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Judges 3:24

in Judges 3

After Ehud was gone, Eglon’s servants came in and found the doors of the upper room locked. “He must be relieving himself in the cool room,” they said.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

Now when he was gone out, his servants came; and they saw, and, behold, the doors of the upper room were locked; and they said, Surely he is covering his feet in the upper chamber.

KJV

When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlour were locked, they said, Surely he covereth his feet in his summer chamber.

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This verse in Judges 3

Commentary

7 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

He covereth his feet - He has lain down on his sofa in order to sleep; when this was done they dropped their slippers, lifted up their feet, and covered them with their long loose garments. But the versions, in general, seem to understand it as implying a certain natural act.

This site's exposition

Then Ehud went out through the porch

on Judges 3:23-25

The servants' guess, "He must be relieving himself in the cool room", renders a Hebrew euphemism, covering the feet, used again of Saul in the cave at 1 Samuel 24:3. They "waited until they became worried", so their own courtesy toward the king buys Ehud the road. The escape runs on ordinary means, and the locked door and the embarrassment of the household do the whole of it.

This site's exposition

relieving himself in the cool room

John Wesley cites an interpreter who reads the servants' words as a midday sleep, with the feet covered in a cool room. Adam Clarke gives the same sleeping picture but notes that most ancient versions take it as a natural act. The Berean follows the versions.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

Covereth his feet - This phrase is used only here, and 1 Sam. xxiv, 3. A late judicious interpreter expounds it, of composing himself to take a little sleep, as was very usual to do in the day- time in those hot countries. And when they did so in cool places, such as this summer parlor unquestionably was, they used to cover their feet.
When he was gone out, his servants came,....

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

Ehud put forth his left hand--The whole circumstance of this daring act--the death of Eglon without a shriek, or noise--the locking of the doors--the carrying off the key--the calm, unhurried deportment of Ehud--show the strength of his confidence that he was doing God service.
He covereth his feet - Compare the marginal references. The explanation of the phrase as “taking sleep” suits both passages best.

The words behind it

17 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וְה֤וּאand he

    vehu'H1931 →1879 times

  • יָצָא֙he went forth

    yatza'H3318 →1067 times

  • וַעֲבָדָ֣יוand servants his

    vaavadavH5650 →799 times

  • בָּ֔אוּthey came

    bauH935 →2568 times

  • וַיִּרְא֕וּand they saw

    vaiyiruH7200 →1300 times

  • וְהִנֵּ֛הand there!

    vehinehH2009 →843 times

  • דַּלְת֥וֹת[the] doors of

    daltotH1817 →88 times

  • הָעֲלִיָּ֖הthe roof chamber

    haaliyahH5944 →20 times

  • נְעֻל֑וֹת[were] locked

    neulotH5274 →

  • וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּand they said

    vaiyomeruH559 →5305 times

  • אַ֣ךְsurely

    ʾakhH389 →161 times

  • מֵסִ֥יךְ[is] covering

    mesikhH5526 →

  • ה֛וּאhe

    hu'H1931 →1879 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • רַגְלָ֖יוfeet his

    raglavH7272 →247 times

  • בַּחֲדַ֥רin [the] chamber of

    bachadarH2315 →38 times

  • הַמְּקֵרָֽה׃the coolness

    hamekerahH4747 →

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

1 in all, six open

The walk

3 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    1 Samuel 24:3

    Soon Saul came to the sheepfolds along the road, where there was a cave, and he went in to relieve himself. And David and his men were hiding in the recesses of the cave.

    it leads to

    • Psalms 142:1–7

      I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift my voice to the LORD for mercy.

    • Psalms 57:1–11

      Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy, for in You my soul takes refuge. In the shadow of Your wings I will take shelter until the danger has passed.

    • Psalms 141:6

      When their rulers are thrown down from the cliffs, the people will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.

Where this verse is studied

On this page

Studies1

About Judges

Jael, Deborah and Barak, Salomon de Bray, 1635. Public domain.
Jael, Deborah and Barak, Salomon de Bray, 1635. Public domain.
Judges: the study guide →Read Judges 3 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament.

Read on in Judges 3 →