The Ultimate Biblical Horror Story
By James Donahue
In the Book of Judges we find the perverted story of the assassination of King Eglon. It is so graphic it leaves new Bible students wondering why it became part of the Hebrew holy books of its day.
In verses 3:21-25 we read where Ehud, a trusted confident to King Eglon, came before the king to present a gift of money. But when he got close enough he pulled a double-bladed sword from his boot and stabbed the ultra-fat king in the gut. The sword was custom made because Ehud was left handed. King Eglon was so fat Ehud had a hard time pushing it deep enough to actually kill the king. He shoved the sword until the fat covered the hilt of the sword, finally reaching the intestine. At this point the king began to defecate all over his chamber. By the time the king’s attendants returned they found the king dead on the floor, covered in his own fecal matter, and Ehud had safely fled the premises.
To understand the moral of this ugly story we need to look into the history of the Israelites and just who King Eglon was. Scholars believe he was a son or grandson of King Balak. Balak was ruler of Moab, a territory just East of the Dead Sea and within the old description of The Holy Land. Thus there was natural animosity against the Israelites when they allegedly moved in to claim their land after escaping from Egypt. We also remember Balak from the story of Balaam's confrontation with the talking donkey. And when you study that story it is obvious that Balak was not a very nice man.
King Eglon then inherited Balak’s kingdom and perhaps his disposition. At the time of his assassination he was known as the leader of the confederacy of Moab and like Balak, was actively involved in an ongoing assault on the Israelites. In fact Eglon had successfully ruled over them for 18 long years. Thus the Israelites believed that God “raised up” Ehud to eliminate this very fat and evil Moab Ruler.
Ehud became a legend in his day. After killing King Eglon, Ehud went to Ephraim where he raised an army of Israelites. From there his military force returned to regain possession of the territory. In the great battles that followed Ehud’s army killed an estimated 10,000 Moabites.
It also may be of interest to know that according to ancient Hebrew text, Eglon became the father of Ruth and her sister, Orpah.
When we fit all the pieces of this story together we can understand why the assassination of King Egion was an important part of the Old Testament story. It is just strange that there was so much detail recorded.
By James Donahue
In the Book of Judges we find the perverted story of the assassination of King Eglon. It is so graphic it leaves new Bible students wondering why it became part of the Hebrew holy books of its day.
In verses 3:21-25 we read where Ehud, a trusted confident to King Eglon, came before the king to present a gift of money. But when he got close enough he pulled a double-bladed sword from his boot and stabbed the ultra-fat king in the gut. The sword was custom made because Ehud was left handed. King Eglon was so fat Ehud had a hard time pushing it deep enough to actually kill the king. He shoved the sword until the fat covered the hilt of the sword, finally reaching the intestine. At this point the king began to defecate all over his chamber. By the time the king’s attendants returned they found the king dead on the floor, covered in his own fecal matter, and Ehud had safely fled the premises.
To understand the moral of this ugly story we need to look into the history of the Israelites and just who King Eglon was. Scholars believe he was a son or grandson of King Balak. Balak was ruler of Moab, a territory just East of the Dead Sea and within the old description of The Holy Land. Thus there was natural animosity against the Israelites when they allegedly moved in to claim their land after escaping from Egypt. We also remember Balak from the story of Balaam's confrontation with the talking donkey. And when you study that story it is obvious that Balak was not a very nice man.
King Eglon then inherited Balak’s kingdom and perhaps his disposition. At the time of his assassination he was known as the leader of the confederacy of Moab and like Balak, was actively involved in an ongoing assault on the Israelites. In fact Eglon had successfully ruled over them for 18 long years. Thus the Israelites believed that God “raised up” Ehud to eliminate this very fat and evil Moab Ruler.
Ehud became a legend in his day. After killing King Eglon, Ehud went to Ephraim where he raised an army of Israelites. From there his military force returned to regain possession of the territory. In the great battles that followed Ehud’s army killed an estimated 10,000 Moabites.
It also may be of interest to know that according to ancient Hebrew text, Eglon became the father of Ruth and her sister, Orpah.
When we fit all the pieces of this story together we can understand why the assassination of King Egion was an important part of the Old Testament story. It is just strange that there was so much detail recorded.