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Judges 3:25

in Judges 3

So they waited until they became worried and saw that he had still not opened the doors of the upper room. Then they took the key and opened the doors—and there was their lord lying dead on the floor.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And they tarried till they were ashamed; and, behold, he opened not the doors of the upper room: therefore they took the key, and opened them; and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.

KJV

And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he opened not the doors of the parlour; therefore they took a key, and opened them: and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.

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This verse in Judges 3

Commentary

6 notes on this verse
A key - literally, “an opener.” Probably a wooden instrument with which they either lifted up the latch within, or drew back the wooden bar or bolt. The chief officer of Eglon’s household probably had a second key (compare Isa 22:15, Isa 22:20-22; Isa 37:2).

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

Then they took the key

Albert Barnes says the Hebrew for key means an opener. He takes it as a wooden tool that lifted the latch inside or drew back the bar. He suggests the chief officer of Eglon's household kept a second key.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

And they tarried until they were ashamed,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

The horror of this tragical spectacle, and the confusion it must needs put them into, to reflect upon their own inconsideration in not opening the door sooner, quite put by the thoughts of sending pursuers after him that had done it, whom now they despaired of overtaking. Lastly, Ehud by this means made his escape to Sierath, a thick wood; so some,

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

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.

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.

  • וַיָּחִ֣ילוּand they writhed

    vaiyachiluH2342 →58 times

  • עַד־until

    ʾad-H5704 →1261 times

  • בּ֔וֹשׁwere ashamed

    booshH954 →

  • וְהִנֵּ֛הand there!

    vehinehH2009 →843 times

  • אֵינֶ֥נּוּnot he

    ʾeinenuH369 →789 times

  • פֹתֵ֖חַ[was] opening

    foteachH6605 →144 times

  • דַּלְת֣וֹת[the] doors of

    daltotH1817 →88 times

  • הָֽעֲלִיָּ֑הthe roof chamber

    haaliyahH5944 →20 times

  • וַיִּקְח֤וּand they took

    vaiyikchuH3947 →966 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • הַמַּפְתֵּ֙חַ֙the key

    hamafteachH4668 →

  • וַיִּפְתָּ֔חוּand they opened [them]

    vaiyiftachuH6605 →144 times

  • וְהִנֵּה֙and there!

    vehinehH2009 →843 times

  • אֲדֹ֣נֵיהֶ֔םmaster<s> their

    ʾadoneihemH113 →333 times

  • נֹפֵ֥ל[was] lying

    nofelH5307 →435 times

  • אַ֖רְצָה[the] ground towards

    ʾartzahH776 →2504 times

  • מֵֽת׃dead

    metH4191 →839 times

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

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 Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments; 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 Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Judges 3 →