But he himself turned back from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand to you, king. He said, Keep silence. All who stood by him went out from him.
Jericho was in Benjamin’s territory, so it was not unusual that God would raise up a judge from that tribe to lead Israel against the Moabites. We learn later that the Benjamites at this time were far from admirable on the whole (chs. 19-21). Yet God raised up a faithful man from this tribe to do His will. The English text’s description of Ehud as left-handed (Judges 3:15) is misleading. The Hebrew expression translated "a left-handed man" probably means "a man restricted as to his right hand." [Note: J. A. Soggin, Judges: A Commentary, p. 50; et al.] This was an ironic condition for a Benjamite since "Benjamin" means "son of the right hand." Many Benjamites were left-handed (Judges 20:16) and not a few were ambidextrous (1 Chronicles 12:2). Ehud may not have been able to use his right hand as well as his left. In spite of this abnormality God used him to bring a great victory to Israel.