Commentary for Judges 3:34

So that Yisroel would be tested through them. This was a different generation, ignorant of the miracles of the Canaanite wars, and not having witnessed the great deeds, they rebelled, and betrayed the Omnipresent.

These are the incoming generations that did not know that they should make known all of the miracles that were done for Yehoshua at the time that they fought Canaan. And because of this, they become weak in their faith in Hashem. And for that, these nations were place to test them

Only so that they should know. For this alone, He permitted these nations to remain, so that future generations of the Bnei Yisroel might grasp the consequence of iniquity—for it was now necessary for them to undergo martial training.

ONLY SO THAT THEY SHOULD KNOW: It wants to teach that only because of this they will become aware of the wonders of the miracles that were done for them since then

Whereas earlier when they stood worshiping Adonoy.

...TO TEACH THEM WAR: It wants to say that with the remaining nations, did (Israel) not fight them (the nations)? Therefore it was a need to teach them the strategies of war. Because the generation before them, in the days of Yehoshua, they (that generation) did not know the strategies of war because Hashem fought for them. But after that, they needed to know it because of their actions Hashem will leave them to chance. Therefore they should be informed to know the miracles that were done since and trust in Hashem from now on

This was unknown. These wars and the art of battle. It was unnecessary.

Five Pelishtite sovereignties. These were the nations whom He permited to remain as a test.

FIVE: Look back on the text before this where it says "and these are the nations... five...

Authority

...THE COMMANDERS OF THE PHILISTINES: It wants to teach, the places of their kingdoms. Even though Bnei Yehudah conquered them (the kingdoms) from the Philistines: Azah, Ashkelon, Ekron, as its written above, behold after a while, the Philistines returned took it (back) from their hands. Therefore Judah was not able to completely to expel them.

DWELLING IN MOUNT LEBANON: It wants to teach all of the Canaanites... that dwelt in Mount Lebanon to Mount Baal Hermon... to the place that they came to, Lebo Chamat.

these nations...

...WILL THEY LISTEN: without going after their gods

AND THEY TOOK: It wants to teach that they didn't withstand the test, and they took their daughters... at the end of the matter it was because of this that they ended up serving their gods

AND THEY DID: Up until this point in, the Book was speaking in general about the days of the judges. From now on, it returns to tell the details of the days about each of the judges. And it says that before the first judge was established, they acted evilly

The tree that was worshipped

OTNIEL: It focuses on "savior" to teach that Otniel was established to save.

The Divine spirit visited him. R' Tanchuma expounded: He studied the statement of the Holy One, blessed is He, to Moshe in Mitzrayim, "I have surely seen (lit. 'seeing, I have seen') the tribulation of my people."¹ Shemos, 3:7. What are the two sights?²‘Seeing’ I have ‘seen’. He said to him, "I see that they are destined to err with the golden calf—nevertheless, 'I have seen the tribulation of my people.'" Asniel expounded upon this, saying, whether innocent or guilty, He is obliged to save them.³Shemos Rabah, 3:2. Accordingly, “He judged Yisroel” in our passage does not refer to Asniel’s adjudication of litigation in the courtroom, but to his exposition of “I have seen” in his prayer before Adonoy. In his “judgement”, Yisroel was to be saved. (Radal there, 5)

SPIRIT OF GD: The awakening of wisdom to judge, and the courage to wage war

A matter of strength

...AND HE STRENGTHENED HIS HAND: He strengthened his hand for victory every time

AND IT WAS QUIET: By this, the land was quiet and rested from war until the end of the forty years from the time of the beginning of the slavery as its written in Seder Olam

A matter of Rest

AND HASHEM STRENGTHENED: They (Moabites) were weak, but Hashem strengthened them over Israel because of their evil actions.

The city of dates. Yericho.

More than just his nation

Whose right arm was immobile. Yonasan renders "A man whose right arm was shrunken." "Gamid" in the Aramaic always indicates something shrunken by disease, "retrait", "shrunk" in old French. He could not utilize his right arm. In Hebrew, "closed", as in "Let not the well close its mouth over me."⁴Tehilim, 69:16. His right arm was "closed"—he could not utilize it.

from the tribe of Benjamin

A matter of contraction as in Psalm 69: 16 "Don't let the mouth of the Pit not close over me." It is to say it is as if his right hand was contracted because he didn't extend it.

...A LEFTY (CRIPPLED). It is explained that the reason why the king of Moab was not guarded from Ehud's sword was because he was a lefty. Normally it (the sword) hangs on the left thigh so that its comfortable to grab with one's right hand, but this is not the case and therefore there was nothing noticeable on his left thigh underneath his outer garment and therefore they didn't feel anything because they did not think that he was a lefty

...AND THEY SEND... A TRIBUTE: So that they don't suspect anything and they trust him when they see him his submission in bringing a tribute

One gomed long. An abridged amoh.⁵The length of the forearm. (Rashbam to Bava Basra, 100:a). In German, 'daumen lang'. In old French, 'espan courte'.

TWO MOUTHS: To kill him with ease and speed

MOUTHS: The sharp side of the sword is called the mouth

Over his right thigh. Since he was able to utilize his left hand, he would grasp it with the left hand.

...A CUBIT IN LENGTH. Less than the normal measurement of a sword so that he can gird it underneath his outer garment. It would have been noticeable bump if it was the length of a normal sword

GOMED: It is a cubit and in Ezekiel 27: 11 "And men of Gammad were stationed in your towers" its to say that these men were short people.

ON HIS RIGHT THIGH: So that its easier for him to grab it with his left

His clothing as in Leviticus 6:3 "linen raiment."

...THIGH: His side as in Leviticus 1:11 "The side of the Altar."

Obese. Fat.

A stout man: this was also the reason for his death. Because he was fat and a big guy, it was hard for him to stand up and while he was busy with standing up, he was not able to guard himself from Ehud

STOUT: a big fat guy, as in Kings 1:5:3 "Ten stout cows."

He escorted the people. He turned back to accompany the delegation of Yisroelites who came with him to bear the gift. He escorted them until Gilgal.

FINISHED BRINGING: After he gave over the tribute

...AND HE SENT: Because with one it is easier to escape. This is not to for a group

He then returned alone.

He returned himself as if he forgot something.

Idols: the place where they carve out the face of the stone as in "the sons of Shlomo carved."

From the quarries. An area where stones were excavated from the mountain. Similarly, Yonasan renders "from the quarries." Then he went to Eglon,⁶Ehud’s return to Eglon is not actually discussed in the text. Rashi mentions the return for the sake of clarification. and declared to him.⁷“…I have a matter, etc.”.

Next to Gilgal.

Silence: a matter of quiet as in Numbers 13:30 "Calev was silent."

He said, "Hsst." Eglon said, "Silence everyone near me!" Yonasan renders, "Leave!"—remove everyone. Still, the term connotes silence.⁸Silence them by removing them.

A secret thing: It wants to teach that "I did not tell you this when I was here with the people who brought the tribute.

Next to him

And he said silence: As its said "if its a secret matter in front of your people, be quiet and don't speak in the ears of my people who are standing here.

...And they left themselves when they heard the word of the king.

In his penthouse veranda. In the summer penthouse which was airy and cool.

He came close to him

From the language of upper, the upper construction

I have a Divine message for you! Thus, you are required to rise.

on the upper cool level: when it was hot, he would sit in the upper level made of a lot of windows to cool himself down

From the language of cold and freezing

He rose from the throne. He therefore merited that Rus was descended from him.

By himself because those who were standing by him left

A word of Hashem: and as it appears that the proper thing is to stand when you hear it. And his intention was to slow him down when he was standing up so that he doesn't expect it

And Ehud Sent: (his sword) when he was still struggling to stand

And it got stuck: Thrust and insertion. As in Samuel 2:18:14 "and it was thrusted in the heart of Abshalom."

The hilt. The iron into which the blade is inserted, called 'hulot' in old French. This balances the sword in its scabbard.

Also the handle: so that he would die immediately without screaming. it was stuck deep.

The handle: this is the handle of the sword that it is based on to do its job

The blade. The sharpened section, called "brant" and "lama" in old French.

And the fat closed it: he grabbed the blade of the sword so that it wouldn't come out. Ehud did not draw the sword from his stomach because he felt that less blood will drip on him and it will excite the people that will see it on his way out

the blade: this is the sword because it was shiny like a flame when its unsheathed as in Nachum 3:3 "the flashing sword."

The fat closed. His fat. He was extremely corpulent, so that he enclosed the entire length of the dagger.

the waste left him: this was a reason why (the guards) thought that he was reliving himself because the smell of the waste was disgusting

Drawn: taking it out. as in Joshua 5:13 "his drawn sword."

Waste matter oozed. Yonasan renders, "Spilled waste matter oozed." He reads this as a contraction of two words with the 'shin' serving both.⁹ פַּרְשְׁדֹֽנׇה is read as פֶּרֶשׁ־שְׁדוֹנׇא, “spilled waste matter”, with the middle ש serving as the last letter of פֶּרֶשׁ and the first letter of שְׁדוֹנׇא. "spilled waste matter" [oozed].¹⁰The waste matter first spilled from the abdomen into the body, then it oozed from the wound. (Ralbag).שְׁפַךְ, "spilled", is the translation of שְׁדָא¹¹Or שְׁדוֹנׇא. according to Yonasan.

The waste: The dung and the excrement.

And Ehud went out to the hallway. From the penthouse to the מסדרונה, translated by Targum Yonasan as 'hallway'.

The upper cold room

This is the portico that is arranged with chairs for people to sit in

And locked With the key.

next to him as in Genesis 7:16 "Hashem closed it next to him."

It wants to teach that it was also closed form the lock

As he left. Ehud left, and Eglon's servants came.

He left form the portico

It is a euphemism for reliving himself as an Samuel 1:24:3 "And Saul came to relive himself." Its named this based on the way that he is sitting down and facing. To shut in and to cover his legs because of modesty.

Relieving himself [lit. 'covering his legs']. Performing his necessary bodily functions. This refers to a bowel movement.¹²When the legs are covered as a matter of modesty. (Metzudas).

It wants to say that nothing bad is happening, he's only reliving himself

A considerable time. [lit.] Until [it constituted] delay, as if to say, a considerable time.

For a long time: They waited a time that was appropriate that he would be done reliving himself even if he took a while.

They waited as in Genesis 8:10 "He waited longer"

The Key: It was in their hands to open the door from the outside

Lateness : as in Kings 2:8:11 "And he kept it for a long time."

The name of the tool that opens something that's locked.

Escaped. Fled, "eschamocier" in old French.

They waited and delayed until it became embarrassing

as "while"

While [lit. until] they tarried. As in,¹³Rashi cites these quotations to demonstrate that עַד, lit. “until”, may be translated as while”. "While the king lounged,"¹⁴Shir Hashirim, 1:12. "Affection, while still desired"¹⁵Ibid, 2:7.—while we both desire it.

Pesilim was in the land of Moab, and he ran to Seir that was from the land of Israel.

Matter of waiting. As in Genesis 43:10. "If only we had not waited"

In the underbrush. A thin-branched, heavily wooded forest, called "brousaille", brush, in old French, excellent for concealment. Frequently, in the order of Zeraim, thin branches are called "sa'ar"—"[He] overturned the branches,"¹⁶Kilayim, 4:9. "If the branches meshed."¹⁷Peah, 2:3.

The name of the place

It happened that, when he arrived. He crossed the Yardein, and arrived at his place in the land of Canaan.¹⁸The text omits Ehud’s crossing of the Yardein and his arrival in Canaan. Rashi mentions these events for clarification.

When he came to the land of Israel

At Mount Ephrayim. Which was in the land of Canaan, on the western side of the Yardein. The land of Moav was on the eastern side of the Yardein, but as they had subdued Yisroel and crossed the Yardein, they occupied Yericho as stated above, and installed their princes and governors over Yisroel.

and he blew (the shofar) to make a sign to gather

Charge behind me to wipe out all the Moabites on our side of the Yardein.

They chased after: its to say that they went quickly

Took control of the Yardein passes so that the Moabites could not cross to escape and return to their country.

Because Hashem gave: what was enough in his hand to kill the kind

The bank of the Jordan on the bank of Moab: the land of Moab was on the eastern bank of the Jordan, and they (the Jews) captured the place on the other side of the Jordan so as to not give the Moabites, that were in the land of Israel, permission to pass back into their own land

All horrific [lit. corpulent]. Every man awe inspiring.

Because in the land of Israel they were the best of them

From the ones that were in the land of Israel

the end of the eighty years is from the beginning of the subjugation

from the language of submission

With a goad. A saddle spur, "aiguillon" in old French.

In the year that Ehud died, Shmagar became a judge and he died in that year

Ox Goad: this is the stick that at the top of it has the eye of a needle stuck in it and its called a spur. With it you teach and scare the cattle to plow

Its to teach that this his salvation was not a great one as Ehud's was. but in any place, he did also made a salvation.