Judges 3:28
in Judges 3“Follow me,” he told them, “for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he said unto them, Follow after me; for Jehovah hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and suffered not a man to pass over.
KJV
And he said unto them, Follow after me: for the Lord hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over.
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This verse in Judges 3
Commentary
5 notes on this verseTook the fords of Jordan - It is very likely that the Moabites, who were on the western side of Jordan, hearing of the death of Eglon, were panic-struck, and endeavored to escape over Jordan at the fords near Jericho, when Ehud blew his trumpet in the mountains of Ephraim, and thus to get into the land of the Moabites, which lay on the east of Jordan; but Ehud and his men, seizing the only pass by which they could make their escape, slew ten thousand of them in their attempt to cross at those fords.
This site's exposition
And Ehud escaped while they tarried
on Judges 3:26-28
The trumpet in mount Ephraim raises a levy rather than an army, since Israel in this book keeps no standing force and every deliverer must call one. What Ehud claims at verse 28 is what verse 10 claimed for Othniel, that the Lord hath delivered your enemies into your hand, and the claim is made before a blow is struck. Taking the fords of Jordan cuts Moab from home, and the same crossings are held against the Ephraimites at Judges 12:5.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Thus he shut them up in that land as their prison in which they were pleasing themselves as their palace and paradise. [4.] He then fell upon them, and put them all to the sword, 10,000 of them, which it seems was the number appointed to keep Israel in subjection (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
And he said unto them, follow after me,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Ehud “went down” from the mountain of Ephraim into the Jordan valley beneath it, straight to the Jordan fords Jos 2:7, so as to intercept all communication between the Moabites on the west side and their countrymen on the east.
The words behind it
23 Hebrew wordsEvery 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.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֤אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֲלֵהֶם֙ | ʾalehem | to them | H413 → | 5510 times |
| רִדְפ֣וּ | ridfu | pursue | H7291 → | 143 times |
| אַחֲרַ֔י | ʾacharai | after me | H310 → | 715 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| נָתַ֨ן | natan | he has given | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| יְהוָ֧ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֹיְבֵיכֶ֛ם | ʾoyeveikhem | enemies your | H341 → | 282 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מוֹאָ֖ב | moav | Moab | H4124 → | 181 times |
| בְּיֶדְכֶ֑ם | beyedkhem | in hand your | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| וַיֵּרְד֣וּ | vaiyeredu | and they went down | H3381 → | 381 times |
| אַחֲרָ֗יו | ʾacharav | after him | H310 → | 715 times |
| וַֽיִּלְכְּד֞וּ | vaiyilkedu | and they captured | H3920 → | 121 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מַעְבְּר֤וֹת | ma'berot | [the] fords of | H4569 → | 11 times |
| הַיַּרְדֵּן֙ | haiyarden | the Jordan | H3383 → | 182 times |
| לְמוֹאָ֔ב | lemoav | to Moab | H4124 → | 181 times |
| וְלֹֽא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| נָתְנ֥וּ | natenu | they permitted | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| אִ֖ישׁ | ʾish | anyone | H376 → | 1663 times |
| לַעֲבֹֽר׃ | laavor | to pass over | H5674 → | 556 times |
וַיֹּ֤אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
אֲלֵהֶם֙to them
ʾalehemH413 →5510 times
רִדְפ֣וּpursue
ridfuH7291 →143 times
אַחֲרַ֔יafter me
ʾacharaiH310 →715 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
נָתַ֨ןhe has given
natanH5414 →2011 times
יְהוָ֧הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
אֹיְבֵיכֶ֛םenemies your
ʾoyeveikhemH341 →282 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
מוֹאָ֖בMoab
moavH4124 →181 times
בְּיֶדְכֶ֑םin hand your
beyedkhemH3027 →1618 times
וַיֵּרְד֣וּand they went down
vaiyereduH3381 →381 times
אַחֲרָ֗יוafter him
ʾacharavH310 →715 times
וַֽיִּלְכְּד֞וּand they captured
vaiyilkeduH3920 →121 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
מַעְבְּר֤וֹת[the] fords of
ma'berotH4569 →11 times
הַיַּרְדֵּן֙the Jordan
haiyardenH3383 →182 times
לְמוֹאָ֔בto Moab
lemoavH4124 →181 times
וְלֹֽא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
נָתְנ֥וּthey permitted
natenuH5414 →2011 times
אִ֖ישׁanyone
ʾishH376 →1663 times
לַעֲבֹֽר׃to pass over
laavorH5674 →556 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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 17:47And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our…
it leads to
- Psalms 44:6–7
For I do not trust in my bow, nor does my sword save me.
- Zechariah 4:6
So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.
- Hosea 1:7
Yet I will have compassion on the house of Judah, and I will save them—not by bow or sword or war, not by horses and cavalry, but by the LORD their God.”
- Proverbs 21:30–31
There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the LORD.
- 1 Samuel 14:6
Jonathan said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the outpost of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will work on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD…
- Psalms 44:6–7
Through
Judges 7:15When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Get up, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your…
it leads to
- 2 Corinthians 10:4–6
The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
- Genesis 40:8
“We both had dreams,” they replied, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
- Genesis 24:48
Then I bowed down and worshiped the LORD; and I blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who led me on the right road to take the granddaughter of my master’s brother…
- 2 Corinthians 10:4–6
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Judges
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.