Ehud's Assassination of Eglon/2

Ehud's Assassination of Eglon

Exegetical Approaches

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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.  RalbagShofetim 3:12-29Shofetim 3 Toelet 6About R. Levi b. Gershom 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:JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 5:4:1-3About 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  RadakShofetim 3:13-29About R. David Kimchi 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

"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 that the murder must have taken place on ethe eastern

¹ The root "פרש" elsewhere in Torah refers to bodily secretions. See, for example, Shemot 29:14 and Vayikra 4:11.

² For a picture of such a sword, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khopesh.  It is only sharp on one side, designed for cutting or slaying, but not for piercing.  The phrase "להכות לפי חרב" (to strike by the mouth of the sword)  found so often in description of Biblical battles is a very apt description of how such a sword was used.

³ an image of the type of sword ehud might have used can be seen here.

⁴ According to this explanation, Ehud said, "I have a the word of God for you" as a ruse to get Eglon to stand up in a show of respect, knowing that doing so would distract him.

⁵ See Shofetim 20:15-16.

⁶ See also Ralbag who makes this point.

⁷ He posits that Ehud accompanied them to the border of Moav before returning to the palace.  "וְהוּא שָׁב מִן הַפְּסִילִים" means that Ehud returned from the "idols."   With the border guard stood idols of Moabite gods (presumably placed there to watch over the country from invading enemies).

⁸ See Devarim 34:3 and Divrei HaYamim II 28:15.

⁹ It is nonetheless difficult to understand why Eglon would build a palace in a newly conquered area rather than in more secure and familiar surroundings in Moav proper.  It is possible that this was but one of several palaces and Eglon wanted to keep an eye n his new subjects, ensure they paid their tribute and the like.

¹⁰ 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.

¹¹ 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.

¹² 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.

¹³ See the arguments of Prof. Moshe Garsiel against this logic below.