Judges 3:12

_AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DID EVIL AGAIN IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD: AND THE LORD STRENGTHENED EGLON THE KING OF MOAB AGAINST ISRAEL, BECAUSE THEY HAD DONE EVIL IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD._ The children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord. The Israelites, deprived of the moral and political influence of Othniel, were not long in following their native bias to idolatry, and the consequence was, that they were again involved in national troubles. THE LORD STRENGTHENED EGLON THE KING OF MOAB. The reigning monarch's ambition was to recover that extensive portion of his ancient territory possessed by the Israelites. In conjunction with his neighbours (the Ammonites and Amalekites, sworn enemies of Israel), he first subjected the eastern tribes, then, crossing the Jordan, made a sudden incursion on western Canaan, and in virtue of his conquests erected fortifications in the terri...

12-30 When Israel sins again, God raises up a new oppressor. The Israelites did ill, and the Moabites did worse; yet because God punishes the sins of his own people in this world, Israel is weakened, and Moab strengthened against them. If lesser troubles do not do the work, God will send greater. When Israel prays again, God raises up Ehud. As a judge, or minister of Divine justice, Ehud put to death Eglon, the king of Moab, and thus executed the judgments of God upon him as an enemy to God and Israel. But the law of being subject to principalities and powers in all things lawful, is the rule of our conduct. No such commissions are now given; to pretend to them is to blaspheme God. Notice Ehud's address to Eglon. What message from God but a message of vengeance can a proud rebel expect? Such a message is contained in the word of God; his ministers are boldly to declare it, without feari...

Verse Judges 3:12. _THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DID EVIL_] They forgat the Lord and became idolaters, and God made those very people, whom they had imitated in their idolatrous worship, the means of their chastisement. _THE LORD STRENGTHENED EGLON THE KING OF MOAB_] The success he had against the Israelites was by the especial appointment and energy of God. He not only abandoned the Israelites, but strengthened the Moabites against them. _Eglon_ is supposed to have been the immediate successor of _Balak_. Some great men have borne names which, when reduced to their grammatical meaning, appear very ridiculous: the word עגלון _Eglon_ signifies a _little calf_!...

The “strengthening” Eglon was the special work of God, and because Israel “had done evil,” etc. Samuel’s comment on the event is to the same effect 1 Samuel 12:9....

AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DID EVIL AGAIN IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD,.... Fell into idolatry again, which was a great evil in the sight of God, and what they were prone to fall into: AND THE LORD STRENGTHENED EGLON THE KING OF MOAB AGAINST ISRAEL; put it into his heart to invade them, and encouraged him to it, and gave him success; what kings reigned over Moab between Balak and this king we know not: it is a commonly received notion of the Jews, that Ruth was the daughter of Eglon; see Ruth 1:4; and it was about this time that Elimelech with his two sons went into Moab, and when many of those things recorded in the book of Ruth were transacted: BECAUSE THEY HAD DONE EVIL IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD; which had greatly provoked him to anger, and was the cause of stirring up the king of Moab against them....

2. SECOND DECLENSION UNDER MOAB--EHUD AND SHAMGAR CHAPTER 3:12-31 _ 1. The second declension: serving Eglon, king of Moab (Judges 3:12)_ 2. Ehud raised up (Judges 3:15) 3. Eglon, king of Moab, slain by Ehud (Judges 3:16) 4. The deliverance by Shamgar (Judges 3:31) When they continued to do evil Jehovah used Eglon, king of Moab to punish their disobedience and evil-doings. With him there is Ammon and Amalek, a trinity of evil. The city of Palms is Jericho (Deuteronomy 34:3) a type of the world, as we saw from Joshua

EHUD, THE BENJAMITE. D's setting of the story of Ehud is apparent in Judges 3:12_ a_ and Judges 3:30. The story itself is a genuine folk-tale, handed down from century to century before being committed to writing. One can readily imagine with what zest it was told in the tribe of Benjamin, where the left-handed Ehud was a popular hero. On the moral question raised by his conduct, the facts at our disposal do not enable us to pronounce with confidence. To our minds Ehud is not very attractive either as a man or as a patriot Judges 3:12. The Edomites were in possession of the country to the E. of the Dead Sea, with the Arnon (pp. 32f.) as their northern border ...

_again did that which was evil_ The introduction to the story is made up of the familiar phrases of Rd, see Judges 2:11-19; the special details are derived from the story itself. For _strengthened_cf. Ezekiel 30:24. _Eglon the king of Moab_ Elsewhere Eglon (_calf_) is the name of a town in Judah, Joshua 10:3; Joshua 10:34; it survives in the mod. -Ajlûn, i.e. the highlands between the Yabbok and the Yarmuk. But Eglah is a personal pr. name in 2 Samuel 3:5. The land of Moab lay on the E. of the Dead Sea and stretched eastwards to the de

STRENGTHENED EGLON— It is the opinion of many commentators, that Eglon was the successor of Balak. As the Israelites were so prone to worship the gods of the people round about them, God, in just punishment of their offences, armed those very people against them. The sacred writer says, that God _strengthened the king of Moab,_ to shew that he gave success to his enterprize against the Israelites....

_Ehud Delivers Israel from Moab Judges 3:12-30_ 12 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord: and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord. 13 And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees. 14 So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. 15 But when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab. 16 But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh. 17 And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man....