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.
The facts that Ehud did what he did as an act of war and that God nowhere condemned him for it have led most interpreters to believe he was correct in assassinating King Eglon (lit. fat ox). God used other tricksters (e.g., Jacob, Samson) and other murderers (e.g., Moses, David, Paul). Note that Ehud (possibly "loner" [Note: E. John Hamlin, Judges, p. 73.] ) had no other Israelites with him when he confronted Eglon. He stood alone for God.