Ehud Summary
STEPBible TIPNR
Ehud, a left-handed Benjamite, was a judge who delivered Israel from Moabite oppression by assassinating King Eglon and leading a victory over Moab.
raised up by the LORD as a deliverer for Israel (JDG 3:15) who killed Eglon (JDG 3:21)
Lineage: God › Adam › Seth › Enos › Cainan › Mahalaleel › Jared › Enoch › Methuselah › Lamech › Noah › Shem › Arphaxad › Cainan › Salah › Eber › Peleg › Reu › Serug › Nahor › Terah › Abraham › Isaac › Jacob › Benjamin › Gera › Ehud
Names
-
en
Ehud
he that praises
-
en
Ehud
· Also called · H164 none · JDG 3:15 united
-
he
אֵה֜וּד
ehud · H164 · JDG 3:15 united
- he אֵהוּד · H0164G
- he אֵחוּד · H0261
- el Αωδ Aōd · none · JDG 3:15
- bg Аод
SDA Books
Awaiting permission to publishLinked through an explicitly cited Bible passage
Loading book references…
Conditional birth estimate
Conditional birth bounds under generation assumptions; not attested parental ages, biological limits or a lifespan.
The anchors give incompatible conditional intervals. This calculation establishes no birth year.
Below are relatives with a selected birth year, the generations separating them, and the interval allowed by each anchor. Each relative’s page shows available dates and sources. The overall estimate uses the intersection of the allowed intervals.
| Relative / anchor year | Generations | Conditional interval |
|---|---|---|
| Benjamin · 1740 BC Ancestor |
2 20–45 years per generation |
c. 1700 BC – 1650 BC |
| Jacob · 1835 BC Ancestor |
3 20–45 years per generation |
c. 1775 BC – 1700 BC |
| Isaac · 1895 BC Ancestor |
4 20–45 years per generation |
c. 1815 BC – 1715 BC |
| Rebekah · 1876 BC Ancestor |
4 20–45 years per generation |
c. 1796 BC – 1696 BC |
| Abraham · 1995 BC Ancestor |
5 20–45 years per generation |
c. 1895 BC – 1770 BC |
| Sarah · 1985 BC Ancestor |
5 20–45 years per generation |
c. 1885 BC – 1760 BC |
| Terah · 2125 BC Ancestor |
6 25–130 years per generation |
c. 1975 BC – 1345 BC |
| Nahor · 2156 BC Ancestor |
7 25–130 years per generation |
c. 1981 BC – 1246 BC |
| Haran · 2056 BC Ancestor |
7 25–130 years per generation |
c. 1881 BC – 1146 BC |
| Serug · 2186 BC Ancestor |
8 25–130 years per generation |
c. 1986 BC – 1146 BC |
| Reu · 2218 BC Ancestor |
9 25–130 years per generation |
c. 1993 BC – 1048 BC |
| Peleg · 2248 BC Ancestor |
10 25–130 years per generation |
c. 1998 BC – 948 BC |
| Eber · 2282 BC Ancestor |
11 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2007 BC – 852 BC |
| Salah · 2312 BC Ancestor |
12 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2012 BC – 752 BC |
| Arphaxad · 2347 BC Ancestor |
14 25–130 years per generation |
c. 1997 BC – 527 BC |
| Shem · 2447 BC Ancestor |
15 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2072 BC – 497 BC |
| Noah · 2948 BC Ancestor |
16 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2548 BC – 868 BC |
| Lamech · 3130 BC Ancestor |
17 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2705 BC – 920 BC |
| Methuselah · 3317 BC Ancestor |
18 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2867 BC – 977 BC |
| Enoch · 3382 BC Ancestor |
19 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2907 BC – 912 BC |
| Jared · 3544 BC Ancestor |
20 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3044 BC – 944 BC |
| Mahalaleel · 3609 BC Ancestor |
21 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3084 BC – 879 BC |
| Cainan · 3679 BC Ancestor |
22 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3129 BC – 819 BC |
| Cain · 4004 BC Ancestor |
22 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3454 BC – 1144 BC |
| Enos · 3769 BC Ancestor |
23 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3194 BC – 779 BC |
| Adam · 4004 BC Ancestor |
23 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3429 BC – 1014 BC |
| Eve · 4005 BC Ancestor |
23 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3430 BC – 1015 BC |
| Seth · 3874 BC Ancestor |
24 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3274 BC – 754 BC |
Family of origin
- Father: Gera
- Mother: Unknown
Belonged to (1)
Took part in (1)
- Deliverance by Ehud · c. 1361 BC – 1299 BC
Held the office of (1)
- Judge · Ehud judges · c. 1346 BC – 1256 BC
Ehud Article
STEPBible TIPNR
Ehud was a left-handed Benjamite who served as a judge and deliverer of Israel during the period of the judges. His story is primarily recorded in Jdg 3:12-30, with brief mentions in Jdg 4:1 and 1Ch 8:6.
After the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord, God allowed Eglon, the king of Moab, to conquer and oppress them for eighteen years. When the Israelites cried out to the Lord for deliverance, God raised up Ehud as their deliverer (Jdg 3:12-15).
Ehud is described as a left-handed man, which is significant because it allowed him to conceal a double-edged sword on his right thigh without arousing suspicion. He was sent to deliver tribute to King Eglon, who is portrayed as a very fat man (Jdg 3:16-17).
After presenting the tribute, Ehud returned to Eglon, claiming to have a secret message for him. When Eglon dismissed his attendants, Ehud approached him and declared, "I have a message from God for you" (Jdg 3:18-20). He then drew his concealed sword with his left hand and thrust it into Eglon's belly, killing him (Jdg 3:21-22).
Ehud escaped, locking the doors of the upper room behind him. He then rallied the Israelites, who seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab and struck down about 10,000 Moabites. This victory brought peace to the land for eighty years (Jdg 3:23-30).
Ehud 2 Dictionary
Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
The son of Gera, of the tribe of Benjamin (Judg. 3:15). After the death of Othniel the people again fell into idolatry, and Eglon, the king of Moab, uniting his bands with those of the Ammonites and the Amalekites, crossed the Jordan and took the city of Jericho, and for eighteen years held that whole district in subjection, exacting from it an annual tribute. At length Ehud, by a stratagem, put Eglon to death with a two-edged dagger a cubit long, and routed the Moabites at the fords of the Jordan, putting 10,000 of them to death. Thenceforward the land, at least Benjamin, enjoyed rest “for fourscore years” (Judg. 3:12-30). But in the south-west the Philistines reduced the Israelites to great straits (Judg. 5:6). From this oppression Shamgar was raised up to be their deliverer.
Sources: BibleData (CC BY 4.0, Ehud_1) · STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0, Ehud@Jdg.3.15-1Ch) · Theographic Bible Metadata (CC BY-SA 4.0, ehud_1039)