Othniel delivers Israel from Cushan-rishathaim; Ehud, a man left-handed, ends Eglon king of Moab with a two-edged dagger in his cool upper chamber; Shamgar smites six hundred Philistines with an ox-goad.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Now these are the nations which Hashem left, to prove Israel by them, even as many as had not known all the wars of Canaan;
verse value 4474
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 61 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·them" (בָּ֖ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·wars·of" (כׇּל־מִלְחֲמ֥וֹת, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 42: and·these, in·them. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "He·left" (הִנִּ֣יחַ), "all·wars·of" (כׇּל־מִלְחֲמ֥וֹת). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "all·wars·of" (root כל, 44x in Judges). First appearance of the root כנען ("Canaan") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words.
Rashi
"To test them, namely the Israelites." This refers to the later generation, who did not know the miracles of the wars in Canaan and did not witness the great deed, and who rebelled and transgressed against the Omnipresent.
Radak
"To test Israel through them." The subsequent generation, who did not know all the wars of Canaan, which were in a miraculous way and not by the might of Israel, but rather that the Holy One, blessed be He, fought on their behalf:
Ralbag
And these are the nations which the Lord left to test with them all Israel who had not known all the wars of Canaan. Meaning, that they did not perceive how were the wars of Canaan, for not by their sword did they inherit the land, nor did their arm save them, but the Lord blessed be He was fighting for them, and they did not perceive this; rather the Lord blessed be He did this.
Metzudat David
"All of them, etc." These are the subsequent generations, who did not have the understanding to comprehend the miracles that were performed for Joshua when he fought against Canaan, and because of this their faith in God was weakened, and therefore He left these nations to test them through them.
Malbim
"These are the nations." Now it enumerates in detail the nations that the Lord left to test Israel, who did not know the wars of Canaan and had not seen them with their own eyes.
only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as beforetime knew nothing thereof;
verse value 3616
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "only" (רַ֗ק, 2 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Israel" (בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 300: only, only. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "knowledge" (דַּ֚עַת), "generations" (דֹּר֣וֹת), "to·teach·them" (לְלַמְּדָ֖ם). The root רק appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of·Israel" (root בן, 116x in Judges); "not" (root לא, 77x in Judges); "that·to·face" (root פנים, 46x in Judges). First appearance of the root רק ("only") in Judges. First appearance of the root מלחמה ("battle") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'battle', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: רַ֗ק [only] (300) + לְמַ֙עַן֙ [so·that] (190) + דַּ֚עַת [knowledge] (474) + דֹּר֣וֹת [generations] (610) + בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [sons·of·Israel] (603) + לְלַמְּדָ֖ם [to·teach·them] (144) + מִלְחָמָ֑ה [battle] (123) + רַ֥ק [only] (300) + אֲשֶׁר־לְפָנִ֖ים [that·to·face] (711) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יְדָעֽוּם [they·had·known·them] (130) = 3616.
Rashi
"Only in order to know." He left them for this one thing alone, in order to know and to contemplate, so that future generations of the children of Israel may understand what sin brings about, for at present they require instruction in warfare.
Only those of former times. Who used to stand and serve the LORD:
"They did not know them." [This refers to] these battles and their tactics, and they did not need them.
Radak
"Only for this reason": Only did He leave them, so that the generations of the children of Israel who would come after the first generation would know what war is like, if they do not guard the way of the Lord. They need to be taught the ways of war, because the Lord will not fight on their behalf. Only the previous generation did not know the ways of war, because they did not need them, since the Lord fought for them, and one of them would pursue a thousand. And who were these nations that the Lord left, which He did not give into the hand of Joshua? The five lords of the Philistines, etc.
Ralbag
In order that the generations of Israel would know that now they need to be taught the matter of war, because they would not recognize what was lacking from them when the providence of the Lord, blessed be He, departed from them. For before this they did not need to know the order of the matter of war, because the Lord was fighting for them.
Metzudat David
"Only for the sake of knowing." This means: Only for this purpose will they gain understanding of the wondrous miracles that had been performed for them of old.
"To teach them war." This means: Since the nations were left behind, they would surely wage war against them, and thus it would be necessary to teach them the tactics of war. For only the generation that preceded in the days of Joshua did not know the tactics of war, because the Lord fought for them. But after that, they would need to know them, because on account of their deeds, the Lord would abandon them to chance. Then they would understand and recognize the miracles that had been performed since then, and from that time onward they would believe in the Lord.
Malbim
"Only" means that the ultimate purpose of the test was twofold: a) "Only" so that future generations, who will be compelled to learn warfare and battle strategies—knowledge unknown to previous generations, for the Canaanites were driven out before them by God through a miracle—would thereby recognize the power of the miracle and what they brought upon themselves through their improper deeds, as it is said: "O God, we have heard with our ears... a work You performed in their days," etc., "for it was not by their sword that they inherited the land," etc. The word "only" indicates that for this purpose He left them. Therefore, He left them.
namely, the five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Zidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baal-hermon to the entrance of Hamath.
verse value 4271
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "hill" (הַ֣ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·all·the·Canaanite" (וְכׇל־הַֽכְּנַעֲנִי֙, 9 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·all·the·Canaanite" (וְכׇל־הַֽכְּנַעֲנִי֙), "and·the·Sidonian" (וְהַצִּ֣ידֹנִ֔י), "hill" (הַ֣ר). The root הר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "dwelling" (root ישב, 69x in Judges); "and·all·the·Canaanite" (root כל, 44x in Judges); "Baal" (root בעל, 33x in Judges). First appearance of the root חמש ("five") in Judges. First appearance of the root סרן ("lords·of") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Lebanon', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
The five commanders of the Philistines. They are the nations that He left to test [Israel]:
Radak
And the explanation of “the five lords of the Philistines”: The places in which the five lords of the Philistines ruled were the five great cities—Ashdod, Gaza, Gath, Ashkelon, and Ekron—and the other small cities and villages. Now we have seen that Judah captured Ashkelon, Gaza, and Ekron, and their territory. How then can it be said that “these nations God left to test Israel by them”? Perhaps afterward the Philistines took them from their hands, and “God left” refers to those that Israel did not capture at all; and likewise, “He left” refers to those that Israel had captured, and afterward God allowed the nations to take them from Israel. And the explanation of “and all the Canaanite” is: those who dwelt in Mount Lebanon.
Ralbag
And he said that the Lord had already left it so that the five lords of the Philistines would not be given into the hand of Joshua. And although the tribe of Judah captured from them, after the death of Joshua, Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron, the valley nevertheless remained to them, as is mentioned at the beginning of this book. And it is possible to say that the inhabitants of the valley returned to take these cities from the hand of Judah, and therefore we find that among the five lords of the Philistines were Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron, Ashdod, and Gath, as is mentioned in the book of Samuel.
Metzudat David
“Five.” This refers back to the preceding scriptural verse, to say: “These are the nations... five...”
"The lords of the Philistines." This means their actual administrative centers. Although the tribe of Judah had conquered Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron from the Philistines, as stated above (1:18), behold, in due time the Philistines returned and seized them from their hands, and then the tribe of Judah was unable to drive them out.
"Dwelling on Mount Lebanon." This means: "And all the Canaanites... who dwelled on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal... up to the place through which one travels to Hamath."
Metzudat Zion
Lords ['sarnei']. The sense of dominion:
Malbim
"The five commanders of the Philistines, etc." From them the tribe of Judah conquered Gaza, Ekron, and Ashkelon after the death of Joshua, and from them [the other Philistines] they did not conquer, and they needed to fight against them.
And they were there, to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken to the commandments of Hashem, which He commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
verse value 5278
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 58 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 5278 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·them" (בָּ֖ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "Israel" (אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "to·know" (לָדַ֗עַת), "whether·they·would·hearken" (הֲיִשְׁמְעוּ֙), "unleavened·bread" (אֶת־מִצְוֺ֣ת). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which·he·commanded" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "and·they·were" (root היה, 120x in Judges). First appearance of the root מצה ("unleavened·bread") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיִּהְי֕וּ [and·they·were] (37) + לְנַסּ֥וֹת [to·test] (546) + בָּ֖ם [in·them] (42) + אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (942) + לָדַ֗עַת [to·know] (504) + הֲיִשְׁמְעוּ֙ [whether·they·would·hearken] (431) + אֶת־מִצְוֺ֣ת [unleavened·bread] (937) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה [which·he·commanded] (602) + אֶת־אֲבוֹתָ֖ם [their·fathers] (850) + בְּיַד־מֹשֶֽׁה [by·hand·of·Moses] (361) = 5278.
Metzudat David
"And they were." These nations:
"Will they obey?" [I.e., the commandments were] not to walk after their gods:
Malbim
And they were. And the second purpose was to test Israel through them, to know whether they would heed the commandments of the Lord, so that they would not intermarry with them, and so that they would not serve their gods.
And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites;
verse value 2563
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "and·sons·of" (וּבְנֵ֣י, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·Jebusite" (וְהַיְבוּסִֽי, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "Hittite" (הַחִתִּ֤י), "and·Amorite" (וְהָאֱמֹרִי֙), "and·Jebusite" (וְהַיְבוּסִֽי). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·sons·of" (root בן, 116x in Judges); "Israel" (root ישראל, 114x in Judges); "they·dwelt" (root ישב, 69x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Canaanite', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּבְנֵ֣י [and·sons·of] (68) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (541) + יָשְׁב֖וּ [they·dwelt] (318) + בְּקֶ֣רֶב [in·midst·of] (304) + הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֑י [Canaanite] (205) + הַחִתִּ֤י [Hittite] (423) + וְהָאֱמֹרִי֙ [and·Amorite] (262) + וְהַפְּרִזִּ֔י [and·Perizzite] (308) + וְהַחִוִּ֖י [and·Hivite] (35) + וְהַיְבוּסִֽי [and·Jebusite] (99) = 2563.
Malbim
And the Children of Israel. They did not withstand these two trials: with the first, that they should learn warfare from them, they did not wage war against them, but rather dwelled among them and made a covenant with them; and with the second, that they should not intermarry with them.
and they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
verse value 3702
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·their·daughters" (וְאֶת־בְּנוֹתֵיהֶ֖ם, 10 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "their·daughters" (אֶת־בְּנוֹתֵיהֶ֤ם), "and·their·daughters" (וְאֶת־בְּנוֹתֵיהֶ֖ם), "to·their·sons" (לִבְנֵיהֶ֑ם). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·their·sons" (root בן, 116x in Judges); "to·them" (root הם, 74x in Judges); "they·gave" (root נתן, 69x in Judges). First appearance of the root לקח ("and·took") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·their·sons', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקְח֨וּ [and·took] (130) + אֶת־בְּנוֹתֵיהֶ֤ם [their·daughters] (914) + לָהֶם֙ [to·them] (75) + לְנָשִׁ֔ים [to·women] (430) + וְאֶת־בְּנוֹתֵיהֶ֖ם [and·their·daughters] (920) + נָתְנ֣וּ [they·gave] (506) + לִבְנֵיהֶ֑ם [to·their·sons] (137) + וַיַּעַבְד֖וּ [and·they·served] (98) + אֶת־אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם [their·gods] (492) = 3702.
Metzudat David
"And they took." This implies that they did not withstand the test, and they took their daughters, etc., and the end result was that through this they served their gods.
Malbim
"And they took their daughters, etc., and they also served their gods." (And my words here are similar to the words of the Maharia [Abarbanel] throughout this entire discourse.)
And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Hashem, and forgot Hashem their God, and served the Baalim and the Asheroth.
verse value 4682
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 68 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·the·Asheroth" (וְאֶת־הָאֲשֵׁרֽוֹת, 9 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·they·forgot" (וַֽיִּשְׁכְּח֖וּ), "and·the·Asheroth" (וְאֶת־הָאֲשֵׁרֽוֹת). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "sons·of·Israel" (root בן, 116x in Judges); "and·they·did" (root עשה, 87x in Judges). First appearance of the root אשרה ("and·the·Asheroth") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּעֲשׂ֨וּ [and·they·did] (392) + בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֤ל [sons·of·Israel] (603) + אֶת־הָרַע֙ [the·evil] (676) + בְּעֵינֵ֣י [in·eyes·of] (142) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + וַֽיִּשְׁכְּח֖וּ [and·they·forgot] (350) + אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (427) + אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֑ם [their·God] (91) + וַיַּעַבְד֥וּ [and·they·served] (98) + אֶת־הַבְּעָלִ֖ים [the·Baalim] (558) + וְאֶת־הָאֲשֵׁרֽוֹת [and·the·Asheroth] (1319) = 4682.
Metzudat David
"And they did..." Up to this point, the text has recounted in general terms the deeds of the Israelites throughout all the days of the Judges. From here, it returns to recount in detail the events during the days of each individual Judge. It states that before the first Judge arose, they did evil.
Metzudat Zion
Asherim. A tree that is worshipped:
Malbim
"And they made." Behold, until here, the text has presented a general introduction to all the narratives of the book, covering what occurred from after the death of Joshua until all the days of the Judges. Now it returns to recount the details, the matter of each judge and judge and what occurred in their days. It states that the children of Israel began to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, until they forgot Him and until they served the Baalim. And because of this...
Therefore the anger of Hashem was kindled against Israel, and He gave them over into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram-naharaim; and the children of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.
verse value 6531
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 80 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·hand·of" (בְּיַד֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Israel" (בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 1020: Chushan-rishathaim, Chushan-rishathaim. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "Naharaim" (נַהֲרָ֑יִם). The root כושן appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "sons·of·Israel" (root בן, 116x in Judges); "in·Israel" (root ישראל, 114x in Judges). First appearance of the root כושן ("Cushan") in Judges. First appearance of the root רשעתים ("Chushan-rishathaim") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Naharaim', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Radak
“By the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim.” This was his name. It is also possible that Rishathaim is the name of a place. In the interpretive sense, what is the meaning of “Rishathaim”? It refers to two acts of wickedness that Aram committed against Israel: one through Balaam and the other through Cushan.
Ralbag
And indeed it is mentioned that the sons of Israel had already served Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram for eight years.
Malbim
"And the anger of the Lord burned, etc., and He sold them into the hand of Cushan." (As stated above, chapter 2, from verse 11 to 16.) And afterwards...
And when the children of Israel cried to Hashem, Hashem raised up a saviour to the children of Israel, who saved them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.
verse value 4078
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 75 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "brother" (אֲחִ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Israel" (בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·He·delivered·them" (וַיֹּשִׁיעֵ֑ם). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "sons·of·Israel" (root בן, 116x in Judges); "Israel" (root ישראל, 114x in Judges). First appearance of the root זעק ("and·cried") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·He·delivered·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 7 words.
Ralbag
And the Lord raised for them a savior, Otniel son of Kenaz, when they returned to the Lord blessed be He, and the Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he led Israel with a praiseworthy leadership, and his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim, king of Aram, who had oppressed them eight years. And it is possible that this was prophecy, or it was a portion of the Holy Spirit.
Metzudat David
“Et Otniel.” It refers back to “a deliverer,” to say: He appointed Otniel as a deliverer.
Malbim
"And they cried out... and the Lord arose as a savior." Just as it is stated there, from verse 17 onward.
And the spirit of Hashem came upon him, and he judged Israel; and he went out to war, and Hashem delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Cushan-rishathaim.
verse value 7025
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 86 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·spirit·of·Hashem" (רֽוּחַ־יְהֹוָה֮, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 1020: Chushan-rishathaim, Chushan-rishathaim. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "the·spirit·of·Hashem" (רֽוּחַ־יְהֹוָה֮). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·spirit·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "and·it·was" (root היה, 120x in Judges); "upon·him" (root על, 87x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Aram', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 5 words.
Rashi
“And the Spirit of the Lord was upon him.” Rabbi Tanḥuma expounded (Midrash Tanḥuma, Shemot 20): “He looked at them,” for the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses in Egypt (Exodus 3:7), “I have seen, I have seen the affliction of My people.” What are these two instances of “seeing”? He said to him: “I see that they are destined to err with the calf, and even so, ‘I have seen the affliction of My people.’” This is the exposition of Othniel, who said: Whether they are righteous or whether they are guilty, He is obligated to save them.
Radak
“And the Spirit of the Lord was upon him.” Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered [this] in the Targum: “And the Spirit of Prophecy from before the Lord rested upon him.” And it is possible to interpret [this as] “the Spirit of power and strength,” because he was aroused with strength to fight against Cushan, and all fear and faint-heartedness were removed from him with the assistance of the Creator, blessed be He. And likewise, Jonathan rendered [the verse]: “And the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon,” [as] “And a Spirit of strength from before the Lord.” And likewise [regarding the verse]: “And the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jephthah,” [the Targum renders]: “And a Spirit of strength from before the Lord rested upon Jephthah.”
Metzudat David
“The Spirit of the Lord.” This refers to an awakening of wisdom to judge, and a courageous heart to wage war.
"And his hand was strengthened." His hand was firmly established to overcome him each time.
And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
verse value 3015
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "year" (שָׁנָ֑ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "forty" (אַרְבָּעִ֣ים, 6 letters). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "earth" (root ארץ, 56x in Judges); "son·of·Kenaz" (root בין, 50x in Judges); "and·he·died" (root מות, 43x in Judges). First appearance of the root שקט ("and·it·was·quiet") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'year', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַתִּשְׁקֹ֥ט [and·it·was·quiet] (815) + הָאָ֖רֶץ [earth] (296) + אַרְבָּעִ֣ים [forty] (323) + שָׁנָ֑ה [year] (355) + וַיָּ֖מׇת [and·he·died] (456) + עׇתְנִיאֵ֥ל [Othniel] (561) + בֶּן־קְנַֽז [son·of·Kenaz] (209) = 3015.
Ralbag
And the land was quiet for forty years from the beginning of the servitude, for it cannot be that the years of the tranquility were forty years, as we are destined to clarify, God willing, in the matter of Yiftach.
Metzudat David
"And she was quiet." Through this, the land was quieted and rested from war until the completion of forty years from the time the subjugation began. So they wrote in Seder Olam (Chapter 12):
And the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Hashem; and Hashem strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done that which was evil in the sight of Hashem.
verse value 4861
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 81 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֛ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "calf" (אֶת־עֶגְל֤וֹן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 142: in·eyes·of, in·eyes·of. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "when·they·made" (כִּי־עָשׂ֥וּ). The root יהוה appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "son" (root בן, 116x in Judges); "Israel" (root ישראל, 114x in Judges). First appearance of the root עגלון ("calf") in Judges. First appearance of the root מואב ("king·Moab") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 10 words.
Ralbag
And after the death of Otniel son of Kenaz, Israel returned to do evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord humbled Israel and gave them into the hand of Eglon king of Moab, and they served him eighteen years. And they took from them the City of Palms, and that is Jericho, as is mentioned in the Torah, 'the valley of Jericho, the City of Palms.'
Metzudat David
"And the Lord strengthened." He had been weak, and the Lord strengthened him against Israel on account of their evil deeds.
Malbim
"And they added to do evil." And as it is stated elsewhere, "And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned and corrupted themselves," and "The Lord strengthened Eglon" etc., "because they did evil." This means that Eglon was weak in his own right, and according to nature, they would have gained the upper hand over him; only because they did evil did the Lord strengthen him until he defeated them through the Divine providence of the Lord, as it is stated there (Judges 2:15), "In all that they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil." And furthermore, because they did evil, he was strengthened, for thereby he incited their neighbors to mistreat them, saying, "God has forsaken them, and He will no longer go out with their armies, for they have rebelled against Him." And by means of this...
And he gathered to him the children of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and smote Israel, and they possessed the city of palm-trees.
verse value 4031
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "and·he·smote" (וַיַּךְ֙) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "and·he·smote" (וַיַּךְ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "Israel" (אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "excitement" (אֶת־עִ֥יר). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·went" (root הלך, 109x in Judges); "to·him" (root אל, 89x in Judges); "and·he·smote" (root נכה, 28x in Judges). First appearance of the root אל ("to·him") in Judges. First appearance of the root עמון ("Ammon") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Amalek', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיֶּאֱסֹ֣ף [and·he·gathered] (157) + אֵלָ֔יו [to·him] (47) + אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י [the·sons·of] (463) + עַמּ֖וֹן [Ammon] (166) + וַעֲמָלֵ֑ק [and·Amalek] (246) + וַיֵּ֗לֶךְ [and·went] (66) + וַיַּךְ֙ [and·he·smote] (36) + אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (942) + וַיִּֽירְשׁ֖וּ [and·they·possessed] (532) + אֶת־עִ֥יר [excitement] (681) + הַתְּמָרִֽים [palm·trees] (695) = 4031.
Rashi
“The city of palms.” Jericho:
Radak
"City of palms." Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated it as "the city of Jericho," and we have already stated our opinion on this matter. He said that the term "they inherited" implies that when they captured it, they did not plunder it and depart, but rather they took hold of it and settled in it, as if it were their inheritance.
Metzudat David
"And he gathered together, etc." – besides the sons of his people.
But when the children of Israel cried to Hashem, Hashem raised them up a saviour, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a man left-handed; and the children of Israel sent a present by him to Eglon the king of Moab.
verse value 4459
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 103 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֨ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 4459 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶ֜ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Israel" (בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֮, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 603: sons·of·Israel, sons·of·Israel. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "Ehud" (אֶת־אֵה֤וּד), "son·of·Gera" (בֶּן־גֵּרָא֙), "the·Benjamite" (בֶּן־הַיְמִינִ֔י). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "sons·of·Israel" (root בן, 116x in Judges). First appearance of the root אהוד ("Ehud") in Judges. First appearance of the root ימין ("hand·right") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'hand·right', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 7 words.
Rashi
“His right hand was withered.” Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: “His right hand was stiff,” and “stiff” is an Aramaic term denoting something contracted due to illness, “paralyzed” in the vernacular; he did not have control over his right hand. And in Hebrew, “withered” means “blocked,” as in (Psalms 69:16) “let not the pit shut her mouth upon me,” i.e., blocked in his right hand, meaning he did not have control over it.
Radak
"His right hand was shut" [left-handed]. [This means] his right hand was closed, so that he had no control over it, and he was left-handed. And this is from [the same root as] "and let not the pit close its mouth over me" [Psalm 69:16].
Ralbag
And when Israel returned to the Lord blessed be He, He raised for them a savior, Ehud son of Gera, from the tribe of Binyamin, and with stratagems he waged war. And this is that he arranged for Israel to send a present to Eglon so that it might be easier for him to come to him in trust. And his right hand was impaired, and this was also a cause that Eglon would not notice the taking of the sword in his left hand.
Metzudat David
Ben Yemini. From the sons of Benjamin:
"A man who was left-handed": He explains the reason why the king of Moab was not guarded against Ehud's sword, namely that Ehud was left-handed. For this reason, he attached the sword to his right thigh, so that it would be convenient for him to grasp it with his left hand. And thus, there was no protruding object on his left thigh beneath his garments, and therefore the king did not notice anything, for he did not suspect that Ehud was left-handed.
"And they sent, etc., a present." In order that he should not be aware of the matter, and that he would trust him upon seeing his humility in bringing a present.
Metzudat Zion
Maimed. The sense of closure, as in (Psalms 69:16) "and let not the well close its mouth over me"—meaning: as though his right hand was closed, for he could not wield it:
Malbim
"And they cried out... and He raised up for them a savior." Just as stated in the introduction (above, 2:17): Behold, Othniel judged them also in matters of religion, therefore it is written "and a savior for the Children of Israel, and He saved them"; but Ehud only saved them from oppression, therefore it is written "a savior for them," because the Spirit of the Lord did not rest upon him as it did upon Othniel, but rather because he was left-handed, etc. The meaning is: a) Because he was left-handed, he was able to conceal the sword on his right side, and they did not notice him, for it is not customary to hold a sword on the right side; b) Because they sent a tribute by his hand, he found an opportunity to approach the king. And the text explains that this was accomplished because he was left-handed.
And Ehud made him a sword which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he girded it under his raiment upon his right thigh.
verse value 3841
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 58 letters. Notable word values: "for·himself" (ל֨וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "for·himself" (ל֨וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·girded" (וַיַּחְגֹּ֤ר, 5 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·to·her" (וְלָ֛הּ), "edge" (פֵי֖וֹת), "cubit" (גֹּ֣מֶד). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·did" (root עשה, 87x in Judges); "upon" (root על, 87x in Judges); "sword" (root חרב, 25x in Judges). First appearance of the root שנים ("two·of") in Judges. First appearance of the root חגר ("and·girded") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'her·length', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 7 words.
Rashi
“Gomed arkha.” An amah that is diminished; in the Ashkenazic language: “doyman lang”; and in the foreign language: “gashkort.”
“Upon his right thigh.” Since he is dominant with his left hand, he should hold it with his left hand.
Radak
And it had two edges. From the word "edge" (peh), referring to the sharp side of the sword; for Ehud’s sword had both of its sides sharp.
“Gomed arkha.” The measure is an *amah*, and so did Jonathan render it: “germida.”
"His garments." This refers to his clothing.
Ralbag
And he made the sword with two edges so that it would enter easily on account of the sharpness on both sides, and would kill him immediately. And it was not very long so that it would not be recognized, and therefore its length was only a cubit. And he placed the sword beneath his clothing so that they would not see it.
Metzudat David
Two mouths. To kill him easily and quickly.
"Gomed was its length." It is shorter than the standard measure of a sword; even though it was girded beneath his garments, nevertheless, its protrusion would have been noticeable if it had been of the standard measure of a sword.
"Upon his right thigh." So that it would be convenient for him to hold it with his left hand.
Metzudat Zion
Edges ['fiyot']. The edge of a sword is called its 'mouth':
Cubit ["gomed"]. An amah (cubit); so too (Ezekiel 27:11) "dwarfs in your towers," meaning men of short measure:
His garments. His clothing, as in (Leviticus 6:3) "his linen garment":
His flank. His side, as in (Leviticus 1:11) 'the side of the altar':
Malbim
He made for himself a sword with two edges, that it might pierce well, and its length was a gomed, so that it would not be seen.
"And he girded... upon his right thigh." For he used his left hand, and because they sent the tribute by his hand.
And he offered the present to Eglon king of Moab—now Eglon was a very fat man.
verse value 1889
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "king" (מֶ֣לֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·gift" (אֶת־הַמִּנְחָ֔ה, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·brought" (וַיַּקְרֵב֙), "and·Egl-" (וְעֶגְל֕וֹן), "fat" (בָּרִ֖יא). The root עגלון appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "king" (root מלך, 35x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Moab', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיַּקְרֵב֙ [and·brought] (318) + אֶת־הַמִּנְחָ֔ה [the·gift] (509) + לְעֶגְל֖וֹן [to·Eglon] (189) + מֶ֣לֶךְ [king] (90) + מוֹאָ֑ב [Moab] (49) + וְעֶגְל֕וֹן [and·Egl-] (165) + אִ֥ישׁ [man] (311) + בָּרִ֖יא [fat] (213) + מְאֹֽד [very] (45) = 1889.
Rashi
A healthy man. (Targum:) Patim:
Radak
A healthy man. A corpulent, fat man; and similarly, “to make you healthy” and “to make you fat”; and similarly, “ten healthy, fat oxen.”
Metzudat David
A healthy man. This too was the cause of his death, for because he was fat and fleshy, it would be difficult for him to rise, and he would be preoccupied with it, and he would not be on guard against Ehud.
Metzudat Zion
Fat. Well-fleshed and stout, as in (I Kings 4:23) "ten fat cattle":
Malbim
"And he drew near, etc." And regarding what is stated, "and Eglon was a very stout man," this anticipates verse 22 (that he was a fat man, like ten fat cattle):
And when he had made an end of offering the present, he sent away the people that bore the present.
verse value 2802
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "all" (כִּלָּ֔ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·gift" (אֶת־הַמִּנְחָ֑ה, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "all" (כִּלָּ֔ה), "to·bring" (לְהַקְרִ֖יב), "bearers·of" (נֹשְׂאֵ֖י). The root מנחה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "and·it·was" (root היה, 120x in Judges); "and·sent" (root שלח, 38x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·gift', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַֽיְהִי֙ [and·it·was] (31) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר [as] (521) + כִּלָּ֔ה [all] (55) + לְהַקְרִ֖יב [to·bring] (347) + אֶת־הַמִּנְחָ֑ה [the·gift] (509) + וַיְשַׁלַּח֙ [and·sent] (354) + אֶת־הָעָ֔ם [the·people] (516) + נֹשְׂאֵ֖י [bearers·of] (361) + הַמִּנְחָֽה [gift] (108) = 2802.
Rashi
“And he sent the people away.” He turned back and accompanied the group of Israelites who had come with him to bring the offering, escorting them as far as Gilgal.
Ralbag
And indeed it is mentioned that after [Ehud] presented the tribute to Eglon, he sent away the people who carried the tribute, and after this he himself returned to kill Eglon, from the place where safety was assured for the carriers of the tribute from the hand of Moab, should they pursue them to avenge their lord. And Ehud chose to be in danger himself alone, not together with the carriers of the tribute, since it was possible to escape more easily when alone, and he needed to strive only to save himself, since by his own returning he indicated that he had come only about the matter of the tribute. And therefore he made himself appear as though he had forgotten the matter he had to speak with him, since he found an opportunity to speak with him of this matter—not that this had been his original intention—for all this is part of what led Eglon to rely on him, to send away from himself every man while speaking with him. And it is mentioned that Eglon was already very fat, for the purpose of what is mentioned afterward, that the fat had already closed over the blade.
Metzudat David
"Finished presenting the tribute." After he had handed over the entire tribute:
"And he sent..." For one person can easily escape, which is not the case when there are many.
Malbim
"And he sent [them away]." He went to escort them, and he did this for two reasons: a) so that they too would not be in danger, and b) so that they would not notice him after he had gone and returned, as if he had forgotten something.
But he himself turned back from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said: ‘I have a secret errand to you, O king.’ And he said: ‘Keep silence.’ And all that stood by him went out from him.
verse value 3863
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 75 letters. Notable word values: "and·he" (וְה֣וּא) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "returned" (שָׁ֗ב, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·the·images" (מִן־הַפְּסִילִים֙, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·said, and·said. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "returned" (שָׁ֗ב), "from·the·images" (מִן־הַפְּסִילִים֙), "beside·Gilgal" (אֶת־הַגִּלְגָּ֔ל). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "to·you" (root אל, 89x in Judges). First appearance of the root פסיל ("from·the·images") in Judges. First appearance of the root עמוד ("all·the·ones·standing") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'king', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Rashi
And he is the one who returned. Alone:
“From the Pesilim.” A place where they hew stones from the mountain; and so Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated it: “from the quarries.” And he came to Eglon and said to him:
And it says “ha-s.” Eglon said: “Silence everyone, away from me,” and Jonathan translated “ha-s” as “slik,” meaning “he went out,” i.e., he brought out every man. And even so, “ha-s” is a term meaning “silent.”
Radak
"From the Pesilim." From a place where they used to hew stones, and so did Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translate: "From the quarry." And one might ask: Since it was in Ehud's mind to kill Eglon in this matter, why did he go away and then return? Why did he not kill him while he was still there with the bearers of the tribute? For he knew that afterward he would say to him, "I have a secret matter to speak to you," which was the pretext he used to dismiss those standing around him. And the answer is: In order that it should appear that the primary purpose of his coming was to bring the tribute, and he departed when the offering of the tribute was completed, so that they would not suspect that he came for another matter, but only for the sake of the tribute. And when he had gone as far as the Pesilim, he returned, like one who remembers something and says, "I forgot to say one thing to the king." Furthermore, if they were to become suspicious of him after the deed, it would be easier for him to escape with his life and flee than it would have been had he remained with the bearers of the tribute.
"And he said, 'Silence!'" Be silent, until those who stand beside him go out.
Ralbag
And indeed Ehud returned to Eglon, and Eglon believed him on account of the present that Israel showed in their being faithful servants to him. And Ehud said to Eglon that he had a secret word for him, and it was not fitting to reveal it before many. And indeed Ehud was still distant from the king, as appears from what follows. And the king said to those standing before him, meaning, that they should be silent until all those standing over him departed from him, as they understood from him that it was not his desire to hear other words before Ehud's words. And it was not proper for them to remain there except with his permission, to hear words of secret from Ehud.
Metzudat David
And he returned. He made himself as though he had forgotten something.
Gilgal. Beside Gilgal:
“Matter of secrecy.” He means to say: I did not speak with you about this while the bearers of the offering were here.
"And he said, 'Hush!'" As if to say: If this is a secret matter concerning your countrymen, be silent and do not speak within earshot of those of my people who are standing here.
"And they went out." Upon hearing the king's word, they went out of their own accord.
Metzudat Zion
The polished stones. The place where they smooth the faces of stones, as in (ibid. 5:18) "and Solomon's workers hewed [vayifselu]":
Be still. The sense of silence, as in (Numbers 13:30) 'and Caleb silenced them':
From above him. From beside him:
Malbim
"And they went out." Eglon was in the antechamber, and from there the attendants went out. And since it is not proper for a person to get too close to the king, Eglon entered the inner chamber. And this is what is said—
And Ehud came to him; and he was sitting by himself alone in his cool upper chamber. And Ehud said: ‘I have a message from God to you.’ And he arose out of his seat.
verse value 2891
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 71 letters. Notable word values: "throne" (הַכִּסֵּֽא) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "went·in" (בָּ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·word·of·God" (דְּבַר־אֱלֹהִ֥ים, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "in·upper-chamber·of" (בַּעֲלִיַּ֨ת), "that·to·him" (אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ֙), "alone" (לְבַדּ֔וֹ). The root אהוד appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "that·to·him" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "went·in" (root בוא, 93x in Judges). First appearance of the root עליה ("in·upper-chamber·of") in Judges. First appearance of the root בד ("alone") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 3 words.
Rashi
“The cool upper chamber.” (Targum:) “The upper chamber of the summer house,” which was open to the air and cool:
“I have a word of God for you.” And you must stand [for it]:
“And he rose from the seat.” For this reason he merited that Ruth came from him.
Radak
"Hamekerah" [the cool chamber]. It is a noun on the pattern of 'machtah' [censer], and were it not for the resh, it would take a dagesh; it relates to the matter of cold and heat, meaning that the upper chamber was made with windows, windows through which the wind would enter to cool it, and they would stand there in the days of summer. And so too did Jonathan render it: 'the upper chamber, a summer house.'
"[I have] a word of God for you; and he arose from the seat." Our Sages of blessed memory said: Therefore, Eglon merited that his daughter would become a mother of the kingship of Israel, and she was Ruth the Moabite, who was the daughter of Eglon.
Ralbag
And after this Ehud approached him, and the king was sitting alone in the cool roof chamber that was his, which was made to cool in the summer days. And therefore that upper chamber had many windows so that the wind would prevail in it and cool the air there. And Ehud said to him, 'I have a secret word from God for you,' and therefore it was not possible for Eglon to remain seated, so he rose from his seat.
Metzudat David
He came to him. He drew near to him:
"The cool upper chamber." Since the weather was hot, he sat in an upper chamber built with many windows, to cool himself:
Alone. For those attending upon him had gone out:
"The word of God." And what is fitting, then, is to stand at the time you hear it, and his intention was to distract him by rising, so that he would not realize it.
Metzudat Zion
The upper chamber. From the word for ascent, built from above:
The cool place. From the word for cold and chill:
Malbim
"And he sat alone." This means that he was separated, set apart by himself. Ehud came and approached him, saying, "I have a message from God for you." The king arose, and while he was still occupied with rising, Ehud stretched forth [his hand], etc.
And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly.
verse value 3048
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "from·upon" (מֵעַ֖ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·sword" (אֶת־הַחֶ֔רֶב, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "his·left" (שְׂמֹאל֔וֹ), "the·sword" (אֶת־הַחֶ֔רֶב), "and·he·thrust·it" (וַיִּתְקָעֶ֖הָ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·upon" (root על, 87x in Judges); "and·took" (root לקח, 44x in Judges); "and·he·sent" (root שלח, 38x in Judges). First appearance of the root תקע ("and·he·thrust·it") in Judges. First appearance of the root בטן ("in·his·belly") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·right·hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁלַ֤ח [and·he·sent] (354) + אֵהוּד֙ [Ehud] (16) + אֶת־יַ֣ד [hand] (415) + שְׂמֹאל֔וֹ [his·left] (377) + וַיִּקַּח֙ [and·took] (124) + אֶת־הַחֶ֔רֶב [the·sword] (616) + מֵעַ֖ל [from·upon] (140) + יֶ֣רֶךְ [thigh] (230) + יְמִינ֑וֹ [his·right·hand] (116) + וַיִּתְקָעֶ֖הָ [and·he·thrust·it] (591) + בְּבִטְנֽוֹ [in·his·belly] (69) = 3048.
Ralbag
And at the time of his rising from the seat, Ehud sent forth his left hand, and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust the sword into the belly of Eglon, and he did not notice this matter at all, because while he was occupied rising, Ehud did this with his left hand. And it entered into his belly, even the hilt of the sword along with the blade that entered.
Metzudat David
And Ehud sent. While he was occupied with his rising:
Metzudat Zion
And he thrust it in. The sense of driving in and inserting, so too (II Samuel 18:14) 'and he thrust them into Absalom's heart':
Malbim
"And the Spirit of the Lord was upon him." a) A spirit of judgment and might, to judge Israel and to return them to the ways of the Lord; b) And by virtue of their return to the judgments of the Lord in truth, he went forth to war, and the Lord helped him; and not only at that time, but his hand was strengthened decisively. Until—
That the land had rest for forty years, and this is in the same category as what was stated above (Judges 2:18): "And He saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. And he died, etc."
And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, for he drew not the sword out of his belly; and it came out behind.
verse value 2446
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "excrement" (הַֽפַּרְשְׁדֹֽנָה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 107: from·his·belly, and·he·went·out. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "also·the·haft" (גַֽם־הַנִּצָּ֜ב), "sword" (הַחֶ֖רֶב), "from·his·belly" (מִבִּטְנ֑וֹ). The root להב appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·came" (root בוא, 93x in Judges); "not" (root לא, 77x in Judges); "for" (root כי, 70x in Judges). First appearance of the root נצב ("also·the·haft") in Judges. First appearance of the root להב ("flame") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·his·belly', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 2 words.
Rashi
“The hilt.” It is the iron [piece] into which the blade is inserted, which they call “halt” in the vernacular; it is what holds the sword firm at the mouth of its sheath:
“The blade.” It is the sharp [part], which they call “bront” in the vernacular, and in the vernacular [also] “lame”:
And the fat was sealed. It was very oily, and it covered the entire length of the sword.
"And the filth came out." Jonathan's Targum renders: "And his waste matter poured out." He treated it as two words, with the shin serving both: "And the filth" "came out, pouring forth." "Pouring forth" corresponds to the Aramaic "shada," as in its translation.
Radak
The "natziv" is the hilt of the sword, and the "lehab" is the blade. The sword is called a "lehab" because it becomes heated and glows when it is sharpened and polished. Thus it says, "and the lehab of the sword, and the gleam of the spear." Jonathan rendered it as "that which stands after the sharpening," and he said, "And the natziv also came in," meaning that the hilt of the sword also entered into his belly. He was a fat man, and the fat closed over the lehab, that is, in front of the blade, so that he could not draw the sword from his belly. And Ehud left him and went out.
"And the filth came out." Jonathan translated it, 'and his food was poured out.' In his view, the word is a compound of 'peresh,' which Targum renders 'his food' [a euphemism], and 'shedona,' which is Targum's rendering of 'poured' and 'spilled.' And some interpret 'parshedonah' as the place where the horsemen sit, and 'misdronah' as the place where the people who come to the king sit, the place being made in rows upon rows for sitting there. But since it says afterward, 'And Ehud went out to the misdronah,' it seems that the first 'went out' is not said of Ehud. And the translator's view is correct, and he translated 'hamisdronah' as 'portico.'
Ralbag
And behold, the fat closed in front of the blade. Meaning, that the fat was the cause that Ehud could not withdraw the sword from himself. And because of this Ehud did not draw the sword from his belly, and the excrement did not come out through the wound. Or the intent here may be that he also brought the hilt in after the blade, for the fat had already closed over the blade from the abundance of fat, until it was not certain for Ehud that the sword was touching the cavity of the body, and therefore he inserted there also the handle of the knife, until he saw that the excrement had already come out from the wound, without drawing it from his belly. And indeed this interpretation is more correct.
Metzudat David
"Also the hilt." So that he would die immediately and not cry out, he thrust it in deep.
"And the fat closed in." It [the fat] held the blade of the sword so that it would not come out by itself, for Ehud did not draw the sword from his belly, because he feared that blood might drip upon him and those who saw him would notice as he came out.
"And the filth came out." This too was a reason to suspect that he was relieving himself, for they smelled the stench of the excrement.
Metzudat Zion
The hilt. It is the handle of the sword by which one holds it to do its work:
The blade. It is the iron of the sword, for it flashes like a flame when polished, as in (Nahum 3:3) 'and the flashing blade':
Drew [his sword]. The sense of drawing out, as in (Joshua 5:13) 'with his sword drawn':
The filth. The dung and the excrement:
Malbim
"For he did not draw [it] out, lest his garments become soiled." And "the filth came out," and due to the foul odor, his servants mistakenly thought that he was relieving himself ["covering his feet"],
And there are those who explain: 'ha-parshedonah' means that he went out to the place where the horsemen stand. But from what is written, "And Ehud went out to the vestibule," it is clear that [the first] 'he went out' does not refer to Ehud, and so too Targum Yonatan [renders]. And the word is a compound: 'peresh' (horsemen) and 'sedonah.'
Then Ehud went forth into the porch, and shut the doors of the upper chamber upon him, and locked them.
verse value 1970
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "and·he·went·out" (וַיֵּצֵ֥א, 4 letters) and the longest is "porch" (הַֽמִּסְדְּר֑וֹנָה, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "porch" (הַֽמִּסְדְּר֑וֹנָה), "behind" (בַּעֲד֖וֹ), "and·locked" (וְנָעָֽל). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·went·out" (root יצא, 53x in Judges). First appearance of the root דלת ("doors·of") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'porch', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּצֵ֥א [and·he·went·out] (107) + אֵה֖וּד [Ehud] (16) + הַֽמִּסְדְּר֑וֹנָה [porch] (370) + וַיִּסְגֹּ֞ר [and·shut] (279) + דַּלְת֧וֹת [doors·of] (840) + הָעֲלִיָּ֛ה [the·upper-chamber] (120) + בַּעֲד֖וֹ [behind] (82) + וְנָעָֽל [and·locked] (156) = 1970.
Rashi
"Ehud went out to the vestibule." From the upper chamber to the vestibule; Jonathan's Targum translates it as "to the exedra."
And he locked it with a key:
Radak
"For/behind him." Upon him; and similarly, "And the LORD shut [it] behind him" [Genesis 7:16]—meaning that he closed the doors of the upper chamber upon Eglon, so that the members of the household would not suddenly enter upon Ehud's exit and perceive the matter, until he had escaped.
“And he locked.” The term “closed” refers to shutting the doors without a lock; but when it says “and he locked,” it indicates that he secured them with a lock, so that they would think what they thought and delay pursuing him, thereby allowing him to escape in the meantime.
Ralbag
After this Ehud went out to the colonnade, and closed the doors of the chamber behind him, and locked it with the key. And it is possible that that key locked from inside and from outside. And therefore when the servants of Eglon saw the doors of the chamber locked, they thought that Eglon had locked them on account of modesty, because he was covering his feet in the cool chamber, meaning that the toilet was in the cool chamber, and he relieved himself there, for it is customary for one who relieves himself to cover his feet with his garment, and making from them like a tent.
Metzudat David
"The doors of the upper chamber." The upper chamber of the cool [chamber, mentioned above]:
Metzudat Zion
The colonnade. It is the colonnade arranged with seats for the sitting of men:
Behind him. Opposite him, as in (Genesis 7:16) 'and the Lord shut it behind him':
And locked. Meaning: he also closed it [the door] with the bolt:
Malbim
And he locked the doors of the inner chamber, and because there was no person in the outer chamber, they assumed that the king had locked the door (and the explanation is that "and he locked" means with a bolt, and "the masderona" refers to the portico in front of the house):
Now when he was gone out, his servants came; and they saw, and, behold, the doors of the upper chamber were locked; and they, said: ‘Surely he is covering his feet in the cabinet of the cool chamber.’
verse value 3671
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 71 letters. Notable word values: "and·he" (וְה֤וּא) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "indeed" (אַ֣ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "his·feet" (אֶת־רַגְלָ֖יו, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·his·servants" (וַעֲבָדָ֣יו), "sandal" (נְעֻל֑וֹת), "covering" (מֵסִ֥יךְ). The root הוא appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "they·went·in" (root בוא, 93x in Judges); "and·he" (root הוא, 71x in Judges). First appearance of the root הנה ("and·behold") in Judges. First appearance of the root אך ("indeed") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sandal', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 7 words.
Rashi
"And he went out." Ehud went out, and Eglon's servants came in.
He covers his feet. (Targum:) He attends to his needs, namely the large orifices:
Radak
"Mesikh." Like the word 'masekh' with a tzeirei, for it is from [the root] 'sokhekh' [covering/shading], meaning: he shades his feet. This is an expression of honor, meaning that he was relieving himself.
Metzudat David
And he went out. From the corridor:
"Surely, covering." This is to say: there is nothing wrong; rather, he is attending to his needs.
Metzudat Zion
To ease himself. It is a euphemism for relieving oneself, as in (I Samuel 24:3) 'Saul came to cover his feet,' because the custom of a seated person was to turn, to shade and cover his legs out of modesty:
Malbim
"And his servants came into the porch." [The verse's word] *mesikh* is like *masach*, but with a tsere, [indicating that] he shielded his feet.
And so it is in the Mishnah: "Anyone who covers his feet [i.e., relieves himself] requires immersion."
And they tarried till they were ashamed; and, behold, he opened not the doors of the upper chamber; therefore they took the key, and opened them; and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.
verse value 4729
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 70 letters. The shortest word is "dying" (מֵֽת, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·key" (אֶת־הַמַּפְתֵּ֙חַ֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 66: and·behold, and·behold. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·they·waitinged" (וַיָּחִ֣ילוּ), "until·ashamed" (עַד־בּ֔וֹשׁ), "nothing" (אֵינֶ֥נּוּ). The root הנה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "land" (root ארץ, 56x in Judges); "and·took" (root לקח, 44x in Judges); "dying" (root מות, 43x in Judges). First appearance of the root חיל ("and·they·waitinged") in Judges. First appearance of the root אין ("nothing") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·upper-chamber', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
“Until shame.” Until delay, that is to say, a long period of time:
Radak
"And they waited until it was shameful." Jonathan translated: 'and they waited until it was very much delayed,' meaning, until he was extremely late. 'Bosh' is a past-tense verb of the hollow roots [missing a middle radical], on the pattern of 'or' [light]; and 'u-voshesh Moshe' is from the quadriliteral form, on the pattern of 'konen.'
"And they took the key." For they found it outside, in the place where Ehud had left it, for the key locked and unlocked from both the inside and the outside.
Ralbag
And when they waited a long measure and saw that he was not opening the doors of the chamber, they took the key and opened the doors from outside, and they saw their lord fallen to the ground, dead.
Metzudat David
“Until he is ashamed.” Until they delayed beyond the appropriate time to linger in attending to his need.
"The key that was in their hand to open from the outside:"
Metzudat Zion
And they waited. They waited, as in (Genesis 8:10) 'he waited yet':
Shame [bush]. The sense of delay, as in (II Kings 8:11) 'he stared until ashamed':
The key. The name of the tool that opens the lock:
Malbim
"And they waited until they were weary." There is a difference between one who delays, one who lingers, and one who postpones. The one who delays is the opposite of the one who hurries; he is not swift or agile, but merely lingers. The one who lingers is one who delays beyond what is appropriate. The one who postpones is one who delays a fixed time. And "weary" (boosh), from the root Ayin-Yod, is associated with "lingers" (boshesh), from the doubled root. Now, at first they waited until they delayed, for they thought that he was relieving himself [lit. covering his feet], and it is customary to delay and linger. But afterwards, when they began to linger beyond the appropriate measure, they then opened with a key. But...
And Ehud escaped while they lingered, having passed beyond the quarries, and escaped to Seirah.
verse value 2771
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 46 letters. Notable word values: "and·he" (וְהוּא֙) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "until" (עַ֣ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·images" (אֶת־הַפְּסִילִ֔ים, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "their·lingering" (הִֽתְמַהְמְהָ֑ם), "the·images" (אֶת־הַפְּסִילִ֔ים), "and·slipped·away" (וַיִּמָּלֵ֖ט). The root מלט appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he" (root הוא, 71x in Judges); "passed" (root עבר, 26x in Judges); "until" (root עד, 21x in Judges). First appearance of the root מלט ("has·escaped") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·lingering', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְאֵה֥וּד [and·Ehud] (22) + נִמְלַ֖ט [has·escaped] (129) + עַ֣ד [until] (74) + הִֽתְמַהְמְהָ֑ם [their·lingering] (535) + וְהוּא֙ [and·he] (18) + עָבַ֣ר [passed] (272) + אֶת־הַפְּסִילִ֔ים [the·images] (636) + וַיִּמָּלֵ֖ט [and·slipped·away] (95) + הַשְּׂעִירָֽתָה [to·Seirah] (990) = 2771.
Rashi
Escaped. Fled; in the vernacular: "eschamocier."
"Until they lingered." This is akin to [the verse] "Until the king is at his table" (Song of Songs 1:12), and [to the verse] "the love, until it is desired" (Song of Songs 2:7)—while we both desire it.
"To Seirah." A thicket of thin and thick branches, which in the vernacular is called "broce." It is good for concealment, and there are many instances in the Order of Zera'im where thin branches of trees are called "hair" (Kilayim 4:9, "He turns over the hair"; Peah 2:3, "If the hair was pressed together").
Radak
"Until they delayed." While they delayed:
"And to Seirah." A place name.
Ralbag
And at this time when they were confused over the death of their lord, the escape was completed for Ehud until he passed the place of the stone images. Or the interpretation of pesilim (images) is images of the gods of Moab, for the deliverance was not completed until he passed the images, for the people of Moab would always go there to serve idols. And when he passed that place, he escaped from them to a place whose name was Seirath, which belonged to Israel.
Metzudat David
"Until they delayed." While they held back and waited until it became a disgrace.
"Pesilim." Which was in the land of Moab; and he escaped to Seirah, which was of the land of Israel:
Metzudat Zion
Until. Like 'while':
Their delay. The sense of hindrance, as in (Genesis 43:10) 'had we not delayed':
The Seirah. A place name:
Malbim
"And Ehud had already escaped, until they delayed." This is the measure of their delay, which was the appropriate amount of time, and he did not think that they would tarry longer than the appropriate measure, and he hastened to escape while they were still delaying for the appropriate measure.
And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a horn in the hill-country of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the hill-country, and he before them.
verse value 3238
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 58 letters. Notable word values: "and·he" (וְה֥וּא) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "in·mountain·of" (בְּהַ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Israel" (בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "when·he·came" (בְּבוֹא֔וֹ), "from·the·mountain" (מִן־הָהָ֖ר). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 120x in Judges); "sons·of·Israel" (root בן, 116x in Judges); "when·he·came" (root בוא, 93x in Judges). First appearance of the root שופר ("in·the·horn") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Ephraim', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֣י [and·it·was] (31) + בְּבוֹא֔וֹ [when·he·came] (17) + וַיִּתְקַ֥ע [and·blew] (586) + בַּשּׁוֹפָ֖ר [in·the·horn] (588) + בְּהַ֣ר [in·mountain·of] (207) + אֶפְרָ֑יִם [Ephraim] (331) + וַיֵּרְד֨וּ [and·they·went·down] (226) + עִמּ֧וֹ [with] (116) + בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל [sons·of·Israel] (603) + מִן־הָהָ֖ר [from·the·mountain] (300) + וְה֥וּא [and·he] (18) + לִפְנֵיהֶֽם [before·them] (215) = 3238.
Rashi
"And it came to pass when he came" – This refers to his having crossed the Jordan and arrived at his place in the Land of Canaan.
"Mount Ephraim." This was in the Land of Canaan, on the west bank of the Jordan, whereas the land of Moab was on the east bank of the Jordan. Because they dominated Israel and crossed the Jordan, they inherited Jericho, as it is written above (verse 13): "And they placed their lords and their rulers over Israel."
Ralbag
And then he blew the horn in the mountain of Ephraim to pursue after Moab while they were terrified over the death of their lord. And first they captured the river crossings to Moab, meaning, those that entered across the Jordan. And besides the places that Moab captured from Israel, in such a way that Moab could not cross the Jordan and flee to their land.
Metzudat David
Upon his entering the Land of Israel:
And he blew. To make a signal for them to gather:
Malbim
"And he gathered to him the children of Ammon, etc." First he struck them in battle, and afterwards he took from them the "City of Palms." Now, Jericho was forbidden to be rebuilt, so they built a city near it and did not wish to call it by the name of Jericho, as that too was forbidden; rather, they called it by the name "City of Palms," named after the palms that grew there. And Hiel the Bethelite was punished because he rebuilt Jericho in its original place and called it by the name of Jericho.
And afterwards, “And they served,” and they became subject to his forced labor.
And he said to them: ‘Follow after me; for Hashem has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.’ And they went down after him, and took the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and suffered not a man to pass over.
verse value 5558
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 93 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֧ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "man" (אִ֖ישׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "enemy" (אֶת־אֹיְבֵיכֶ֛ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 76: to·them, in·your·hand, and·they·captured. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "pursue" (רִדְפ֣וּ), "enemy" (אֶת־אֹיְבֵיכֶ֛ם), "to·Moab" (לְמוֹאָ֔ב). The root אחר appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges). First appearance of the root מעבר ("fords·of") in Judges. First appearance of the root ירדן ("Jordan") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·your·hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 9 words.
Rashi
"Pursue them." To kill all of Moab on our side of the Jordan.
“And they captured the crossings of the Jordan.” This teaches that the Israelites prevented the Moabites from crossing over to flee and return to their land.
Radak
"Pursue after me." Once Moab had gained dominion over Israel and captured their land beyond the Jordan, as stated above, "And they possessed the city of palms," now Ehud and Israel struck all of Moab that they found beyond the Jordan, in the city of palms and in other places, and they captured the Jordan fords so that the Moabites would not cross from their land to rescue their brethren who were in the Land of Israel, for the land of Moab is beyond the Jordan to the east, adjacent to the Jordan. Or, [the verse means] they captured the Jordan fords from those Moabites who were in the Land of Israel, so that they could not flee to their land.
Metzudat David
"Pursue." This means: "Go with haste."
"For the LORD has given." In that it sufficed in his hand to kill the king.
"The fords of the Jordan against Moab." For the land of Moab is the eastern side of the Jordan, and they seized the place of the Jordan crossing, so as not to allow the men of Moab, who were in the Land of Israel ruling over it, to cross into their land.
Malbim
"And they did not give any man to cross over." For Moab was in Jericho, the city of palm trees, on this side of the Jordan.
And they smote of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, every lusty man, and every man of valour; and there escaped not a man. .
verse value 3779
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "time" (בָּעֵ֣ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "Moab" (אֶת־מוֹאָ֜ב, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 311: man, man. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "about·ten" (כַּעֲשֶׂ֤רֶת), "all·fat" (כׇּל־שָׁמֵ֖ן), "and·all·man·of" (וְכׇל־אִ֣ישׁ). The root איש appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "and·not" (root לא, 77x in Judges); "that" (root הוא, 71x in Judges). First appearance of the root עת ("time") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'strength', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּכּ֨וּ [and·they·smote] (42) + אֶת־מוֹאָ֜ב [Moab] (450) + בָּעֵ֣ת [time] (472) + הַהִ֗יא [that] (21) + כַּעֲשֶׂ֤רֶת [about·ten] (990) + אֲלָפִים֙ [thousand] (161) + אִ֔ישׁ [man] (311) + כׇּל־שָׁמֵ֖ן [all·fat] (440) + וְכׇל־אִ֣ישׁ [and·all·man·of] (367) + חָ֑יִל [strength] (48) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + נִמְלַ֖ט [has·escaped] (129) + אִֽישׁ [man] (311) = 3779.
Rashi
"All robust." (Targum:) "Every fearsome/mighty man."
Radak
"Every fat one." Jonathan translated it: 'every mighty one.' And he rendered 'ha'eimim' [the Emim] as 'eimtanei' [the mighty/terror-inspiring ones], meaning: mighty men such that fear falls in the hearts of those who see them. And he said 'fat,' meaning, healthy and strong. And so too: 'and he slew among their fat ones.' And one may also interpret 'fat' as the wealthy and the great. And in the Midrash on 'Behold, of the fat of the land': 'from the fat ones who are in the land,' meaning, the wealthy and the great, who produce dukes and are clothed in the garb of dukes.
Ralbag
And after this they struck all that was found of Moab in the land of Israel in those cities, and the number of the Moabites whom they struck was about ten thousand men, all fat and all men of valor. Meaning, every rich man and every mighty warrior, for Eglon gathered there, apparently, the strongest, to be close to the land of Israel, so that they would guard the land that he captured and would always capture from the land that remained to Israel.
Metzudat David
"Every robust man." For in the Land of Israel were all the choicest among them.
And none escaped from those who were in the Land of Israel:
So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.
verse value 3945
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "hand" (יַ֣ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "eighty" (שְׁמוֹנִ֥ים, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·was·subdued" (וַתִּכָּנַ֤ע), "eighty" (שְׁמוֹנִ֥ים). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Israel" (root ישראל, 114x in Judges); "in·the·day" (root יום, 76x in Judges); "hand" (root יד, 75x in Judges). First appearance of the root כנע ("and·was·subdued") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַתִּכָּנַ֤ע [and·was·subdued] (546) + מוֹאָב֙ [Moab] (49) + בַּיּ֣וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֔וּא [that] (17) + תַּ֖חַת [under] (808) + יַ֣ד [hand] (14) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + וַתִּשְׁקֹ֥ט [and·it·was·quiet] (815) + הָאָ֖רֶץ [earth] (296) + שְׁמוֹנִ֥ים [eighty] (446) + שָׁנָֽה [year] (355) = 3945.
Ralbag
And the land was quiet for eighty years from the beginning of the servitude, and therefore the time of the tranquility would be until sixty-two years. But the benefits that come from this narrative are these: The first encompasses the entire narrative of this book, and it is that whoever serves the Lord is under providence and aided by Him, and whoever departs from Him, the Divine providence departs from him, and he is ready for every evil to befall him. And therefore you will find that as soon as Israel turned away from after the Lord, they fell into the hands of their enemies, and when they returned to Him, they were saved. And according to this, the benefit encompasses the entire narrative of this book, which is written concerning this matter at the beginning of the book in general, namely that Israel became entangled in idols and fell into the hands of their enemies, and when they returned to Him, the Lord raised for them a judge and saved them, and when the judge died, they returned to their rebellion, and so in this way. And we have preceded to relate this benefit because it is like the summary in this book, and in most of the narratives of the Prophets. The second is that it is fitting for one who strives in action that he should intend from the beginning to reach the end in the most complete way possible. And therefore they asked the word of the Lord after the death of Joshua, who should go up first to fight the Canaanite, and he was aided by the Lord to defeat them, so that from this dread should fall upon the rest, and by this Israel would be enabled to defeat them. And for this very cause it is related that they cut off the thumbs of the hands and feet of Adoni-Bezek, as we explained. And for this very cause Ehud devised in this manner that we related, so that the deliverance of Israel from the hands of Moab and the return of their cities that were in the hands of Moab should be completed. The third is that it is fitting for one who wishes to request a thing from another, that he should not ask at first everything he wishes that he give him, for perhaps he will not give it to him. But let him request first what he considers that he will not refuse, and after this let him request what remains of his request. And therefore you will find that Akhsah persuaded Otniel son of Kenaz to ask from Kalev her father that he give her a field, and after this she had room to ask from her father for springs of water to complete the matter of the field. And this is from the good stratagems that people need to conduct themselves in, in what they need to request some kindness from their masters. And for this very cause it was arranged that Otniel himself should ask for the field, not she; for if she had asked it from Kalev, she would not have had room to complain against him and to say, 'you have given me a portion of the Negev.' The fourth is that it is fitting to join with the complete ones. Do you not see that the sons of the Kenites, on account of being Moses' father-in-law, merited to join with Israel and to take shelter under the wings of the Divine Presence. The fifth is that it is not fitting to deprive the reward of any creature. Do you not see that the man who came out of the city was compelled to show the entrance of the city, or the sons of Yosef would have killed him, for he was already in their hands, and it would have been enough for him if he saved himself with this information, for a person will give all that he has for his life. And they saved him together with his family, so that his heart would not be overly troubled over what he did for them of kindness, at seeing the destruction of his homeland. The sixth is that it is fitting to wage war with stratagems that bring the matter to its desired end; how much more fitting is it when his enemies defeated him with stratagems, to return measure for measure; and how much more is this obligatory when his enemy is stronger than him. As Avraham did when he came to fight with the four kings who took Lot his brother's son, he divided against them by night so that they would not notice. And therefore you will find that when Ehud saw what Eglon did of oppression to Israel in coming upon them to take their land through the sons of Ammon and Amalek, he conducted his affairs with wisdom to return what they robbed from them. And therefore he strove to bring to Eglon a valuable present on account of Israel, so that his mind should be drawn to him and he should trust in him. And the matter happened that Ehud was left-handed in his right hand, for this is from what helps him to achieve his request in killing Eglon before he notices. And he made the sword with two edges so that it would enter into the belly of Eglon easily, and did not make it very long so that it would not be recognized that he was carrying a sword. And for this cause he placed it beneath his clothing. And he first sent away the carriers of the present before he would kill him, for causes: the first, that if he said to Eglon that he had to speak to him a secret word, it would be for Eglon to fear that it was on the side of a stratagem, and that the purpose of sending the present was only for this matter, and he would not permit himself to remain alone in the house with Ehud. And therefore he went out from there, and after he returned, he indicated that he had already forgotten a matter that he had to speak with him, and he showed that this was not the matter intended for the original intention, for it is remote that a person forgets what is customary for him on account of the original intention, but rather he forgets the matters that are for the secondary intention. And therefore Eglon was not guarded against this. The second cause: Ehud chose that the danger should be for him alone, not for his companions, the carriers of the present, together, for this is from what is fitting to choose in it, and this is benefit number seven in this narrative. The third cause: it was already easier for Ehud to escape when he had to strive only in saving himself, and if his companions were with him, the burden of striving in saving them and in saving himself would have been upon him, and perhaps this would be a cause that none of them would escape. And therefore he led his companions until the images, in such a way that they had already passed the images when Ehud performed this deed. And Ehud strove that he should be close to the king, and that they both should be alone in the house. When the king caused himself to rise from the seat, and on account of the heaviness of the king's movement from the abundance of the fat, it was easy for him then to take the sword from his left hand beneath his clothing, and thrust it into his belly while he was still occupied rising, until he did not notice this matter. For if he had noticed it, he would have cried out and his servants would have come. And in order that it should be confirmed for him that he was already dead before his parting from him, he put into his belly also the hilt of the sword after the blade, in such a way that he saw that the excrement came forth without drawing the sword from his belly. For if he were not dead before his departure, it would not be possible that the escape be completed for Ehud. And he locked the doors with the key, so that his servants would think that their lord had locked from inside with the key on account of modesty, so that no one should enter there while he was relieving himself in the cool chamber. And in the meantime the escape was completed for Ehud, and while they were confused over the death of their king, he arranged that Israel closed to Moab which was in the land of Israel the way so that they could not flee. And therefore they first captured the river crossings to Moab, in such a way that not one of the Moabites who were in the land of Israel escaped without being killed. And they were the most vigorous of the sons of Moab for the cause that we mentioned. And in this manner the hands of the rest were weakened, and they did not fight with Israel.
Metzudat David
Eighty years. Until the completion of eighty years from the time the subjugation began:
Metzudat Zion
And it was subdued. From the word for subjugation:
Malbim
"And Moab was subdued on that day." The salvation was not throughout all his days, but only on that very day (as Deborah said in her song, "In the days of Shamgar, the highways ceased"), and it was only a limited salvation, so that they would no longer be slaves.
And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who smote of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox-goad; and he also saved Israel.
verse value 5833
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 64 letters. Notable word values: "and·he·smote" (וַיַּ֤ךְ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "was" (הָיָה֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "Philistine" (אֶת־פְּלִשְׁתִּים֙, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·after·him" (וְאַחֲרָ֤יו), "Philistine" (אֶת־פְּלִשְׁתִּים֙), "with·goad·of" (בְּמַלְמַ֖ד). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "was" (root היה, 120x in Judges); "son·of·Anath" (root בין, 50x in Judges). First appearance of the root בקר ("the·cattle") in Judges. First appearance of the root אנתה ("also·he") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·cattle', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְאַחֲרָ֤יו [and·after·him] (231) + הָיָה֙ [was] (20) + שַׁמְגַּ֣ר [Shamgar] (543) + בֶּן־עֲנָ֔ת [son·of·Anath] (572) + וַיַּ֤ךְ [and·he·smote] (36) + אֶת־פְּלִשְׁתִּים֙ [Philistine] (1261) + שֵֽׁשׁ־מֵא֣וֹת [something bleached white·hundred] (1047) + אִ֔ישׁ [man] (311) + בְּמַלְמַ֖ד [with·goad·of] (116) + הַבָּקָ֑ר [the·cattle] (307) + וַיּ֥וֹשַׁע [and·he·saved] (392) + גַּם־ה֖וּא [also·he] (55) + אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (942) = 5833.
Rashi
"Goad." It is a cattle-prod [darban], a goad [marde'a], called "aiguillon" in the vernacular.
Radak
"With the oxgoad." This is the tool that has, fixed at one of its ends, a point/spike called a 'darban' [goad], with which the plowman prods the ox; it is called so [an 'ox-teacher'] as if it teaches the ox to plow. And Jonathan translated: 'with the goad of the oxen.' And from this term, riders of horses are called 'parashim' [horsemen], because they spur with the spurs that are on their legs—from the language of 'and like a viper it strikes.'
Ralbag
The text relates further that after Ehud there was a savior for Israel, Shamgar son of Anath, and he struck six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad, which is 'agolliya' in French. And it did not count how many years the deliverance was for Israel through him. And it seems that it was not a complete deliverance, for the verse relates that the sons of Israel continued to do evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud died. And therefore the days of Shamgar are included in the twenty years of oppression that Yavin king of Canaan pressed Israel with, through Sisera his captain of his army, who had nine hundred chariots of iron.
Metzudat David
"And after him." In the year that Ehud died, Shamgar judged, and he died in that same year.
“Also he.” This means that his deliverance was not as great as Ehud’s, yet nevertheless he too effected a deliverance.
Metzudat Zion
With the goad of the cattle. It is the stick on the head of which is fixed a needle-like object called a 'darban,' and with it one teaches and guides the cattle to plow:
Malbim
And after him was Shamgar, etc., "and he too delivered [Israel]." And all of this was a small salvation, in such a way that in those days it was like the first aspect mentioned in the introduction to the book (2:17), "And they did not listen to their judges either," which is why it is not written there, "And he judged Israel" (as stated above, 15).
Rashi
Radak
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Malbim