסְגֹּר הַחֵלֶב בְּעַד הַלַּהַב" – This verse lies at the heart of Prof. Elitzur's theory. The fact that the entire sword was swallowed in Eglon's body, and the flesh closed around the wound, meant that there was no evidence of foul play. As no blood leaked out, neither Ehud nor Eglon showed signs of an attack. This meant that Ehud was able to leave the palace in full view of the guards without arousing suspicion, and that Eglon's death was not immediately recognized as an assassination.
"וַיֵּצֵא הַפַּרְשְׁדֹנָה" – According to Elitzur, "הַפַּרְשְׁדֹנָה" refers to Eglon's excrement, or perhaps to part of his intestines.1 The ensuing odor led the servants to originally assume that Eglon was "מֵסִיךְ אֶת רַגְלָיו" (a euphemism for eliminating). Later, upon opening the doors, they interpreted the bowels as signs of some internal intestinal disease which had led to the obese king's death.
"וְהִנֵּה אֲדֹנֵיהֶם נֹפֵל אַרְצָה מֵת" – The language of "מֵת" (dead) rather than "הרוג" (killed) supports the fact that the servants' original impression was that the king had died naturally, not that he had been murdered.
Ehud's sword – Ehud's double edged sword was also crucial to the success of the assassination. In contrast to the sickle shaped swords of the time which were used only for slaying,2 Ehud's straight sword was designed for stabbing and thus appropriate for his goal.3 In addition, its sharp edge minimized the amount of bleeding when piercing the skin. Finally, since it was short, of unique shape, and unexpected, it was more easily concealed upon entry into the palace.
"וְעֶגְלוֹן אִישׁ בָּרִיא מְאֹד" – Eglon's extra fat is highlighted as it was what enabled the dagger to be concealed in his body. Ralbag adds that Eglon's massive weight made it difficult for him to rise from sitting position and the extra effort momentarily distracted him from Ehud, who took the opportunity to strike.4 Finally, the obesity (together with the signs of bowel disease) made a plausible explanation for the death.
"אִישׁ אִטֵּר יַד יְמִינוֹ" – Prof. Elitzur understands this to mean that Ehud, like others form the tribe of Binyamin,5 was a leftie. This, too, proved advantageous as he was in the minority of men who wore their sword on the right and struck with the left, making both his sword and his strike less conspicuous.6
"וְאֵהוּד נִמְלַט עַד הִתְמַהְמְהָם" – Prof. Elitzur suggests that upon the death of their king, the Moabites must have begun funeral preparations, costing them even more hours. Between the original delay and these ceremonies, Ehud had sufficient time not only to escape but also to spearhead the rebellion.
Did Ehud act alone? According to Prof. Elitzur, Ehud acted alone hoping that the deed would spur a rebellion, regardless of whether he himself survived. It is for this reason that he attacks Eglon only after sending away his men.7
Hand of God or Man?
Proximity of Palace to Israelites
Since the murder took place in the palace in Yericho, it did not take long for Ehud to return to his fellow Israelites and gather them to rebellion.
Sources:Josephus
Site of Eglon's palace – Josephus suggests that Eglon's palace was not on the Eastern side of the Jordan, but in the conquered territory of עִיר הַתְּמָרִים, identified as Yericho.8 Radak points out that the language of "וַוַיִּירְשׁוּ אֶת עִיר הַתְּמָרִים" connotes settlement and not simply conquest, which might support this contention.9
"וַיַּקְרֵב אֶת הַמִּנְחָה" – Josephus claims that this was but one of many such presents that Ehud had brought to Eglon as a means of currying favor with the king and his men.
Why were the Moabites not suspicious of Ehud? According to Josephus, since Ehud lived in Yericho10 and continuously endeared himself to the Eglon through his gifts, he had become a familiar face in the palace. Moreover, he arrived during the heat of the day,11 when the guards were less alert.
"דְּבַר אֱלֹהִים לִי אֵלֶיךָ " – Josephus maintains that Ehud said this to get the king to stand up, fearing that if he stabbed the king while sitting, he would not be able to inflict a mortal wound.
"וַיָּבֹא גַם הַנִּצָּב אַחַר הַלַּהַב" – Josephus might agree with the possibility brought by Ralbag that Ehud intentionally stuck the handle into Eglon's body along with the blade to ensure that the blade reached deep enough to pierce Eglon's internal organs and kill him.
"וַיָּחִילוּ עַד בּוֹשׁ" – Josephus suggests that the guards did not only wait long enough for Eglon to relieve himself (which would have provided Ehud with just a few extra minutes) but until evening, as they assumed that the king had gone to sleep.12
"וַיִּתְקַע בַּשּׁוֹפָר בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם" – The servants' delay and the proximity of the palace to the Israelites (some of whom lived in Yericho itself) meant that had Ehud sufficient time to rally them to rebellion, capture the fords of the Jordan and surprise the Moabites.13
"וְהוּא שָׁב מִן ... הַגִּלְגָּל" – This verse would seem to be difficult for this position, since Gilgal is not enroute from Yericho to Mt. Ephraim
Pre-planned Rebellion
Ehud's every action was planned meticulously in advance as part of a nation-wide rebellion. Even before the assassination, a rebel army was in place to attack, and messengers were ready to give word to the rest of the population.
Sources:M. Garsiel,
Where was Eglon's palace? Garsiel argues against Josephus, claiming that he murder could not have taken place in Yericho since whatever Moabite army was stationed there would have automatically heard of the death almost immediately, not giving Ehud any time at all for a surprise attack. he thus posits that the assassination must have taken place as far as possible on the other side
